Next: A new annual access or life-table release can change the broad reading. The next PHAC quarterly edition can revise recent harms. Each requires a fresh captured edition and a comparison on the same definition before the…
Life expectancy has recovered much of its pandemic decline, while access to care remains uneven; the substance-harm record reports fewer deaths but remains preliminary and definition-sensitive.
The answer
The record is mixed. Canada’s period life expectancy rose from 81.13 years in 2022 to a preliminary 82.16 in 2024, close to its 2019 reading of 82.22. This summarizes mortality in each year; it is not a forecast for a newborn or proof that access to care improved.
In 2024, 82.6% of adults in the provinces reported a regular health-care provider. A different survey found unmet health-care needs among 8.8% of people aged 15 and older. Provider attachment and unmet need are not opposite halves of one population: they use different surveys, ages and questions, and a person can have a provider and still lack needed care.
The provincial and age detail matters. The access table below puts the measures beside one another with their own denominators and uncertainty. It supports a closer reading of local conditions without ranking entire health systems or inferring that one measure caused another.
PHAC’s current record contains 5,630 deaths for 2025 and 7,326 for 2024. All four quarters of 2025 remain preliminary, while 2024 is an older, more complete reporting year; no percentage decline is inferred here, and the overall totals include broader drug-death definitions for British Columbia and Quebec from 2024. Hospital admissions, emergency visits and ambulance responses have different coverage and are shown separately.
What this means for the decision
A useful health reading follows several checks: whether people have a regular source of care, whether needed care is received, what mortality shows, and which harms are reaching services. No one of those checks replaces the others, and the current public aggregates do not connect them person by person.
The key uncertainty
Provider wording changed in 2024; the unmet-needs survey changed age coverage and sample design in 2022. Mortality estimates are revised as records arrive, and substance-harm coverage varies by jurisdiction and type of encounter.
What would settle it
A new annual access or life-table release can change the broad reading. The next PHAC quarterly edition can revise recent harms. Each requires a fresh captured edition and a comparison on the same definition before the reading changes.
Having a care provider, receiving needed care and living in good health are different outcomes. National averages help locate the question; provincial and age differences show where those averages hide important variation.
Evidence reviewed through 2026-09-09 · 4 cited sources · 0 member Resolutions · 6 chapters
Annual review of the Statistics Canada access, health-indicator and life-table releases; quarterly review of PHAC substance harms. Assessed September 9, 2026. Access and life estimates cover 2024; the current PHAC edition covers through 2025. No automatic refresh is promised.
Chapter 1§
Having a provider is one part of access
Provider attachment and unmet need describe different populations and questions. Read both before deciding what the access record establishes.
Canada
Separate surveys and populations, both in 2024. The full provincial table below remains available without this control.
The unmet-needs point estimate changed by -0.4 percentage points from 2022 to 2024. This descriptive difference is not claimed statistically significant.
The access chart begins with the survey’s 2022 redesign: age 15+ and a larger sample. Provider attachment uses adults 18+ and a revised 2024 question. “Has a provider” does not necessarily mean a family doctor, timely appointments or all needs met.
Source: Statistics Canada — Unmet health care needs by gender and age group.
Source: Statistics Canada — Health indicator statistics, annual estimates.
Chapter 2§
What changes across the provinces
Keep each column on its own denominator. The provider intervals show sampling uncertainty; unmet-needs quality flags are a different form of uncertainty, not interchangeable confidence intervals.
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.
Chapter 3§
The needs hidden by an average
Access and reported health vary with age. These are descriptive differences within each survey; they do not follow the same individuals across outcomes.
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.
Chapter 4§
The recovery in life expectancy
The national mortality record has recovered much of its pandemic decline. The sexes and provincial estimates provide context; preliminary values can change as late registrations arrive.
