Health of Canadians
Access to health care
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Key findings
- While most Canadians (82.8%) had a regular health care provider in 2023, this proportion was lower than in 2022 (85.8%).
- The share of Canadians aged 18 to 34 with a regular health care provider (73.6%) was nearly 20 percentage points below that of Canadians aged 65 and older (92.0%).
- Proportionally more women (86.6%) than men (78.9%) had a regular health care provider.
- In 2023, compared with the non-racialized population (83.8%), a lower proportion of Arab (77.5%), Black (72.3%), Korean (70.7%), Latin American (73.4%) and Chinese (80.4%) adults had a regular health care provider, whereas a greater proportion of Filipino adults (87.2%) had one.
- Close to 3 million Canadians aged 15 and older in the provinces reported unmet health care needs (9.2%) in 2022, an increase from the previous year (7.9%). Unmet needs were higher in the Atlantic provinces than the average across all provinces and higher among females than males.
- While nearly 1.4 million Canadians reported using home care services in 2023, 2.0% of Canadian adults, or more than 600,000 people, reported unmet home care needs.
- Among adults aged 65 and older, a greater proportion of women used home care services (12.1%), compared with men (8.5%).
- As in 2021 and 2022, the percentage of adults with unmet home care needs in 2023 was greater among Canadians in the lowest household income quintile (4.3%), compared with the highest quintile (1.2%).
10.0 Access to a regular health care provider
A regular health care provider is a health professional that a person regularly consults with when they need care or advice about their health. This can include a family doctor or general practitioner, a medical specialist, a nurse practitioner, or another health care provider.
After remaining stable at around 85% from 2017 to 2022, the proportion of Canadian adults who reported having a regular health care provider decreased to 82.8% in 2023. The types of health care providers Canadians regularly consulted with also changed from 2022 to 2023. Proportionally fewer people reported regularly consulting with a doctor or general practitioner (from 75.1% in 2022 to 68.8% in 2023), and more reported regularly consulting with a medical specialist (from 4.5% in 2022 to 5.3% in 2023) or another health care provider (from 3.6% in 2022 to 6.2% in 2023). The share who regularly consulted with a nurse practitioner did not change (2.5% in 2022 and 2023).
Access to a regular health care provider varied across Canada. A higher percentage of adults in Ontario (87.6%), Manitoba (84.9%) and Alberta (85.4%) had a regular health care provider in 2023, compared with Canada overall (excluding the territories). Conversely, a lower percentage of adults in Newfoundland and Labrador (78.1%), Prince Edward Island (73.1%), Nova Scotia (79.2%), and Quebec (74.2%) had a regular health care provider. In 2023, as in previous years, proportionally more Canadians in rural communities had a regular health care provider (84.2%), compared with those living in population centres (82.5%). In 2022, the proportion of Canadians with a regular health care provider was lower in Yukon (77.5%), the Northwest Territories (59.9%) and Nunavut (39.9%), compared with Canada overall (85.7%).
From 2021 to 2023, proportionally more women reported having a regular health care provider, compared with men (86.6% vs. 78.9% in 2023). In 2023, the percentage of 18- to 34-year-olds with a regular health care provider (73.6%) was lower than for all other age groups, while the proportion of those aged 65 and older was the highest (92.0%). Lower proportions of gay or lesbian (78.5%) and bisexual or pansexual (77.5%) adults had a regular health care provider, compared with heterosexual adults (82.8%), in 2023. Compared with Canadian adults without disabilities (81.8%), a greater proportion of those with a disability had a regular health care provider (89.8%) in 2023. Proportionally fewer adults in the lowest household income quintile (79.9%) than the highest (84.1%) reported having a regular health care provider.
In 2023, compared with the non-racialized population (83.8%), lower shares of Arab (77.5%), Black (72.3%), Korean (70.7%), Latin American (73.4%) and Chinese (80.4%) adults had a regular health care provider, whereas a greater proportion of Filipino adults (87.2%) had one.
Chart 10.0 shows that from 2021 to 2023 the percentage of non-immigrants with a regular health care provider dropped from 87.1% to 83.4%, whereas no change was seen among immigrants (83.3% to 84.9%). However, this varied by time spent in Canada. The proportion of immigrants who were admitted in the last 10 years with a regular health care provider increased from 69.7% in 2021 to 77.1% in 2023, while the percentage among immigrants who were admitted more than 10 years ago stayed constant (89.0% in 2021 vs. 88.1% in 2023).
