Health of Canadians
Access to health care
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Key findings
- In 2021, while most Canadians (85.5%) had a regular health care provider, 4.7 million Canadians (14.4%) did not have one.
- Among those with a health care provider, 58.3% waited three days or less for an appointment.
- Almost 2.5 million Canadians (7.9%) reported unmet health care needs in 2021. The proportion of Canadians reporting unmet needs was higher in the Atlantic provinces compared with the rest of Canada.
- Approximately 946,000 Canadians used home care services in 2021, corresponding to 3.2% of the Canadian population. Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec had higher proportions of home care use.
- Approximately 475,000 Canadians (1.6%) reported unmet home care needs in 2021.
The publicly funded health care system is part of Canada’s national identity. This section looks at primary health care—the first point of contact with the health care system for most people.
7.0 Access to a regular health care provider
A regular health care provider is a health professional that a person sees or talks to when they need care or advice about their health. This can include a family doctor or general practitioner, medical specialist, or nurse practitioner. In 2021, while most Canadians (85.5%) had a regular health care provider, 4.7 million Canadians (14.4%) did not have one.
The percentage of those with access to a regular health care provider was significantly lower in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories compared with the rest of Canada (Chart 7.0). This corresponds to a significantly lower number of physicians per capita in these two jurisdictions.Note 69
Data table for Chart 7.0
| Have access to a regular health provider | |
|---|---|
| percent | |
| Canada | 85.5 |
| N.L. | 87.5 |
| P.E.I. | 80.5 |
| N.S. | 86.3 |
| N.B. | 89.8 |
| Que. | 78.4 |
| Ont. | 89.7 |
| Man. | 86.0 |
| Sask. | 84.1 |
| Alta. | 87.3 |
| B.C. | 83.0 |
| Y.T. | 78.8 |
| N.W.T. | 37.3 |
| Nvt. | 13.9 |
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Notes: Provincial data are from the 2021 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), and provinces are compared with the 2021 estimate for the rest of Canada, which excludes the province being compared and the territories (shown). Territorial data are from the 2017 and 2018 CCHS, and territories are compared with the 2017 and 2018 estimate for the rest of Canada, which excludes the territory being compared (not shown). Data for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut should be interpreted with caution. The horizontal line at 85.5% represents Canada. Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2021, Table 13-10-0096-01 Health characteristics, annual estimates; and CCHS, 2017 and 2018, Table 13-10-0113-01 Health characteristics, two-year period estimates. |
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In 2019, more than three-quarters (76.7%) of children aged 1 to 11 had required or received the services of a family doctor, general practitioner, or pediatrician in the previous 12 months. A lower proportion of men aged 18 to 34 reported having a regular health care provider compared with women in the same age group and with all other age groups.
In 2021, a lower proportion of First Nations people living off reserve (81.2%) reported having a regular health care provider compared with non-Indigenous people (85.7%). A lower proportion of people who identified as bisexual or pansexual (77.4%) reported the same compared with heterosexual Canadians (85.6%). Meanwhile, a higher proportion of Canadians in the highest income quintile (88.0%) reported having a regular health care provider compared with those in the lowest income quintile (81.5%). The proportion of Canadians who reported having a regular health care provider also varied across racialized groups, from 71.7% among Latin American people to 89.8% among Filipino people (Chart 7.1).
Data table for Chart 7.1
| Have access to a regular health provider | |
|---|---|
| percent | |
| Filipino | 89.8 |
| West Asian | 85.7 |
| Chinese | 84.8 |
| South Asian | 81.7 |
| Korean | 80.6 |
| Black | 79.5 |
| Southeast Asian | 76.3 |
| Japanese | 74.8 |
| Arab | 73.2 |
| Latin American | 71.7 |
| Racialized population, n.i.e. | 81.8 |
| Multiple racialized groups | 87.8 |
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Note: Racialized population, n.i.e. = not included elsewhere. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021. |
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8.0 Wait time for a minor health problem
Among Canadians who had a regular health care provider, 58.3% reported waiting three days or less to see them or another provider from the same office for a minor problem in 2021 (Chart 8.0). This proportion varied across the country, with fewer Canadians in Nova Scotia (31.9%) and New Brunswick (38.3%) than the rest of Canada reporting waiting three days or less to see their regular health care provider (Chart 8.0).
Data table for Chart 8.0
| percent | |
|---|---|
| Canada | 58.3 |
| N.L. | 44.7 |
| P.E.I. | 50.8 |
| N.S. | 31.9 |
| N.B. | 38.3 |
| Que. | 46.6 |
| Ont. | 65.3 |
| Man. | 61.3 |
| Sask. | 62.6 |
| Alta. | 66.3 |
| B.C. | 55.4 |
| Y.T. | 50.1 |
| N.W.T. | 49.3 |
| Nvt. | 72.4 |
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Notes: Provincial data are from the 2021 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), and provinces are compared with the 2021 estimate for the rest of Canada, which excludes the province being compared and the territories (shown). Territorial data are from the 2017 and 2018 CCHS, and territories are compared with the 2017 and 2018 estimate for the rest of Canada, which excludes the territory being compared (not shown). The horizontal line at 58.3% represents Canada. Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2017/18 and 2021. |
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A higher proportion of people aged 12 to 17 reported waiting three days or less to see their regular health care provider for a minor problem compared with all other age categories (Chart 8.1). Additionally, a higher proportion of males (60.4%) than females (56.5%) reported waiting three days or less to see their regular health care provider, and this was consistent across all age categories except ages 50 to 64 (Chart 8.1).
