Nearly 6 million Canadians don't have a family doctor —
while thousands of trained physicians can't get licensed to practise.
Canada is home to 259,695 internationally educated health professionals. More than half aren't working in a health job, held back by a licensing system that takes 3–7+ years to navigate. The data below shows the human cost.
5.9M
Canadians without regular primary care
145,000+
Trained professionals not working in health
$4.2B
Lost to wait times each year
Short on time?
The story in 60 seconds
Swipe or scroll through five facts. Every number links to the evidence.
Millions can't see a family doctor, and everyone waits longer
Three numbers explain what the shortage means for an ordinary Canadian.
No family doctor
About 1 in 7 Canadians
That's 5.9M people, or 14% of Canada's 41.8M residents, with no regular place to get primary care.
In the ER
1 in 10 ER patients who are treated and sent home waits longer than this.
How long you wait for a specialist
Median wait from a family doctor's referral to treatment, by province
- New Brunswick14 mo60.9 wks
- Prince Edward Island11 mo49.7 wks
- Nova Scotia11 mo49 wks
- Newfoundland and Labrador10 mo43.5 wks
- Manitoba9 mo39.1 wks
- Alberta8 mo36 wks
- Saskatchewan8 mo34.8 wks
- Quebec7 mo32.5 wks
- British Columbia7 mo32.2 wks
- Ontario4 mo19.2 wks
Canada median: 28.6 weeks (about 7 months). Territories are not surveyed.
The cost of no doctor
~2.4 million ER visits a year could have been a family doctor visit
Family doctor visit
Minor ER visit
6× the cost
Circle areas are to scale. Minor ER visit = CTAS level 4–5. Source: CIHI National Ambulatory Care Reporting System 2022–23, CIHI ED cost estimates 2023.
Why the medical education pipeline won't solve this crisis
Can We Just Train More Doctors?
Canadian medical schools can't keep up
Canada graduates far fewer doctors than it needs each year, and a new doctor takes a decade to train.
Every year
3,100 new MDs for 5,400 jobs
Each figure is 100 doctors. That leaves about 2,300 positions unfilled every year.
Sources: AFMC 2024 (graduates, 17 schools); CMA 2023 (annual need)
The time it takes
A student starting today practises in the mid-2030s
Starts today
2026
Family doctor
2034–2036
Specialist
2038–2041
Family medicine needs a 4-year MD and 2-year residency after undergrad prerequisites. Specialists add 4–7 years of residency.
The math doesn't work
Even a 50% increase in medical school seats would produce about 4,650 doctors a year, still short of the 5,400 needed, and those new seats wouldn't produce a practising doctor until the mid-2030s.
Canada needs a parallel solution: licensing the internationally educated health professionals already living here.
Let's look at the current supply
But How Many Healthcare Workers Do We Actually Have?
Canada has fewer doctors than most rich countries
Compared with its peers, Canada sits near the bottom for doctors per person.
Doctors for every 1,000 people
Each figure is one practising doctor per 1,000 residents
- Austria5.4
- Germany4.5
- Australia3.8
- OECD average3.7
- France3.2
- UK3.0
- Canada2.7
- USA2.6
Canada ranks 28th of 38 OECD countries. Source: OECD Health Statistics 2023; OECD Health at a Glance 2025.
To reach the OECD average
~42,000
more doctors would be needed, on top of everyone practising today.
Calculation: (3.7 − 2.7) per 1,000 × 41.8M residents.
Who is practising now
- Family doctors
- 47,463
- about 1 for every 880 Canadians
- Specialists
- 54,000
- Registered nurses
- 338,871
Source: CIHI Health Workforce 2024; Scott's Medical Database 2024
Thousands of qualified professionals already in Canada
There's a Hidden Solution
Bridging the Gap with IEHPs
Canada has 259,695 internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs), including physicians, nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals. Most of them are not working in health care.
