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There were an estimated 259,695 IEHPs aged 18 to 64 residing in Canada in 2021, accounting for 13% of all Canadians in the same age group with postsecondary education in a health field (excluding temporary residents). Nearly half of IEHPs resided in Ontario (116,310), followed by British Columbia (45,235), Alberta (42,035) and Quebec (30,595). The Atlantic region and the three territories had the lowest numbers of IEHPs, ranging from 475 in Prince Edward Island and 605 in the three territories to 3,195 in Nova Scotia (Table 1).
The majority of IEHPs—about 7 in 10—were women, and two-thirds of IEHPs were younger than 50 years. About half of IEHPs immigrated to Canada between the ages of 25 to 34. Nearly one‑third of all IEHPs had recently arrived in Canada (between 2016 and 2021).
The majority of IEHPs received their education in Asia (63%), while 11% studied in an English-speaking Western country. About one-third of IEHPs in Canada studied nursing. Those who trained to be physicians (15%) came next, followed by those who studied in the fields of pharmacy (8%) and dentistry (8%).
About 76% of IEHPs aged 18 to 64 were employed, compared with 80% of Canadian-educated health care professionals. Among employed IEHPs, 58% worked in health occupations.
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