The Economics and Statistics Division maintains archives of previous publications for accountability purposes, but makes no updates to keep these documents current with the latest data revisions from Statistics Canada. As a result, information in older documents may not be accurate. Please exercise caution when referring to older documents. For the latest information and historical data, please contact the individual listed to the right.
<--- Return to Archive
For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
July 10, 2025STUDY: UNMET NEEDS FOR DISABILITY SUPPORTS AMONG PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN CANADA, 2022 Statistics Canada has released a study on the prevalence of unmet needs among persons with disabilities aged 15+ in Canada in 2022. Unmet needs were defined as when a support, service or assistance is required but not received, or does not adequately address health-related problems or barriers, with respect to healthcare services, assistive aids or devices, and assistance with everyday activities. Unmet needs were also reported with respect to prescription medicine, specifically if respondents were unable to purchase required medication or took less due to cost. In 2022, 66.1% of persons with disabilities in Canada reported at least one unmet need in these areas.
Health care services was the area with the highest rate of unmet needs in 2022 at 45.7%. Within unmet healthcare needs, persons with disabilities were most likely to report a need for physiotherapy, massage therapy, or chiropractic treatment going unmet, followed by counselling services and acupuncture.
In 2022 13.5% of persons with disabilities reported being unable to purchase medication, or taking it less often due to cost-related issues. Among those who used prescription medication, 44.2% reported having out-of-pocket expenses related to medications, with 41.3% of those reporting expenses of $500 or more in 2022.
Assistive aids and devices are equipment that can help persons with disabilities participate more fully in daily activities. In 2022, 22.7% of persons with disabilities reported an unmet need for assistive devices, with hearing aids/devices being the most commonly reported unmet need.
Persons with disabilities often require assistance in carrying out everyday activities. Nearly one-third (32.7%) of persons with disabilities reported at least one unmet need for help with everyday activities. Assistance in performing heavy household chores was the most commonly reported unmet need (21.5%), followed by everyday housework (14.4%) and going to appointments/running errands (10.5%).
The likelihood of a person with a disability reporting unmet needs varied by age and gender. Females were more likely to report an unmet need than males across all categories. Persons aged 25 to 44 were the most likely to report an unmet need in both healthcare and prescription medications, with ages 65+ being the least likely to report an unmet need in these categories. Persons 65+ were the most likely to report an unmet need for assistive aids and assistance in everyday activities, with younger cohorts being less likely to report unmet needs in this area.
The study also examines factors associated with unmet needs, while controlling for the effects of other disability-related and sociodemographic factors. The likelihood of unmet needs also increased with the severity of the disability, with those experiencing very severe disabilities having more than two times higher odds of having unmet needs for health care or prescription medication, and almost four times higher odds of unmet needs in assistive aids/devices or help with daily activities.
Source: Statistics Canada: Unmet needs for disability supports among persons with disabilities in Canada, 2022
<--- Return to Archive
