Nurses — Health and social employment in Canada

Canada: Nurses — Health and social employment was 12.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
12.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
15th
of 24 countries
All-time high
12.56 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 1991
All-time low
8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants
in 1981
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Nurses — Health and social employment in Canada, 1980–2024

0510151980200220241980: 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1981: 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1982: 8.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants1983: 8.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants1984: 8.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants1985: 8.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants1986: 9.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants1987: 9.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants1988: 12.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants1989: 12.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1990: 12.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants1991: 12.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants1992: 12.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants1993: 12.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants1994: 12.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants1995: 11.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants1996: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants1997: 11.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants1998: 11.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants1999: 11 Per 1 000 inhabitants2000: 10.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2001: 10.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2002: 10.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2003: 10.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2004: 10.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2005: 10.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2006: 10.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2007: 10.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants2008: 11 Per 1 000 inhabitants2009: 11.2 Per 1 000 inhabitants2010: 11.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants2011: 11.4 Per 1 000 inhabitants2012: 11.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2013: 11.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2014: 11.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants2015: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2016: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2017: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2018: 11.6 Per 1 000 inhabitants2019: 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants2020: 11.8 Per 1 000 inhabitants2021: 12 Per 1 000 inhabitants2022: 12 Per 1 000 inhabitants2023: 11.9 Per 1 000 inhabitants2024: 12.1 Per 1 000 inhabitants

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Per 1 000 inhabitants.

Analysis

Canada recorded 12.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants for nurses — health and social employment in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nurses — health and social employment in Canada peaked at 12.56 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 1991 and was at its lowest, 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants, in 1981.

Canada ranks 15th of 24 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.43 Per 1 000 inhabitants 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants 12.43 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
1990s 11.89 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.02 Per 1 000 inhabitants 12.56 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2000s 10.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10.5 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.16 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2010s 11.55 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.26 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.7 Per 1 000 inhabitants 10
2020s 11.95 Per 1 000 inhabitants 11.78 Per 1 000 inhabitants 12.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 12 Serbia 13.29 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  2. 13 Austria 12.98 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  3. 14 Hungary 12.76 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  4. 16 Romania 11.87 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  5. 17 Czechia 11.54 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare
  6. 18 United Kingdom 10.67 Per 1 000 inhabitants compare

See the full ranking of 31 places →

More work & labour data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is nurses — health and social employment in Canada?
Nurses — health and social employment in Canada was 12.08 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 12.56 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 1991.
What is the lowest nurses — health and social employment recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 8.3 Per 1 000 inhabitants in 1981.
How does Canada rank for nurses — health and social employment?
Canada ranks 15th out of 24 countries with data for 2024.
Is nurses — health and social employment rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Nurses — Health and social employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nurses — Health and social employment in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/nurses-health-and-social-employment/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Nurses — Health and social employment
Unit
Per 1 000 inhabitants
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
31 places, 714 data points, 1980–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset provides data on the number of nurses by status (ie. practising nurses, professionally active nurses, and nurses licenced to practice) and category (ie. Professional nurses and associate professional nurses). Practising nurses provide services directly to patients. Professionally active nurses include practising nurses and other nurses for whom their education is a prerequisite for the execution of the job. A nurse licensed to practice has completed a programme of nursing education and is qualified and authorised in his/her country to practice nursing. They include practising and other (non-practising) nurses. Professional nurses assume responsibility for the planning and management of the care of patients, including the supervision of other healthcare workers, working autonomously or in teams with medical doctors and others in the practical application of preventive and curative measures. Associate professional nurses generally work under the supervision of, and in support of implementation of healthcare, treatment and referrals plans established by medical, nursing and other health professionals. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.