Hospitals in Canada - Statistics & Facts

Hospitals are the cornerstone of Canada’s health care system known as Medicare. The publicly funded single-payer program provides universal coverage for medically necessary health care services provided on the basis of need, rather than the ability to pay. Although Canada’s health expenditure as a share of GDP was rather high compared to other OECD countries, the portion spent on hospitals was rather low.

Hospital expenditure

Hospital spending in Canada has been growing through the years and reached 62 billion Canadian dollars in the fiscal year 2021-22. Hospital expenditure as a share of health spending in each province or territory varies greatly, with the Northwest Territories spending the highest share on hospitals, while neighboring Yukon spends the lowest. As expected, hospital expenditure per capita was also highest in the provinces and territories with the lowest population.

Staff shortage and long wait times

There is increasing concern in Canada over the lack of medical staff and long waiting times for treatment. The median number of weeks patients had to wait from referral by a GP to medical treatment in Canada has increased across the country. In 2023, this wait time amounted to 57 weeks in Nova Scotia, a record high. However, there are large variations between different treatments. For example, in 2024, 94 percent of radiation therapy treatments occurred within the national benchmark wait time of four weeks. On the other hand, only six in ten knee replacement surgeries happened within the benchmark of 182 days. Staff shortage can only worsen timely access to care and Canada is already facing a worrying nursing shortage.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, May 23, 2024

Key insights

Number of hospitals in Canada
1,280
Share of health expenditure spent on hospitals in Canada
24%
Hospital density in Canada (per million people)
18.08
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Current statistics on this topic

Hospitalization rate in Canada from 2010/11 to 2022/23 (per 100,000 population)

Hospitals

Rate of hospitalization in Canada 2010-2023

Total hospital employment in Canada from 2002 to 2023

Hospitals

Total hospital employment in Canada 2002-2023

Number of hospitals in Canada as of 2023, by province and employer status

Hospitals

Number of hospitals in Canada 2023, by province and employer status

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Further reports

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Hospitals in the U.S.
Hospitals in the U.S.
Hospitals worldwide
Hospitals worldwide
Health care system in Canada
Health care system in Canada
Healthcare expenditure in Canada
Healthcare expenditure in Canada
Nurses in Canada
Nurses in Canada

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