National life expectancy at birth: recent years
| Year | Both sexes (± margin) | Males (± margin) | Females (± margin) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 81.92 ±0.05 | 79.86 ±0.07 | 83.89 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2016 | 82.02 ±0.05 | 79.94 ±0.07 | 84.04 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2017 | 81.88 ±0.05 | 79.72 ±0.07 | 84.00 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2018 | 81.87 ±0.05 | 79.75 ±0.07 | 83.96 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2019 | 82.22 ±0.05 | 80.10 ±0.06 | 84.32 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2020 | 81.58 ±0.05 | 79.33 ±0.07 | 83.84 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2021 | 81.50 ±0.05 | 79.11 ±0.07 | 83.91 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2022 | 81.13 ±0.05 | 78.89 ±0.06 | 83.41 ±0.06 | Published estimate |
| 2023 | 81.68 ±0.05 | 79.48 ±0.06 | 83.88 ±0.06 | Preliminary |
| 2024 | 82.16 ±0.04 | 80.03 ±0.06 | 84.29 ±0.06 | Preliminary |
National and provincial life expectancy: single-year coverage
| Geography | Years, 2024 | Published margin of error (years) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 82.16 | ±0.04 | Preliminary |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 79.61 | ±0.38 | Preliminary |
| Nova Scotia | 80.70 | ±0.26 | Preliminary |
| New Brunswick | 80.44 | ±0.32 | Preliminary |
| Quebec | 82.65 | ±0.09 | Preliminary |
| Ontario | 82.85 | ±0.07 | Preliminary |
| Manitoba | 79.29 | ±0.26 | Preliminary |
| Saskatchewan | 79.66 | ±0.28 | Preliminary |
| Alberta | 81.53 | ±0.14 | Preliminary |
| British Columbia | 82.58 | ±0.12 | Preliminary |
Canada includes the country as a whole; the separate provincial estimates omit Prince Edward Island and the territories. Those jurisdictions have a separate three-year abridged table, which is not spliced into this single-year comparison. The issuer recommends three-year estimates for more stable regional comparisons.
Remaining life expectancy at age 65, Canada, 2024
| Sex | Remaining years | Published margin | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both sexes | 21.15 | ±0.03 | Preliminary |
| Males | 19.75 | ±0.04 | Preliminary |
| Females | 22.45 | ±0.04 | Preliminary |
Source: Statistics Canada — Life expectancy and other elements of the complete life table, single-year estimates. Life expectancy applies each year’s mortality rates throughout a hypothetical lifetime. It is not average age at death or a prediction for individuals.
Chapter 5§
Substance harms remain consequential
The recent death count fell, but the record remains preliminary. Deaths and service encounters are different measures, with different coverage and overlapping substances.
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.
Chapter 6§
What the record cannot connect
These sources do not establish why a person lacked care or how a change in access affected mortality. New compatible evidence could narrow that gap.
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.
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.
Directly observed
Unresolved
- 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.
Method and limitations
- Published cells are selected by their exact geography, age, sex or gender, concept, unit and reference period. Confidence intervals and data-quality flags remain attached. Changes are simple differences or ratios within a named series and matched definition. Annual PHAC totals are taken directly from annual rows, never assembled from suppressed quarters. No individual linkage, cross-survey sum, causal attribution or composite health score is computed.
- Provider attachment: CCHS adults 18+, territories excluded; published 95% confidence intervals are shown. The provider question changed in 2024, and the weighting calibration also changed; no comparison with earlier question wording is used.
- Unmet need: Canadian Income Survey, age 15+ from 2022 versus 16+ earlier; territories excluded. The 2022 sample redesign and revised 2018–2023 population weights are material. The chart begins in 2022; quality letters are retained and point differences are not claimed statistically significant.
- Life expectancy is a period mortality measure, not a prediction of individual lifespan. The 2023 and 2024 values are preliminary. The single-year provincial table excludes Prince Edward Island and the territories; the Canada figure includes the country as a whole. Single-year estimates are more volatile than the separate three-year life tables.
- PHAC’s overall death count includes all unregulated-drug deaths in British Columbia and drug- or opioid-related intoxication deaths in Quebec from 2024. The history is visibly split at that break. The latest four quarters are preliminary.
- PHAC hospital data exclude Quebec. Emergency visits cover seven provinces/territories, with Nova Scotia missing April–December 2025. EMS responses cover nine, with Northwest Territories missing October–December 2025. These encounters are not unique people and must not be added to deaths or to each other.
- Opioid and stimulant involvement overlap. A death or encounter can appear in both categories; substance percentages cannot be added as exclusive shares. Missing and suppressed data remain missing.
- 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. PHAC data contain information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
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