Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series
Perceived health and well-being indicators among racialized groups, 2023
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Highlights
- The Latin American and Filipino populations had higher proportions of people who described their health as generally very good or excellent compared with the total adult population in Canada in 2023.
- Greater differences in perceived health by age among racialized groups than among the total adult Canadian population.
- Recent Latin American, Filipino and South Asian immigrants had the highest proportions of people who described their health as very good or excellent in general.
- In 2023, most racialized groups had comparable or higher levels of self-reported mental health than the total Canadian population.
- The Arab population had the highest proportion of people who reported that their days were “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful,” while the Filipino population had the lowest proportion.
- The proportion of people who reported being generally satisfied or very satisfied with their life was higher for some racialized groups than the national average.
Introduction
Perceived general and mental health, level of daily stress, and life satisfaction are health and well-being headline indicators that are part of the Social Inclusion Framework for Ethnocultural Groups in Canada.
These indicators offer insights on how health and well-being perceptions may reflect socioeconomic living conditions and the quality of life as well as the social inclusion of some group of the populations such as racialized groups Note Note Note Note .
Good health is associated with the development of quality personal relationshipsNote and promotes participation in the labour marketNote and society in general. On the other hand, several socioeconomic factors have an impact on the overall health of the population. For example, the experience of discrimination is recognized as a social determinant of healthNote . For racialized groups challenges to accessing good working conditions and health care insurance may have an impact on their health and well-beingNote . The experiences of discrimination in various areas, such as workNote Note , housingNote , healthcare systemNote or leisure Note are other obstacles that can occur among these population groups Note . In this context, perceived health and well-being among racialized groups provide valuable information on populations that are likely to experience racism and discrimination or socioeconomic difficultiesNote .
Using data from the 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), this article presents findings on the social inclusion indicators of health and well-being, including perceived health, perceived mental health, perceived life stress, and life satisfaction for the adult population (i.e., individuals aged 18 and older) in the seven largest racialized groups in Canada: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, and Southeast Asian. This classification is based on the question regarding the population group used in the Census of the population and Statistics Canada surveys including the CCHS. For more information on the indicators and concepts, please see the Note to readers.
Perceived health
Perceived health is an indicator that measures a person’s perception of their overall health. The perceived health indicator is used by several health research organizations, such as a predictor of health care system utilization, mortality and quality of lifeNote Note . The measurement of perceived health also complements the analysis of other aspects of health including the severity of diseases and undiagnosed conditions that are not captured in more objective measures of a person's health status. However, perceived health indicator is a relative measure that can be driven by individual health awareness, which may vary among different groups of the population such as the racialized populationNote .
General health refers not only to the absence of disease or injury, but also to physical, mental and social well‑being. Based on this definition of the general health, individuals aged 18 years and over were asked, in the 2022 and 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey the following question: In general, how is your health? The possible answers were: "excellent", "very good", "good", "fair" or "poor"Note .
The Latin American and Filipino populations had higher proportions of people who described their health as generally very good or excellent compared with the total adult population in Canada in 2023
In 2023, the majority of the adult population of the seven largest racialized groups rated their health as generally very good or excellent (55,2 %). The proportion of perceived very good and excellent health for the population of these groups do not differ from the previous year in 2022 (55,2 %). As for the total adult population in Canada, 52.2% reported very good or excellent health, down significantly, though slightly from 53.8% in the previous year.
In 2023, the Latin American (61.2%) and Filipino (58.7%) populations had the highest proportion of individuals who reported their health as generally very good or excellent. These proportions had the largest percentage point gaps with the national average (52.2%). Conversely, the Latin American population (8.3%) and Filipino (9.5 %) populations were also the least likely to perceive their health as generally fair or poor, compared with the entire Canadian adult population (14.4%). The South Asian (11.5%) population was the other group that had a significant smaller proportion of people who perceived their health as generally fair or poor than the total adult population in Canada.
