Gender distribution of registered nurses in Canada 2006-2022
Nurses in Canada
As of 2022, while there were nearly 316 thousand registered nurses (RN) in Canada, just 283 thousand were employed at the time of registration. The average age of a registered nurse in Canada has been decreasing in recent years and is currently 43.3 years. Besides registered nurses, three other nurse professionals are regulated in Canada, nurse practitioners (NP), registered psychiatric nurses (RPN), and licensed practical nurses (LPN). LPNs need less education, while NPs need higher education than RNs.
Nurses by province
The province with the highest number of registered nurses in Canada is Ontario, followed by Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta. Yukon has the smallest number of registered nurses, with just over 630. The average age of a registered nurse can differ by a few years depending on the province. For example, the average age of a registered nurse in Quebec is around 42 years, while it is 46 years in Manitoba.