Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada
Canada: Share of births attended by skilled health staff was 98.0% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada, 1987–2020
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total.
Analysis
Canada recorded 98.0% for share of births attended by skilled health staff in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada peaked at 100.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 97.8%, in 2016.
Canada ranks 89th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 100.0% | — |
| 1991 | 99.1% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 99.6% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 99.4% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 99.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 99.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 98.9% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.8% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 100.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 98.8% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 98.6% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 98.5% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 98.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 98.1% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 98.0% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 97.9% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 97.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 97.8% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 97.9% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 98.0% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 98.0% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 99.3% | 99.1% | 99.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 99.1% | 98.6% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 98.0% | 97.8% | 98.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 98.0% | 98.0% | 98.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More health data for Canada
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.3588 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,083 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 385 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 0.0542 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0731 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 0.0818 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0767 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada?
- Share of births attended by skilled health staff in Canada was 98.0% in 2020, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 97.8% in 2016.
- How does Canada rank for share of births attended by skilled health staff?
- Canada ranks 89th out of 169 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births attended by skilled health staff. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Skilled health staff refers to professionals trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.