Health of Canadians
Report highlights and future directions

Like the first annual Health of Canadians report,^Note  this report provides a comprehensive overview of the state of population health in Canada. It uses the latest data (mainly from 2022 and 2023) to highlight trends for key health indicators across several sociodemographic characteristics.

New to the report are statistics on sexual health, oral health and COVID-19, as well as analyses across additional subpopulations, including people with disabilities, immigrants and those living in rural areas.

In 2023, life expectancy rose for the first time in three years. Crude birth rate and the total fertility rate continued to drop, and stillbirths and maternal mortality rates kept increasing. Cancer and heart disease remained the leading causes of death, while deaths from COVID-19 decreased. Projections for 2024 indicate that, although age-standardized incidence and mortality rates for all cancers combined are expected to decrease for both males and females compared with previous years, the rates for males will remain higher than those for females.

This report finds that perceived health declined among Canadian adults from 2021 to 2022 and further dropped in 2023. Perceived mental health also decreased from 2018 to 2022 but remained relatively stable in 2023, except for adults aged 35 to 49, among whom it continued to decline. Lower perceived health and mental health were observed among women; people whose reported sexual orientation is lesbian, gay, bisexual or another orientation that is not heterosexual (LGB+); those with a self-reported disability; non-immigrants; those living in the Atlantic provinces or in population centres; and those with lower household incomes.

While the prevalence of most chronic diseases and risk factors has remained stable, the prevalence of overweight, obesity, arthritis and high blood pressure stayed elevated for certain groups, especially males, older adults, longer-term immigrants, those in low-income households and those with a self-reported disability. The prevalence of mental health conditions like anxiety and mood disorders continued to climb; they were more prevalent among women, younger adults, LGB+ people and individuals with the lowest household incomes. In Canada, 2.1 million people still suffered from long-term COVID-19 symptoms and reported missing days of school or work as a result.

The 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey asked about alcohol use in the past seven days and revealed that half of Canadian adults reported not drinking any alcohol in the past week.^Note  Heavy drinking increased from 2021 to 2022 but then decreased in 2023. Consistent with previous findings, proportionally more people in higher-income households were classified as heavy drinkers and reported consuming seven or more drinks in the past week.^Note  While the prevalence of vaping increased from 2021 to 2022, it remained stable in 2023. Cannabis use was down in 2023 from the previous year, and overall cigarette smoking kept declining. Daily or occasional cigarette use continued to be prevalent among low-income adults and those with a self-reported disability, while vaping and cannabis use remained prevalent among men and younger adults.

Proportionally fewer Canadian adults reported having a regular health care provider in 2023 than in 2022. The shares were particularly low for young adults, those with the lowest income, LGB+ people, and those living in the territories and Quebec. Close to 3 million Canadians reported unmet needs for health care in 2022, a 1.3 percentage point increase from the previous year. Unmet needs for health care were higher among those living in the Atlantic provinces and among women. Meanwhile, unmet needs for home care were high among those with the lowest income, women and longer-term immigrants. Three-quarters of Canadians visited an oral health professional in 2023 to 2024, and two-thirds had dental insurance.

In the coming years, as the Canadian population grows (because of immigration) and ages (because of the large baby-boomer cohort reaching 85 years of age),^Note  there will be implications for population health. Comprehensive strategies will be critical for addressing the varying needs and challenges presented by these demographic shifts. Policy makers will need to consider the unique health needs of aging populations and immigrants in planning and resource allocation. Statistics Canada will keep updating Health of Canadians, with the goal of continuing to monitor and report on population health.

The next iteration of the report will incorporate findings from the Survey on Health Care Access and Experiences – Primary and Specialist Care, which will include data on quality of life health indicators, cost-related non-adherence to prescription medications and access to supplementary health insurance. As this year’s report focused on adult population health, key findings on child and youth health from the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth will be presented in the next annual publication. Data from Cycle 7 (2022 to 2024) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, including directly measured health indicators such as overweight and obesity, hypertension, and oral health, in both adults and children, may also be included.

In collaboration with partners, Statistics Canada is also conducting several new health surveys that address data gaps, including on sexual and reproductive health, pharmaceuticals, electronic health information, virtual care, and palliative care.