Private and public health spending annual change in Canada 1976-2024

In 2024, public sector health expenditures in Canada were estimated to increase by 5.6 percent in comparison to 2023. While the private sector health spending is estimated to increase by 6.1 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. This statistic displays the annual percent change in private and public sector health expenditures in Canada from 1976 to 2022 and forecasts for the years 2023 and 2024. 

Public and private health expenditure in Canada

Canada’s health care system is publicly funded, however, many of its services are offered through private companies. Both private and public health expenditure in Canada have increased over the last decades. In 2021, public and private expenditures increased by 6.7 and five percent, respectively. In Canada, physician and hospital costs are usually covered by the provincial governments; however, patients often have to pay for such services and goods like prescription drugs, dental care, and eye care by private means. There are also many private facilities offering services such as imaging, diagnostic tests, and lower-risk surgeries. In 2023, provincial governments spent an estimated 225 billion Canadian dollars on health care.

The Canadian Health Act was passed in 1984 by the federal government stating that all citizens would have an universally accessible and comprehensive health care. While public per capita health expenditure in Canada wasn't the highest compared to other OECD countries, its private per capita health spending was the second highest in the American continent after the United States in 2022. Around 71 percent of health expenditures are considered public, and the rest is considered private in Canada.