Data table for Chart 8.1
| Age group (years) | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| 12 to 17 | 72.2 | 64.7 |
| 18 to 34 | 56.7 | 50.6 |
| 35 to 49 | 60.8 | 56.5 |
| 50 to 64 | 57.2 | 56.3 |
| 65 and older | 63.6 | 60.3 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021. | ||
Lower proportions of Canadians aged 15 and older who identified as gay or lesbian (48.1%) and bisexual or pansexual (45.6%) reported wait times of three days or less to see their regular health care provider compared with heterosexual Canadians (58.4%).
Did you know?
According to the Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, among children aged 1 to 11 who received or required the care of a family doctor, general practitioner, or pediatrician, 9.3% reported difficulty accessing health care services.
9.0 Unmet health care needs
While 85.5% of Canadians reported having a regular health care provider in 2021, almost 2.5 million people (7.9% of Canadians) reported unmet health care needs. This proportion varied across provinces, with a higher share of respondents in the Atlantic provinces (10.7%) having unmet needs compared with the rest of Canada (Chart 9.0). Females (8.9%) were more likely than males (6.9%) to report unmet health care needs.
Data table for Chart 9.0
| percent | |
|---|---|
| Canada | 7.9 |
| N.L. | 9.7 |
| P.E.I. | 13.2 |
| N.S. | 11.7 |
| N.B. | 9.7 |
| Que. | 8.1 |
| Ont. | 7.5 |
| Man. | 6.7 |
| Sask. | 6.3 |
| Alta. | 7.1 |
| B.C. | 8.7 |
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Notes: Estimates for Canada do not include the territories. The horizontal line at 7.9% represents Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, 2021, Table 13-10-0836-01 Unmet health care needs by sex and age group. |
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10.0 Use of home care services
Home care services enable people of all ages, but particularly older adults, to receive care in their homes rather than in a facility such as a hospital or long-term care facility.Note 70 Home care services are defined as services (e.g., nursing or health care, medical equipment or supplies, and help with personal care or other services such as transportation) received in the home because of a health condition or limitation in daily activities. They do not include help from family, friends, or neighbours. These types of services reduce pressure on the health care system and allow limited hospital resources to be directed to other uses.
Home care services may also reduce pressure on those who provide informal care to their family members—one in four Canadians reported providing care and support to someone with a long-term health condition, disability, or problems related to aging.Note 70
In 2021, approximately 946,000 Canadians in the provinces used home care services, corresponding to 3.2% of the population (Chart 10.0). Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec had higher rates of home care service use than the rest of the provinces (Chart 10.0).
Data table for Chart 10.0
| percent | |
|---|---|
| Canada | 3.2 |
| N.L. | 3.7 |
| P.E.I. | 1.6 |
| N.S. | 4.0 |
| N.B. | 4.3 |
| Que. | 4.0 |
| Ont. | 3.1 |
| Man. | 2.3 |
| Sask. | 2.8 |
| Alta. | 2.4 |
| B.C. | 2.7 |
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Notes: The percentage for Prince Edward Island should be interpreted with caution. Recent data for the territories are not available. The horizontal line at 3.2% represents Canada. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021. |
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The proportion of Canadians aged 65 and older reporting home care service use (8.4%) was almost eight times higher than that of Canadians aged 18 to 34 (1.1%; use with caution) (Chart 10.1). Females were more likely than males to use home care services across all age groups except ages 50 to 64 (Chart 10.1).
Data table for Chart 10.1
| Age group (years) | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| 18 to 34 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
| 35 to 49 | 1.1 | 1.7 |
| 50 to 64 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| 65 and older | 6.8 | 9.8 |
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Note: Percentages for males aged 18 to 34, 35 to 49 and 50 to 64 and for females aged 18 to 34 and 35 to 49 should be interpreted with caution. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021. |
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The proportion of people who used home care services was highest among Canadians in the lowest household income quintile (6.2%) compared with those in the highest household income quintile (2.2%). The relationship between income and home care service use holds not only at the individual level, but also at the community level. A higher proportion of Canadians living in suburban neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic status reported using home care services compared with other neighbourhood types.Note 71
11.0 Unmet home care needs
While almost 1 million Canadians reported using home care services in 2021, not all Canadians who needed these services could access them or received all the services they needed.
In 2021, among Canadians who accessed home care services, approximately 475,000 people (1.6% of the Canadian population) reported unmet home care needs, and this varied across provinces.
Unmet home care needs were highest among Canadians aged 65 and older, and they were higher among females across all age groups. Unmet needs were greatest for First Nations people living off reserve (3.1%; use with caution) compared with 1.7% (use with caution) for Métis and 1.4% for non-Indigenous people.
The percentage of people in the provinces reporting unmet needs for home care was higher for those in the lowest income quintile (3.3%) compared with the highest income quintile (0.5%; use with caution) (Chart 11.0).
Data table for Chart 11.0
| percent | |
|---|---|
| Quintile 1 (lowest) |
3.3 |
| Quintile 2 | 2.0 |
| Quintile 3 | 1.3 |
| Quintile 4 | 0.8 |
| Quintile 5 (highest) |
0.5 |
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Note: Percentages for household income quintiles 3, 4 and 5 should be interpreted with caution. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021. |
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Did you know?
In 2023, the Government of Canada announced a $6 billion investment in home and community care, as well as an additional $1.7 billion over five years to support wage increases for personal support workers and related professions, with the goal of improving access to and the quality of home care services and long-term care.Note 72
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