Data table for Chart 10.0
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | ||||
| from | to | from | to | from | to | ||||
| Notes: Territorial data are not included in annual estimates. Immigrants include people who are, or who have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents. They have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this category. Immigrants who were admitted to Canada in the last 10 years include people who first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status on the survey date or in the 10 years before. Immigrants who were admitted to Canada more than 10 years ago include people who first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status more than 10 years prior to the survey date. Non-immigrants include people who are Canadian citizens by birth.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2021 to 2023; Table 13-10-0880-01 Health indicators by visible minority and selected sociodemographic characteristics: Canada excluding territories, annual estimates. |
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| Immigrants | 83.3 | 81.7 | 84.9 | 86.9 | 85.8 | 87.9 | 84.9 | 83.7 | 86.0 |
| Immigrants who were admitted to Canada more than 10 years ago | 89.0 | 87.5 | 90.6 | 90.7 | 89.6 | 91.7 | 88.0 | 86.8 | 89.1 |
| Immigrants who were admitted to Canada in the last 10 years | 69.7 | 65.9 | 73.4 | 76.3 | 73.0 | 79.3 | 76.4 | 73.2 | 79.3 |
| Non-immigrants | 87.1 | 86.5 | 87.8 | 86.5 | 85.9 | 87.0 | 83.4 | 82.8 | 84.0 |
Did you know?
Using combined 2017 to 2020 data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, a study found that higher proportions of First Nations people living off reserve (20.3%), Métis (17.9%) and Inuit (56.5%) aged 12 and older reported not having a regular health care provider, compared with non-Indigenous people (14.5%).Note 24 Among Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, proportionally more men than women and more younger adults (aged 18 to 34) than other age groups (aged 12 to 17, 35 to 64, and 65 and older) reported not having a regular health care provider. Younger adults aged 18 to 34 were the least likely to have a regular health care provider from 2017 to 2020, compared with all other age groups. This was the case for approximately one-quarter of First Nations (26.3%), Métis (24.7%) and non-Indigenous (25.1%) adults aged 18 to 34. Among Inuit, the proportion was much higher, with around two-thirds (66.0%) of adults aged 18 to 34 not having a regular health care provider. Access to a regular health care provider was lowest among those living in very remote areas, with half of First Nations people living off reserve (50.4%) and Métis (51.7%; this figure should be used with caution) and 8 in 10 Inuit (81.6%) did not having a regular health care provider from 2017 to 2020. This was higher than the share among non-Indigenous people (30.1%).
11.0 Unmet needs for health care
According to the Canadian Income Survey, close to 3 million Canadians aged 15 and older in the provinces reported unmet health care needs (9.2%) in 2022, an increase from the year before (7.9%).Note 98 As observed in previous years, unmet needs varied across the provinces in 2022, with proportionally more people in the Atlantic provinces (12.6%) and British Columbia (10.9%) reporting unmet health care needs, compared with the Canadian average (Chart 11.0).
Data table for Chart 11.0
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| Notes: Territorial data are not included in annual estimates. The estimate for 2021 is for people aged 16 and older and that for 2022 is for people aged 15 and older because of a change in the target population.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, 2021 and 2022; Table 13-10-0836-01 Unmet health care needs by sex and age group. |
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| Canada | 7.9 | 9.2 |
| N.L. | 9.7 | 10.7 |
| P.E.I. | 13.2 | 14.1 |
| N.S. | 11.7 | 13.7 |
| N.B. | 9.7 | 12.1 |
| Que. | 8.1 | 8.7 |
| Ont. | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Man. | 6.7 | 7.7 |
| Sask. | 6.3 | 7.6 |
| Alta. | 7.1 | 9.4 |
| B.C. | 8.7 | 10.9 |
Unmet needs for health care also varied across age groups: 7.4% among 15- to 24-year-olds, 10.9% among 25- to 54-year-olds, 9.3% among 55- to 64-year-olds, and 6.5% among those aged 65 and older. Differences in unmet needs for health care were also observed by sex, with more females (10.4%) than males (8.0%) reporting a need in 2022.
Did you know?
In 2022, according to data from the Indigenous Peoples Survey, roughly one-quarter of First Nations people living off reserve (27.0%), Métis (24.4%) and Inuit (23.1%) aged 15 and older reported that they had needed health care in the previous 12 months but did not receive it. First Nations women living off reserve, Métis women and Inuit women were more likely than men to report unmet needs for health care.
Furthermore, parents reported on unmet health care needs for their children aged 14 and younger in the past year. Roughly 1 in 10 First Nations children living off reserve (12.1%), Métis children (10.7%) and Inuit children (12.4%) had had health care needs that were not met.Note 26 The most reported reasons for unmet health care needs among First Nations children living off reserve and Métis children were lengthy wait times or care not being available at the time required. Among Inuit children, the primary reasons for unmet needs were health care not being available in their area or at the time required.
