About 2 in 5 Canadians living with mental health conditions say their mental health care needs are not met
Press Release
October 23, 2025
A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reveals that in 2024, 41% of adults (age 18 and older) and 36% of children and youth (age 2 to 17) in Canada with diagnosed mental health conditions reported having their needs partially or completely unmet.
While work is being done in health systems across Canada to improve access to mental health and substance use services, the report also found that
- Only half of Canadians who were referred to community mental health counselling in 2024–2025 received care within 30 days of their initial referral
- Of those hospitalized for mental health or substance use, 70% received follow-up with a physician within 30 days of discharge
“Current barriers Canadians face when accessing mental health care include availability of services, insufficient support navigating them, affordability and stigma,” said Cheryl Chui, director of Health System Analytics at CIHI. “By collecting data and reporting on access to care and gaps, health system planners can better target areas for improvement, including the expansion and accessibility of services, investments in digital care options, and recruiting more mental health professionals.”
Working together to improve health care for Canadians
In addition to reporting on measuring access to mental health and substance use services, CIHI’s report Taking the pulse: Measuring shared priorities for Canadian health care, 2025 examines access to primary health care, and reports on progress on our work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners to develop indicators for measuring cultural safety and Indigenous-specific racism in health systems.
“The report is a reflection of the collaboration with partners in the federal, provincial and territorial governments along with other national data organizations and health system experts,” explains Chui. “We’re able to bring together new data from CIHI and data from Statistics Canada to provide a more comprehensive picture of the challenges Canadians face in accessing care. Through this collective effort, health systems will be able to use this information to strengthen decision-making and deliver the care that Canadians need and deserve.”
About CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing essential health information to all Canadians.
CIHI works closely with federal, provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders throughout Canada to gather, package and disseminate information to inform policy, management, care and research, leading to better and more equitable health outcomes for all Canadians.
Health information has become one of society’s most valuable public goods. For more than 30 years, CIHI has set the pace on data privacy, security, accessibility and innovation to improve Canada’s health systems.
CIHI: Better data. Better decisions. Healthier Canadians.
Media contacts
For English inquiries:
media@cihi.ca
For French inquiries:
media@icis.ca
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