No significant differences by gender were observed in each of the racialized groups in term of perceived health, very good or excellent and perceived health, fair or poor.
| Racialized group | Perceived health, very good or excellent | Perceived health, fair or poor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 95% confidence interval | Percent | 95% confidence interval | |||
| Lower limit | Upper limit | Lower limit | Upper limit | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
||||||
| Total – Canada (ref.) | 52.2 | 51.4 | 52.9 | 14.4 | 14.0 | 14.9 |
| South Asian | 56.3 | 52.3 | 60.2 | 11.5 Table 1 Note * | 9.6 | 13.8 |
| Chinese | 52.0 | 48.4 | 55.7 | 12.4 | 10.6 | 14.4 |
| Black | 55.3 | 50.3 | 60.2 | 10.9 | 8.4 | 14.0 |
| Filipino | 58.7 Table 1 Note * | 53.3 | 64.0 | 9.5 Table 1 Note * | 6.7 | 13.3 |
| Arab | 54.9 | 48.3 | 61.2 | 16.2 | 11.7 | 21.9 |
| Latin American | 61.2 Table 1 Note * | 54.7 | 67.3 | 8.3 Table 1 Note * | 6.0 | 11.3 |
| Southeast Asian | 47.8 | 40.6 | 55.2 | 11.3 | 7.3 | 17.1 |
Greater differences in perceived health by age among racialized groups than among the adult Canadian population
The proportion of people who described their health as generally very good or excellent decreases with age in each racialized group.
However, the differences in very good or excellent perceived health when comparing younger and older age groups of adults are more pronounced among racialized groups than among the entire Canadian population aged 18 years and over. For example, 67.3% of South Asians aged 18 to 34 described their health as generally very good or excellent. This proportion drops to 49.8% among those aged 50 to 64 and to 21.2% among those aged 65 and over. In comparison, the proportion of the total adult population in Canada who reported very good or excellent health was 62.1% in the 18-to-34 group, 49.3% among those aged 50 to 64, and 40.5% among those aged 65 and over.
Data table for Chart 1
| 18 to 34 years (ref.) | 35 to 49 years | 50 to 64 years | 65 years and over | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| percent | ||||
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
||||
| Total – Canada | 62.1 | 54.8 Data table for chart 1 Note * | 49.3 Data table for chart 1 Note * | 40.5 Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| South Asian | 67.3 | 55.7 | 49.8 Data table for chart 1 Note * | 21.2 Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Chinese | 70.5 | 50.9 Data table for chart 1 Note * | 41.3 Data table for chart 1 Note * | 28.3 Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Black | 59.8 | 56.5 | 53.6 | 34.3 Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Filipino | 67.0 | 58.6 | 55.1 | 37.0 E use with caution Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Arab | 65.0 E use with caution | 53.9 | 50.6 E use with caution | 23.6 E use with caution Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Latin American | 76.5 | 60.0 | 46.8 E use with caution Data table for chart 1 Note * | 35.1 E use with caution Data table for chart 1 Note * |
| Southeast Asian | 55.9 E use with caution | 50.8 | 36.5 E use with caution | 37.0 E use with caution |
Recent Latin American, Filipino and South Asian immigrants had the highest proportions of people who described their health as very good or excellent in general
One characteristic of the racialized population is the high representation of immigrants, which accounted for 60.1 % in this population, according to the 2021 Census data. By comparison, the proportion of immigrants was 23.0 % of the total Canadian population. Various studies have shown that immigrants to Canada are healthier than the Canadian-born population at the time of their arrival. This so-called “healthy immigrant effect” fades with time spent in the country.Note
Data from the 2023 CCHS on perceived health and perceived mental health also reveal a difference in perceived health between racialized immigrants who immigrated recently (in the period from 2013 to 2023), the Canadian-born population as a whole and the racialized immigrants established before 2013.
In 2023, among racialized immigrants who had recently immigrated to Canada (in the period from 2013 to 2023), the Latin American (73.3%), Filipino (73.2%) and South Asian (62.7%) populations had the highest proportions of individuals who rated their health as generally very good or excellent. In comparison, this proportion was 51.9% for the Canadian-born (non-immigrant) adult population as a whole, which is not statistically different to the proportion for most of the seven racialized groups who immigrated before 2013: South Asian (48.0%), Black (51.7%), Filipino (50.1%), Arab (49.5%) and Latin American (51.3%).
Furthermore, recent Black (6.9%) and South Asian (8.3%) immigrants were less likely to perceive their health as fair or poor than the Canadian-born population (14.6%).
Most racialized groups who immigrated more than 10 years ago (before 2013) and described their health as fair or poor posted similar proportions to the Canadian-born population and the racialized immigrants who immigrated recently (from 2013 to 2023).
