Unmet needs for health care

Proportion of the population reporting unmet needs for health care.

This indicator is measured in a number of Statistics Canada surveys, including the Canadian Income Survey (CIS), the Survey on Health Care Access and Experiences - Primary and Specialist Care (SHCAE-PSC), and the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) among others.

In the CIS, survey respondents are asked:

During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when you felt that you needed health care, other than homecare services, but you did not receive it?

• Yes
• No

In the SHCAE-PSC and SSFNPMI, survey respondents are asked:

During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when you felt that you needed health care, but you did not receive it?

• Yes
• No

This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.

• Canadian Income Survey (CIS)
  • Table 13-10-0836-01 – Unmet health care needs by sex and age group
• Survey on Health Care Access and Experiences - Primary and Specialist Care (SHCAE-PSC)
• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
• Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS)
• Canadian National Health Survey (CNHS)
• Canadian Veteran Health Survey (CVHS)
• Indigenous Peoples Survey (IPS)
• Life After Service Survey (LASS)
• Survey on Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals During the Pandemic (SAHCPDP)
• Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI)

• Health care access and experiences among Indigenous people, 2024 (The Daily, November 4, 2024)
• A peek at the updated Canadian Indicator Framework (Stats Can Plus, September 27, 2024)
• Health of Canadians  (Health of Canadians, March 5, 2025)
• Survey on Access to Health Care and Pharmaceuticals During the Pandemic, March 2020 to May 2021 (The Daily, November 23, 2021)