A glimpse at the health of Canadians

On September 13, 2023, Statistics Canada released a new report on the Health of Canadians, which aims to provide a comprehensive, easy-to-access portrait of population health in Canada.

This report consolidates key findings on topics like health outcomes (e.g., chronic conditions), health behaviours (e.g., exercise, nutrition), access to health care, and determinants of health (e.g., age, income). The data can be used for population health monitoring and to inform policies and plans, leading to better, more equitable health outcomes for all Canadians.

So, how healthy are people in Canada?

For the third year in a row, life expectancy at birth of Canadians fell, from 81.6 years in 2021 to 81.3 years in 2022. Canadians have spent more years free of disability (71 years in 2019) over the course of the last four decades. However, 45% of Canadians lived with at least one major chronic disease in 2021 and 1 in 12 had three or more chronic conditions.

Although overall age-standardized cancer incidence rates are decreasing as smoking rates have declined in recent years, the number of new cases and deaths has increased due to population growth and aging.

From 2015 to 2021, the prevalence of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity also increased, as fewer Canadians were meeting physical activity guidelines and consuming enough fruits and vegetables.

Declines in self-reported mental health from 2015 to 2021 were observed across all ages, but were especially prominent among young adults aged 18 to 34 years. The prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders also increased over that same period and was higher for First Nations people living off reserve and Métis when compared with non-Indigenous Canadians.

In 2021, 4.7 million Canadians did not have a regular health care provider and almost 2.5 million Canadians had unmet health care needs, which were more prevalent in Atlantic provinces compared with the rest of Canada.

But that’s not all; the health of Canadians is changing in many different ways. For further analysis and more data related to general and mental health, chronic health conditions mortality, reproductive health, substance use and access to health care, read the full report, Health of Canadians. Highlights from the study are available in an infographic.