Data: Statistics Canada Census 2021, CIHI Health Workforce Database 2023
If Canada's IEHPs were 100 people
56 of them aren't working in health care
- ~145,000 people are working outside health or not employed
- ~114,695 people work in a health occupation
Each square is about 2,600 people. Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Nurses
62,716 in field
Physicians (Family + Specialist)
26,099 in field
Pharmacists
13,089 in field
Physiotherapists & Other
36,426 in field
Gap-Filler Simulator
Adjust the slider to see the impact if more IEHPs were licensed to practice in their trained fields. Today about 58% of employed IEHPs in these professions work in their field.
Integration Rate
Working at 58%
52,718
Additional workers
-9,998
Shortage filled
Working at 58%
22,593
Additional workers
-3,506
Shortage filled
Working at 58%
12,050
Additional workers
-1,039
Shortage filled
Working at 58%
51,212
Additional workers
+14,786
Shortage filled
12,000 of 12,000 gap filled
42%
of employed IEHPs work outside health
Including those not employed, ~145,000 of 259,695 IEHPs aren't working in a health occupation (StatCan, 2021 Census)
47%
IEHP nurse aides hold bachelor's+
Compared to only 6.3% of Canadian-born in the same role — massive underemployment (StatCan)
Provincial breakdown of the opportunity
Where Are They?
Interactive Canada Healthcare Map
Province colours indicate physician shortage severity. Click any province or territory to see detailed stats.
Hover to preview · Click to select
Select a Province or Territory
Click any coloured region on the map
See the numbers where you live
Local doctor gap, wait times, and how licensing works in your province or territory.
An aging population means more demand every year
What Does the Future Look Like?
The need for care will keep growing
Seniors use the most health care, and their numbers are rising fast.
Canadians aged 65 and over
Each figure is 1 million people
2024
Today
7.0M
2030
9.2M
2050
12.0M
By 2050 there will be about 71% more seniors than today. Without more doctors, waits and unattached patients will keep rising.
Source: Statistics Canada population estimates and projections. Projections can change with immigration and policy.
Healthcare Metrics at a Glance
Colors show relative performance within this dataset — not absolute targets. Hover cells for details.
Longest specialist wait
NB: 60.9 wks
Canada median: 28.6 weeks
Largest family doctor gap
ON: 3,800 FPs
ON and QC together: 60% of the national gap
Most doctors per person
NS: 266/100K
OECD average is about 370/100K
Why Can't They Practise?
Thousands of qualified physicians are already in Canada — and can't practise.
Canada has 38,000+ internationally trained physicians in the country. Licensing bottlenecks, residency gate-keeping, and fragmented provincial requirements keep most of them out of medicine for 3–7+ years.
See Why It's BrokenCompare Provinces and Territories Side-by-Side
Select up to 4 provinces/territories to compare key healthcare metrics and identify regional disparities.
Select Provinces/Territories (2/4)
Average
25.7 wks
Min
19.2 wks
Max
32.2 wks
Average
2.6
Min
2.6
Max
2.6
Average
80,773
Min
45,235
Max
116,310
Average
2,650
Min
1,500
Max
3,800
Metric Comparison
Side-by-side comparison across all selected regions
- Ontario
- British Columbia
| Province/Territory | Population (M) | Wait Time (wks) | Doctors/1,000 | IEHPs | ER Visits/yr | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ontario | 16.3M | 19.2 | 2.6 | 116,310 | 1,290,000 | 3,800 |
British Columbia | 5.7M | 32.2 | 2.6 | 45,235 | 580,000 | 1,500 |
Data Sources: CIHI (2023), StatCan Census (2021), Provincial Health Reports. Data is aggregated from most recent available sources and may not reflect real-time conditions.
Sign the Petition: Reform Canada's IEHP Licensing Pathway
Thousands of Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals are ready to fill critical shortages — but bureaucratic barriers keep them sidelined. Join over 10,600 Canadians calling for streamlined licensing, faster credential recognition, and financial support for IEHPs.
Streamline the licensing process
Recognize foreign credentials effectively
Provide financial assistance for exams
71% of the goal · 4,365 more names needed · count as of November 1, 2026
Launched by CodePhysician Inc. · Already signed? Email your MP
Abbreviations & Terminology
Quick reference guide for all abbreviations used throughout this dashboard
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