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Life expectancy at birth, 2021: 81.6
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2021: 18.5
Share of the population aged 65 and over, 2050: 23.6
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2021: 4.6%
Share of the population aged 80 and over, 2050: 8.6%
Adults aged 65 and over rating their own health as good or very good, 2021: 81%
Share of adults aged 65 and over receiving long-term care, 2021: 3.5%
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2021: 15.2
Estimated prevalence of dementia per 1,000 population, 2040: 22.9
Total long-term care spending as a share of GDP, 2021: 2.3%
Long-term care workers per 100 people aged 65 and over, 2021: 3.8
Share of long-term care workers who work part time or on fixed contracts, 2021
– Part-time: 57.2%
Long-term care beds in institutions and hospitals per 1,000 population aged 65 years and over, 2021
– Institutions: 46.7
– Hospitals: 2.5
Total long-term care spending by provider, 2021
– Nursing home: 66%
– Hospital: 13%
– Home care: 19%
– Households: 0%
– Social providers: 0%
– Other: 2%

Source: OECD (2023), Health at a Glance 2023: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, doi.org/10.1787/7a7afb35-en.

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Population, Midyear 2022: 38,454,327
Population Density (Number of Persons per Square Kilometer): 4.23
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2022: 82.85
Projected Population, Midyear 2030: 41,008,596
Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2022: 19.03%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2030: 22.84%
Projected Percentage of Total Population Aged 65 and Older, Midyear 2050: 25.46%

Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2023). Data Portal, custom data acquired via website. United Nations: New York. Accessed 12 May 2023.

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Population, 2021: 38,155,000
Annual Population Growth Rate, 2020-2030: 0.7%
Life Expectancy at Birth, 2021: 83
Share of Urban Population, 2021: 82%
Annual Growth Rate of Urban Population, 2020-2030: 0.9%

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight, Florence, April 2023.

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“The percentage of Canadians aged 65 and older is projected to increase from 18.5% in 2021 to 25.9% in 2068, with the population aged 85 and older predicted to more than triple from 871,000 to 2.3 million people within this period.¹ Although every individual’s experience of ageing is unique, older age is generally associated with losses in physical and mental capacity, greater functional limitations and higher risk of chronic conditions.^{2 3} Canadians have a strong preference to age in place as their health declines, with 93% of Canadians aged 65 preferring to stay in their homes for as long as possible.⁴ It is estimated that more than 10% of adults 65 years and older, and 30% of adults 80 years and older, receive some healthcare in their home in Canada.⁵ With the growing older population, projections estimate that both publicly funded and privately funded home care hours will more than double from 100,000 hours in 2019 to 225,000 hours in 2050.⁶“

Source: Lee J, Watt JA, Mayhew A, et al. Equity in home care use in Canada: a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian longitudinal study on ageing. BMJ Public Health. 2024;2(2):e000812. Published 2024 Aug 21. doi:10.1136/bmjph-2023-000812

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World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems and policies in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated April 12, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.