Caring in Canada 2026

The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence’s report, Caring in Canada 2026, provides an in-depth analysis of the 2025 National Caregiving Survey results, which was completed by more than 2,600 caregivers and care providers from across Canada. The report reveals that the national affordability crisis is adding significant pressure to Canada’s 8+ million caregivers, many of whom are already stretched beyond their limits. As the cost-of-living increases across the country, a growing number of caregivers are unable to afford basic expenses, working more hours or using up their savings sooner than expected.

The Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence (CCCE) is a Care Economies in Context Canada project partner.

Citation

Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence. (2026). Caring in Canada 2026. https://canadiancaregiving.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Caring-in-Canada_web.pdf

Executive summary

Caregivers and care providers are the backbone of Canada’s health and social care systems, yet they do not have the supports they need to thrive. Canada can be the best place to give and receive care, but insufficient support for caregivers is harming millions of Canadians and dragging down current and future economic growth. Concrete and substantive policy reform is urgently needed to address this crisis.

The care crisis has significant consequences for our economic prosperity. As Canadians take on more and more care responsibilities, we are seeing all age groups and sectors fall behind in productivity, long-term workforce participation and financial stability. The policy choices we make or choose not to make will have lasting consequences for Canada’s economic resilience as we face a time of uncertainty.

To capture the realities of caregiving in Canada today, CCCE surveyed more than 2,600 Canadian caregivers and care providers in summer 2025. The survey found that while caregivers are a diverse group, they share many of the same struggles. The results are clear: caregivers and care providers are doing essential work without the right support behind them, and they need an urgent response from the government. Survey findings point clearly to the supports that caregivers and care providers need to thrive.

The caregiving experience has not improved since CCCE conducted its National Caregiving Survey in 2023. For most caregivers, the challenges of providing care remain unchanged, and, for some, access to supports has declined. Across both survey periods, approximately three-quarters of caregivers report negative impacts on their well-being and about two in five experience financial hardship. Moreover, despite these ongoing challenges, caregivers now report increased difficulty (+6%) in finding affordable, high-quality services and care options.