12.0 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 99 Home care services are defined as services (e.g., nursing or health care, medical equipment or supplies, or help with personal care or other services such as transportation) received at 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, allow limited hospital resources to be directed to other uses and can help people continue to live at home.
In 2023, 4.5% of Canadian adults used home care services, an increase from 4.0% in 2022 and 3.2% in 2021. The percentage of adults who used home care services was higher in Quebec (5.2%) and lower in Saskatchewan (2.7%), Manitoba (3.3%) and British Columbia (3.7%), compared with Canada overall (excluding the territories).
The use of home care services increased with age from 1.9% among Canadians aged 18 to 34 to 3.2% among adults aged 35 to 64, and then up to 10.4% for the population aged 65 and older. Overall, a greater proportion of women (5.2%) than men (3.9%) used home care services.
The percentage of immigrants who reported using home care services increased from 2.8% in 2022 to 4.4% in 2023. Home care use varied by racialized group. A higher percentage of the non-racialized population used home care services in 2023 (5.0%), compared with Southeast Asian (1.3%), Filipino (1.8%), Latin American (2.4%) and Chinese (3.2%) adults (Chart 12.0). For adults aged 65 and older only, the use of home care services did not differ between the racialized (10.4%) and non-racialized (10.5%) groups.
Data table for Chart 12.0
| Home care use | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | ||
| from | to | ||
| Notes: Home care use includes those who received care services (e.g., nursing or health care, medical equipment or supplies, or help with personal care or other services such as transportation) at home because of a health condition or limitation in daily activities. Indigenous respondents are removed from the non-racialized category. The West Asian, Korean and Japanese groups are not shown because of small numbers.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2023. |
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| Non-racialized population | 5.0 | 4.7 | 5.3 |
| Total racialized population |
3.3 | 2.6 | 4.0 |
| South Asian | 4.5 | 2.9 | 6.2 |
| Chinese | 3.2 | 1.8 | 4.6 |
| Black | 3.8 | 2.1 | 5.4 |
| Filipino | 1.8 | 0.2 | 3.4 |
| Arab | 3.0 | 0.6 | 5.3 |
| Latin American |
2.4 | 0.9 | 3.8 |
| Southeast Asian |
1.3 | 0.1 | 2.5 |
Home care use also varied by income, with proportionally fewer adults in the highest income quintile using home care services (3.6%), compared with adults in the lowest (7.4%) and second-lowest (4.7%) quintiles.
Chart 12.1 shows that the proportion of adults with a disability (16.4%) who reported using home care services was more than five times greater than that of adults without disabilities (2.9%).
Unmet needs for home care
While nearly 1.4 million Canadians reported using home care services in 2023, not all those who needed these services could access them or received all the services they needed. The proportion of Canadian adults who reported unmet needs for home care was stable at 2.0% in 2023 after an increase from 1.6% in 2021 to 1.9% in 2022.
The percentage of adults who reported unmet needs for home care was lower among 18- to 34-year-olds (0.9%), compared with all older age groups. The highest percentage was among adults aged 65 and older, 3.8% of whom had unmet needs for home care. A greater proportion of women (2.5%) than men (1.6%) had unmet needs for home care in 2023, a trend that has remained constant since 2021.
The percentage of adults with unmet needs for home care varied by income. It was higher among Canadians in the lowest income quintile (4.3%), compared with the highest quintile (1.2%), in 2023. Similar results were observed in 2021 and 2022.
Proportionally more immigrants (2.6%) than non-immigrants (1.9%) reported unmet needs for home care. Among immigrants, the percentage with unmet needs for home care was higher for those who were admitted to Canada more than 10 years ago (2.7%), compared with those who were admitted in the last 10 years (1.6%). Unmet needs for home care were lower among Chinese (1.1%) and Filipino (1.2%) adults, compared with the non-racialized population (2.1%).
Chart 12.1 shows that shares also varied by disability status. A greater proportion of adults with a disability reported unmet needs for home care in 2023 (9.7%), compared with adults without disabilities (1.0%).
Data table for Chart 12.1
| People with disabilities | People without disabilities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | Percent | 95% Confidence Interval | |||
| from | to | from | to | |||
| Note: Home care use includes those who received care services (e.g., nursing or health care, medical equipment or supplies, or help with personal care or other services such as transportation) at home because of a health condition or limitation in daily activities.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey, 2023. |
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| Home care use | 16.4 | 14.9 | 17.8 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.1 |
| Unmet home care needs | 9.7 | 8.6 | 10.7 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.1 |
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