Health
Read access to care alongside health outcomes, with provincial and age differences visible. Survey estimates, mortality records and service encounters answer different questions; their boundaries remain explicit.
A longer life. Uneven access to care.
Life expectancy has regained much of its pandemic decline. Provider attachment and unmet care needs show a different part of the picture, with meaningful variation across ages and provinces.
The access measures use different surveys and age groups. They cannot be added or treated as opposites. Provider wording changed in 2024; mortality estimates remain preliminary.
Access and life tables: 2024 · substance harms: through 2025
Current snapshot
82.16
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Period life expectancy is based on the mortality rates of the reference year, not a prediction of any person’s lifespan. The 2023 and 2024 estimates are preliminary.
8.8%
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Survey estimate; territories excluded. The displayed comparable window starts with the 2022 age and sample redesign. It does not measure appointment wait times.
82.6%
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Adults 18+, territories excluded. The 2024 provider question changed; no change from the old question is inferred. Having a provider does not establish timely access. Published 95% confidence interval: 81.9%–83.2%.
15.1%
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Adults 18+, territories excluded; self-reported fair or poor mental health, not a clinical diagnosis. Published 95% confidence interval: 14.5%–15.7%.
5,630
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Reported apparent opioid toxicity deaths. Since 2024 the overall total includes all unregulated-drug deaths in British Columbia and drug- or opioid-related intoxication deaths in Quebec. All four quarters of 2025 are preliminary, while 2024 is an older, more complete reporting year; their difference is not a settled decline.
4,937
Countability last verified this source’s licence on 2026-09-09.
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Opioid-poisoning hospitalizations; Quebec excluded. Records after March 2025 are preliminary. Admissions are events, not unique people.
Time-series evidence
Life expectancy at birth, Canada: a period mortality measure
1980 → 2024 · Statistics Canada — Life expectancy and other elements of the complete life table, single-year estimates
View the data table for Life expectancy at birth, Canada: a period mortality measure (45 points)
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 75.07 |
| 1981 | 75.49 |
| 1982 | 75.72 |
| 1983 | 76.07 |
| 1984 | 76.36 |
| 1985 | 76.35 |
| 1986 | 76.50 |
| 1987 | 76.82 |
| 1988 | 76.90 |
| 1989 | 77.18 |
| 1990 | 77.50 |
| 1991 | 77.67 |
| 1992 | 77.91 |
| 1993 | 77.78 |
| 1994 | 77.95 |
| 1995 | 78.06 |
| 1996 | 78.31 |
| 1997 | 78.50 |
| 1998 | 78.72 |
| 1999 | 78.94 |
| 2000 | 79.27 |
| 2001 | 79.51 |
| 2002 | 79.64 |
| 2003 | 79.82 |
| 2004 | 80.10 |
| 2005 | 80.22 |
| 2006 | 80.65 |
| 2007 | 80.65 |
| 2008 | 80.83 |
| 2009 | 81.18 |
| 2010 | 81.43 |
| 2011 | 81.58 |
| 2012 | 81.76 |
| 2013 | 81.84 |
| 2014 | 81.87 |
| 2015 | 81.92 |
| 2016 | 82.02 |
| 2017 | 81.88 |
| 2018 | 81.87 |
| 2019 | 82.22 |
| 2020 | 81.58 |
| 2021 | 81.50 |
| 2022 | 81.13 |
| 2023 | 81.68 |
| 2024 | 82.16 |
Period life expectancy is based on the mortality rates of the reference year, not a prediction of any person’s lifespan. The 2023 and 2024 estimates are preliminary.
Unmet health care needs, age 15+
View the data table for Unmet health care needs, age 15+ (3 points)
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 9.2% |
| 2023 | 9.1% |
| 2024 | 8.8% |
Survey estimate; territories excluded. The displayed comparable window starts with the 2022 age and sample redesign. It does not measure appointment wait times.
