Nursing personnel in Canada
Canada: Nursing personnel was 461,742 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Nursing personnel in Canada, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nursing personnel in Canada is 461,742, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nursing personnel in Canada peaked at 461,742 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 155,178, in 1980.
That places Canada 13th out of 189 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Nursing personnel in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 155,178 | — |
| 1981 | 161,094 | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 164,125 | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 176,674 | +7.6% |
| 1984 | 187,963 | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 194,392 | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 204,617 | +5.3% |
| 1987 | 210,825 | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 293,707 | +39.3% |
| 1989 | 304,338 | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 307,573 | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 314,924 | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 317,667 | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 318,336 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 316,955 | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 313,266 | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 307,209 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 305,543 | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 301,565 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 301,517 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 305,471 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 304,814 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 296,211 | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 269,154 | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 271,671 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 281,430 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 287,892 | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 297,388 | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 304,424 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 313,431 | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 318,565 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 319,026 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 326,227 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 334,570 | +2.6% |
| 2014 | 347,636 | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 353,738 | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 359,473 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 365,450 | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 403,041 | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 411,093 | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 417,911 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 427,418 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 433,837 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 442,399 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | 461,742 | +4.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 461,742 is above the median for high income countries, which is 39,449, 11.7× the median. (63 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nursing personnel in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +39.3% | 210,825 | 293,707 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 205,291 | 155,178 | 304,338 | 10 |
| 1990s | 310,456 | 301,517 | 318,336 | 10 |
| 2000s | 293,189 | 269,154 | 313,431 | 10 |
| 2010s | 353,882 | 318,565 | 411,093 | 10 |
| 2020s | 436,661 | 417,911 | 461,742 | 5 |
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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5214 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.023 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.5024 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nursing personnel in Canada?
- Nursing personnel in Canada was 461,742 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest nursing personnel recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 461,742 in 2024.
- What is the lowest nursing personnel recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 155,178 in 1980.
- How does Canada rank for nursing personnel?
- Canada ranks 13th out of 189 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nursing personnel rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Nursing personnel (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).