What are the top reasons people are admitted to hospitals in Canada?
In 2023-2024, there were 3.05 million acute inpatient hospitalizations, up from 2.93 million the year before. These short-term hospitalizations are focused on treating and stabilizing patients with severe illnesses or injuries that require immediate medical attention — think heart attacks, broken bones, alcohol poisoning, or pneumonia — and getting well enough to be discharged or transferred to other departments for care.
Adjusted for age, sex, and population growth, the hospitalization rate in Canada in 2023-2024 was 6,992 per 100,000 people, relatively unchanged from the two previous years. Among the provinces, hospitalization rates were the lowest in Nova Scotia (6,706 per 100,000 people) and highest in Saskatchewan (9,534 per 100,000 people). Nationally, the hospitalization rate has been trending downward since 1995-1996 when it was 11,131 per 100,000 people.
Top reasons for hospital admissions
In 2023–2024, across all age groups and sexes, childbirth accounted for about 1 in 10 hospitalizations in Canada, making it the most common reason for acute inpatient hospital visits. The second most common reason for hospitalization was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchitis, followed by heart failure, which made up 2.5% and 2.3% of all hospitalizations, respectively. Pneumonia and osteoarthritis of the knee accounted for 2.2% and 2.1% of hospitalizations, placing them in the top five reasons people are admitted to hospitals for acute care.
What are the main reasons for hospital visits among different age groups?
The top three leading causes of hospitalization among newborns to four-year-olds were other acute respiratory infections, such as bronchitis, neonatal jaundice from unspecified causes, and pneumonia. Other mental health disorders, which include feeding and eating disorders, stressor disorders, and sleep disorders, were the most common cause of hospitalization among those 5 to 17. This was followed by diseases of the appendix and mood (affective) disorders. Among the adult population (17-64), childbirth ranked number one, followed by substance use disorders, and schizophrenia, schizotypal, and delusional disorders. Lastly, the most prevalent reasons for hospital admissions among seniors 65 and older were COPD and bronchitis, heart failure, and neurocognitive disorders.
Learn more about healthcare expenditures and other health-related topics here.
You may also be interested in…
Tax data from 2022 shows that the top 1% of earners had an income of at least $283,200, a 4.3% increase from $271,300 in 2021. Their average income was $586,900. This group earned 10.2% of all income in Canada and paid 22.1% of all income taxes.