How many long-term care beds are there in Canada?

June 10, 2021 — In Canada, there are 29 long-term care (LTC) beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older, with variations across the provinces and territories.

The visualization below includes information on LTC homes in Canada that offer 24-hour nursing care and have publicly funded and/or subsidized beds. It does not include information on beds in congregate living facilities that don’t provide 24-hour nursing care or receive public funding (e.g., assisted living, supportive housing, retirement homes).

Use the data table to view the number of LTC homes, beds and beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older, by province and territory.

Definitions

Different terms are used across the country to refer to LTC homes with similar characteristics (e.g., nursing homes, continuing care facilities, residential care homes).
LTC homes provide a wide range of health and personal care services for Canadians with medical or physical needs who require access to 24-hour nursing care, personal care and other therapeutic and support services.

Jurisdictional health care delivery models (which include long-term care, assisted living, home care and other types of care) influence decisions about the number of LTC beds in a jurisdiction; comparisons should therefore be interpreted with caution.

How many long-term care beds are there in Canada?

Sources

Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and Community Services
Prince Edward Island Department of Health and Wellness
Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness
New Brunswick Department of Health
Quebec ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care
Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living
Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Alberta Ministry of Health
British Columbia Ministry of Health
Yukon Department of Health and Social Services
Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services
Nunavut Department of Health
Statistics Canada. Table 17-10-0005-01: Population estimates on July 1st, by age and sex External link. Accessed January 31, 2021.

Text version of infographic

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are 26 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Prince Edward Island, there are 39 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Nova Scotia, there are 33 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In New Brunswick, there are 29 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Quebec, there are 24 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Ontario, there are 30 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Manitoba, there are 44 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Saskatchewan, there are 47 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Alberta, there are 26 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In British Columbia, there are 28 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Yukon, there are 56 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In the Northwest Territories, there are 51 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Nunavut, there are 18 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Canada, there are 29 long-term care beds per 1,000 population age 65 and older.
In Canada, there are 2,076 long-term care homes.
In Canada, there are 198,220 long-term care beds.
In Canada, there are 6,835,866 people age 65 and older.
Data for all jurisdictions is as of March 31, 2021, except Quebec (as of April 1, 2021) and Alberta (as of February 28, 2021).
Long-term care (LTC) homes, also referred to as nursing homes, continuing care facilities and residential care homes, provide a wide range of health and personal care services for Canadians with medical or physical needs who require access to 24-hour nursing care, personal care and other therapeutic and support services. Jurisdictional health care delivery models (which include long-term care, assisted living, home care and other types of care) influence decisions about the number of LTC beds in any given jurisdiction; comparisons should therefore be interpreted with caution.

Related resources

Long-term care homes in Canada: How many and who owns them?
Long-term care and COVID-19: International comparisons
Long-term care and COVID-19: The first 6 months
COVID-19 resources web page
Long-term care