New data on disability in Canada, 2022
Release date: December 1, 2023
Description: New data on disability in Canada, 2022
In 2022, 27.0% of Canadians aged 15 and over, or 8.0 million people, had at least one disability. This represents an increase of 4.7 percentage points from 2017.
Province/territory | Prevalence, 2022 | Change in rate from 2017, in percentage points |
---|---|---|
Canada | 27.0% | +4.7 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 30.9% | +7.3 |
Prince Edward Island | 31.8% | +5.8 |
Nova Scotia | 37.9% | +7.6 |
New Brunswick | 35.3% | +8.6 |
Quebec | 21.0% | +4.8 |
Ontario | 28.0% | +3.9 |
Manitoba | 29.2% | +4.4 |
Saskatchewan | 29.8% | +5.5 |
Alberta | 27.5% | +5.8 |
British Columbia | 28.6% | +3.9 |
Yukon | 31.4% | +6.3 |
Northwest Territories | 25.7% | +5.7 |
Nunavut | 19.3% | +1.1Note 1 |
The disability rate increases with age. Growth in the senior population in Canada between 2017 and 2022 contributed to the overall increase in the disability rate.
Age group | Men+ | Women+ | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Total population, 15 years and older | 23.9% | 29.9% | 27.0% |
Youth, 15 to 24 years | 15.8% | 24.7% | 20.1% |
Working-aged adults, 25 to 64 years | 21.1% | 26.9% | 24.1% |
Seniors, 65 years and over | 38.9% | 41.8% | 40.4% |
Disability type | Prevalence among the total Canadian population, 2022 | Change in rate from 2017, in percentage points |
---|---|---|
Mental health-related | 10.4% | +3.2 |
Pain-related | 16.7% | +2.2 |
Seeing | 7.4% | +2.0 |
Learning | 5.6% | +1.6 |
Memory | 4.9% | +1.1 |
Mobility | 10.6% | +1.0 |
Flexibility | 10.9% | +0.9 |
Hearing | 5.6% | +0.8 |
Dexterity | 5.0% | +0.4 |
Developmental | 1.5% | +0.4 |
Unknown | 0.8% | +0.2 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 and 2022.
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