Access across the provinces
Provincial access, two distinct populations in 2024
| Province | Regular provider, 18+ | Provider 95% interval (%) | Unmet needs, 15+ | Unmet-needs quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 74.8% | 70.4–78.7 | 13.0% | C |
| Prince Edward Island | 61.7% | 55.6–67.4 | 13.9% | C |
| Nova Scotia | 78.1% | 74.8–81.1 | 12.3% | C |
| New Brunswick | 81.6% | 78.2–84.5 | 11.2% | C |
| Quebec | 74.1% | 72.6–75.6 | 8.7% | B |
| Ontario | 88.5% | 87.4–89.5 | 7.9% | B |
| Manitoba | 85.0% | 82.0–87.6 | 7.3% | C |
| Saskatchewan | 82.6% | 79.3–85.5 | 8.7% | C |
| Alberta | 83.8% | 81.8–85.6 | 8.4% | C |
| British Columbia | 79.9% | 78.0–81.6 | 10.8% | B |
Geographic order, not a ranking. Both surveys exclude the territories. The letters describe survey precision: A excellent, B very good, C good, D acceptable, E use with caution, F too unreliable to publish. A difference in point estimates alone does not establish a statistically significant difference.
Source: Statistics Canada — Health indicator statistics, annual estimates.
Source: Statistics Canada — Unmet health care needs by gender and age group.
Age differences and reported health
Age differences within the same CCHS edition, 2024
| Age | Regular provider · % (95% interval) | Fair/poor mental health · % (95% interval) | High daily stress · % (95% interval) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 to 34 years | 73.4% (71.7–75.1) | 21.5% (20.0–23.0) | 26.3% (24.7–28.0) |
| 35 to 49 years | 81.9% (80.7–83.1) | 16.0% (15.0–17.2) | 29.2% (27.8–30.6) |
| 50 to 64 years | 86.2% (85.1–87.2) | 13.0% (12.0–14.2) | 23.9% (22.7–25.1) |
| 65 years and over | 90.9% (90.3–91.5) | 8.0% (7.5–8.5) | 10.7% (10.1–11.3) |
These health conditions and experiences overlap. Do not add the percentages. Fair or poor mental health is self-reported, not a diagnosis; reported diabetes and high blood pressure use the survey’s condition questions. The record does not identify the same people across these measures.
Source: Statistics Canada — Health indicator statistics, annual estimates. Adults in the provinces; all values and confidence intervals are issuer-published cells.
Unmet care needs by age: separate Canadian Income Survey, 2024
| Published age group | Unmet needs (%) | Quality flag |
|---|---|---|
| Canada, 15 to 24 years | 6.1 | C |
| Canada, 25 to 54 years | 10.5 | B |
| Canada, 25 to 34 years | 9.9 | C |
| Canada, 35 to 44 years | 11.6 | B |
| Canada, 45 to 54 years | 9.8 | B |
| Canada, 55 to 64 years | 9.1 | B |
| Canada, 65 years and over | 6.9 | B |
The age categories above belong to the unmet-needs survey. Some published age groups overlap; they are not added or matched to the different CCHS age bands.
Source: Statistics Canada — Unmet health care needs by gender and age group.
Substance harms and service encounters
All four quarters of 2025 are preliminary; 2024 is an older, more complete reporting year. The two counts therefore have different completeness. Later investigations and revisions can change their difference, so no percentage decline is presented here.
Earlier death-count record: 2016–2023
| Year | Reported deaths | Completeness |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2,832 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2017 | 3,928 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2018 | 4,261 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2019 | 3,598 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2020 | 6,183 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2021 | 7,577 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2022 | 7,256 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2023 | 8,040 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
Definition break from 2024: the overall count includes all unregulated-drug deaths in British Columbia and drug- or opioid-related intoxication deaths in Quebec. The two periods are deliberately shown as separate records.
