Canada spends near-top of OECD on health yet trails in outcomes, Fraser Institute finds
A Fraser Institute analysis shows Canada ranks second highest among 32 high-income nations for health-care spending as a share of GDP, but falls near the bottom on most performance indicators.
Analyzing 32 high-income countries that provide universal health care, the Fraser Institute found Canada to be the second-largest spender relative to GDP in 2024, surpassed only by Chile. Despite this, Canada ranked poorly on 13 metrics of resource availability and timely access, including 30th for doctors per thousand people and low numbers of MRI and CT scanners per million residents. Nurse staffing was slightly above the OECD average, placing the nation 14th.
Patient-experience data showed Canada at the bottom for same-day appointments and among the worst for specialist wait times and non-emergency surgery delays. The institute cautioned that the high expenditure does not translate into better care and suggested policymakers look to other universal-care systems for improvement. The methodology adjusted indicators for each country's age profile, acknowledging demographic differences.
Why it matters
The findings reveal that Canada's high health-care spending is not delivering comparable service quality or access.
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