Total health spending per capita in Canada 1975-2023
Canada has a system of health care that is financed through taxation and public funding. As of 2023, the total per capita expenditure in Canada for health care was estimated to be about 8,740 Canadian dollars. This is an increase from the previous years and a significant increase from the 1970s, just prior to the implementation of the 1984 Canadian Health Act.
The Canadian health system
Canada has one of the highest health expenditures as a percentage of GDP among developed countries. The Canadian health care system is funded and administered by the provinces and territories. There are several principles that the system is founded on: public administration of the system is non-profit, plans must be comprehensive, all residents must be able to access the public health care system, health care should be accessible to anyone anywhere in Canada, and there should be few barriers to accessing healthcare. Despite the attempts at making the system equal across Canada, there are still major differences. For example, Nunavut has some of the highest per capita provincial/territorial governmental health care spending in all of Canada.
Health financing in Canada
Between the public and private sectors of Canada’s health system, the public sector is responsible for a majority of the health expenditures. Provincial governments are responsible for most of the health care funding, followed by direct federal funds. Drug expenditures, however, are primarily financed through private sector resources.