Broader overall-death definitions: 2024–2025
| Year | Reported deaths | Completeness |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7,326 | Older reporting year; revisions remain possible |
| 2025 | 5,630 | All four quarters preliminary |
Reported deaths by province and territory, 2025
| Jurisdiction | Count | Crude rate per 100,000 | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 24 | 4.4 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Prince Edward Island | 13 | 7.1 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Nova Scotia | 78 | 7.1 | See jurisdiction notes |
| New Brunswick | 72 | 8.3 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Quebec | 591 | 6.5 | Broader drug-death definition |
| Ontario | 1,398 | 8.6 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Manitoba | 231 | 15.3 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Saskatchewan | 221 | 17.4 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Alberta | 1,145 | 22.8 | See jurisdiction notes |
| British Columbia | 1,841 | 32.3 | Broader drug-death definition |
| Yukon | 14 | 29.0 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Northwest Territories | 2 | 4.4 | See jurisdiction notes |
| Nunavut | Not available (n/a) | Not available (n/a) | See jurisdiction notes |
Age, sex and stimulant involvement: published 2025 percentages
| Record | Measure | Group | Published percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | Sex | Female | 27% |
| Deaths | Sex | Male | 73% |
| Deaths | Age group | 0 to 19 years | 2% |
| Deaths | Age group | 20 to 29 years | 13% |
| Deaths | Age group | 30 to 39 years | 26% |
| Deaths | Age group | 40 to 49 years | 25% |
| Deaths | Age group | 50 to 59 years | 19% |
| Deaths | Age group | 60 years or more | 15% |
| Deaths | Involving stimulants | Also involved a stimulant | 70% |
| Hospitalizations | Sex | Female | 41% |
| Hospitalizations | Sex | Male | 59% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 0 to 19 years | 4% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 20 to 29 years | 13% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 30 to 39 years | 21% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 40 to 49 years | 18% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 50 to 59 years | 17% |
| Hospitalizations | Age group | 60 years or more | 28% |
| Hospitalizations | Involving stimulants | Also involved a stimulant | 16% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Sex | Female | 34% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Sex | Male | 66% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 0 to 19 years | 4% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 20 to 29 years | 20% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 30 to 39 years | 32% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 40 to 49 years | 22% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 50 to 59 years | 12% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Age group | 60 years or more | 10% |
| Emergency Department (ED) Visits | Involving stimulants | Also involved a stimulant | 8% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Sex | Female | 29% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Sex | Male | 71% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 0 to 19 years | 3% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 20 to 29 years | 22% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 30 to 39 years | 34% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 40 to 49 years | 21% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 50 to 59 years | 11% |
| Emergency Medical Services (EMS) | Age group | 60 years or more | 8% |
Age/sex percentages and stimulant involvement have different reporting coverage; deaths’ age/sex detail covers twelve jurisdictions and stimulant involvement eleven. These are overlapping characteristics, not exclusive categories. The same encounter can involve both substances; deaths, hospital admissions, ED visits and EMS responses must not be added as people. Jurisdiction figures are displayed as published, without constructing a national sum or a league table; case definitions differ and suppressed cells prevent some reconciliations.
Source: Public Health Agency of Canada — Opioid- and stimulant-related harms in Canada, June 2026 data. June 2026 edition, years through 2025. Annual rows are used directly; suppressed or unavailable cells are never replaced with zero.
These tables reproduce a fixed captured edition. A later release must be captured, checked for revisions and assessed before this reading changes.
Inspect the captured source editions
Access · captured 2026-09-09 · issuer data
Original response SHA-256: e05bf5a84d5bb3eb66daa1e176e9e33d1cb4334e62b983045cbe299988c3f487
Life · captured 2026-09-09 · issuer data
Original response SHA-256: e3703cfd342110773e51f7145e8d329465933ee86c63354522174e3966397963
Health · captured 2026-09-09 · issuer data
Original response SHA-256: 18a4dfb7c0bf91af97db7f2f2c10293aa6b88c6a38ad66f6135cf6c1f758af19
Harms · captured 2026-09-09 · issuer data
Original response SHA-256: dec819e41957f213d4b2c7c50f3cfa666b081ca7d31af1be41183c0930b2902d
Adapted from Statistics Canada, tables 13-10-0836-01, 13-10-0837-01 and 13-10-0905-01, 2024. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Statistics Canada Open Licence. PHAC data contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
What the record says about this domain
Evidence gaps
Does having a regular provider mean Canadians receive care when they need it?
What is missing: The held surveys separately measure provider attachment and self-reported unmet need on different age and response bases; the released aggregates do not link the same people or measure their appointment waits. Annual access estimates exclude the territories. Mortality and substance-harm records have different populations, coverage and preliminary periods.
Consequence: The pages compare each measure across its own valid population and show them side by side without adding them, linking individuals, ranking health systems or attributing outcomes to access or policy.
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