Media Room

Facts and Figures

• Nurses are the largest group of health-care professionals in Canada. In 2004, there were 263,356 registered nurses (RNs) in Canada.



• The average age of an RN is 44.6.



• Just over five per cent of nurses are male.



• Most practising RNs are employed in hospitals (62.5 per cent). Other major places of employment include nursing homes, community health centres, home care agencies, educational institutions and physicians’ offices/clinics.



• According to the CNA study Planning for the Future, there will be a shortfall of 78,000 nurses by 2011 and 113,000 by 2016.



• The ratio of practising RNs to the Canadian population in 2004 was one registered nurse to every 129 persons.



• In 2004, 84.4 per cent of nurses worked in direct patient care, 5.5 per cent in administration, 3.5 per cent in education and 1 per cent in research.

Sources:

Canadian Institute for Health Information, Workforce Trends of Registered Nurses in Canada, 2004, 2005.

Canadian Nurses Association, Planning for the Future: Nursing Human Resource Projections, 2002.