Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Canada instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 3.2 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Canada, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.6% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Canada, that number is 26.0% of people as of 2024.
be 39.6% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Canada, it is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 43.3% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Canada spends $7,646 as of 2024.
have 23.4% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Canada has 28.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 37.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Canada, however, that number is 9.4% as of 2008.
be 64.5% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Canada, that number is 6.9% as of 2025.
make 38.1% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Canada, the GDP per capita is $55,698 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Canada, 12.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.5% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Canada, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 16.0% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Canada, there are 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.7% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Canada spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 32.2% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Canada, that number is 11.3% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 10.1 times more coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Canada, that number is 202,080 km.
Safety
be 65.6% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Canada, that number is 2.0 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 39.0% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In United States, 63% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2021. In Canada, that number is 88% as of 2019.
be 66.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Canada, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.8% less strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Canada withdraws 4% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Canada, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2008–2010), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Canada
Canada: At a glance
How big is Canada compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.