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World Health Systems Facts

Canada: Economic System


Population (2023): 40,097,761
Gross National Income, Atlas method (Current USD) (Billions) (2021): $1,865.48
GNI per capita, Atlas method (Current USD) (2021): $48,780
Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (2017): 7.7%
Gross Domestic Product (Current USD) (Billions) (2021): $2007.47

Source: World Bank. Country Profile: Canada. World Development Indicators. Last accessed April 10, 2025.


Population, 2021: 38,155,000
Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Current USD), 2010-2019: $46,190
Share of Household Income, 2010-2019
– Bottom 40%: 20%
– Top 20%: 41%
– Bottom 20%: 7%
Gini Coefficient, 2010-2019: 30
Palma Index of Income Inequality, 2010-2019: 1.1

Note: Gini coefficient – Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.
Palma index of income inequality – Palma index is defined as the ratio of the richest 10% of the population’s share of gross national income divided by the poorest 40%’s share.

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.


“Canada is an advanced industrial economy with a substantial natural resource base. Measured in terms of per capita wealth, the country ranks among the richest nations in the world. In terms of inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient in 2017, Canada (0.31) is more equal than the USA (0.39) and Australia (0.325) but less equal than France (0.292), Germany (0.289), the Netherlands (0.285), and Sweden (0.282) and its Nordic neighbours (OECD, 2020). On the overall human development index (HDI) for 2019 calculated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, 2020), Canada (13) along with Germany (4), Australia (6), Sweden (8), the Netherlands (10), the USA (15), and the UK (15) were ranked in the top 15 countries in the world as measured by HDI.

“Canada suffered less than most western European nations and the USA from the global recession in 2008–2009, in part due to being a major exporter of oil and gas during this period. Over the period 2014 to 2017, Canada’s growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita slightly exceeded growth in Australia and France but was lower than GDP per capita growth in Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the USA (World Bank, 2018). While health care costs continue to grow at rates that exceed government revenue growth, the growth rate has slowed considerably in the last 5 years (see section 3.1).”

Source: Marchildon G.P., Allin S., Merkur S. Canada: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2020; 22(3): i–194.


Canada: Economic System - Gross Domestic Product GDP, Gross National Income GNI, Gini Coefficient, Palma Index - Healthcare - National Policies - World Health System Facts

Canadian Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Health System Outcomes
Coverage and Access
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Health System Financing
Preventive Healthcare

Healthcare Workers
Health System Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Services and Supports
Healthcare Workforce Education and Training
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Pharmaceuticals

Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
Social Determinants and Health Equity
People With Disabilities
Aging
Health System History
Reforms and Challenges
Wasteful Spending


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 August 5, 2025 by Doug McVay, Editor.

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