Data table for Chart 2
| Immigrants admitted to Canada in 2013 to 2023 | Immigrants admitted to Canada before 2013 | Population born in Canada (ref.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| percent | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
|||
| South Asian | 62.7 Data table for chart 2 Note * | 48.0 Data table for chart 2 Note † | 51.9 |
| Chinese | 58.0 | 46.2 Data table for chart 2 Note * | 51.9 |
| Black | 57.9 | 51.7 | 51.9 |
| Filipino | 73.2 Data table for chart 2 Note * | 50.1 Data table for chart 2 Note † | 51.9 |
| Arab | 54.6 | 49.5 | 51.9 |
| Latin American | 73.3 Data table for chart 2 Note * | 51.3 Data table for chart 2 Note † | 51.9 |
| Southeast Asian | F too unreliable to be published | 38.5 Data table for chart 2 Note * | 51.9 |
Perceived mental health
Perceived mental health refers to a person’s perception of their mental health in general. Perceived mental health provides a general indication of the population with some form of mental disorder, mental or emotional problems, or distress, which are not necessarily reflected in perceived general health.Note
Although perceived mental health is used as a predictor of quality of life and associated with difficult situations like food insecurityNote or cybervictimizationNote , this indicator does not directly correspond with measured (or diagnosed) mental disordersNote Note .
In 2023, most racialized groups had comparable or higher levels of self-reported mental health than the total Canadian population
In 2023, 53.8% of the total population in Canada described their mental health as generally very good or excellent. This is similar than in 2022 (54.8%).
For most racialized groups, the proportions of people who rated their mental health as very good or excellent in general were comparable to or higher than that of the total Canadian population. Among racialized groups, the Filipino (66.3%) and Black (63.3%) populations posted the highest proportions of people who described their mental health as very good or excellent.Note
No significant differences by age were observed in each of the racialized groups in term of perceived mental health, very good or excellent.
For the total population aged 18 and over living in Canada, men (57.7%) were more likely than women (50.0%) to rate their mental health as very good or excellent. This gender difference is even more pronounced among the Chinese population (57.8% of Chinese women compared with 45.5% of Chinese men). For the other groups, no significant differences by gender were observed for perceived mental health.
| Racialized group | Perceived mental health, very good or excellent |
Perceived mental health, fair or poor |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | 95% confidence interval | Percent | 95% confidence interval | |||
| Lower limit | Upper limit | Lower limit | Upper limit | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
||||||
| Total – Canada (ref.) | 53.8 | 53.1 | 54.5 | 15.0 | 14.5 | 15.6 |
| South Asian | 59.9 Table 2 Note * | 56.1 | 63.6 | 12.9 | 10.6 | 15.8 |
| Chinese | 51.6 | 48.1 | 55.1 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 15.1 |
| Black | 63.3 Table 2 Note * | 58.4 | 67.9 | 11.9 | 9.0 | 15.6 |
| Filipino | 66.3 Table 2 Note * | 61.0 | 71.2 | 9.6 Table 2 Note * | 6.7 | 13.7 |
| Arab | 58.7 | 51.9 | 65.3 | 11.2 | 7.2 | 17.1 |
| Latin American | 60.6 | 54.2 | 66.7 | 13.8 | 9.5 | 19.6 |
| Southeast Asian | 50.5 | 43.0 | 58.0 | 12.4 | 8.0 | 18.6 |
When examining perceived mental health for racialized adults by immigrant status, there were larger percentage point gaps on very good or excellent rating between the Canadian-born population (51.7%) and Filipino (75.3%), Latin American (70.4%), Black (71.8%) and South Asian (62.7%) individuals who immigrated to Canada between 2013 and 2023. The higher prevalence of reporting very good or excellent mental health was also observed among the Black (65.5%) and Filipino (63.9%) populations who immigrated before 2013.
With regard to fair to poor perceived mental health, the proportions of Filipino (5.2%), Black (6.3%) and Chinese (7.7%) recent immigrants were much smaller than the proportion for the Canadian-born population (16.5%).
These results, which point to more positive perceived mental health among some groups of racialized recent immigrants, do not account for variations that may exist according to admission category and region of birth. However, research has shown that refugees and immigrants who arrived through family reunification are less likely than economic immigrants and Canadian-born individuals to perceive their mental health as very good or excellent.Note
The prevalence of more positive perceived mental health among most racialized groups is consistent with the results of other studies. Mental disorders are generally less common among South Asian, Filipino and Black individuals than among non-racialized, non-Indigenous individuals.Note
Data table for Chart 3
| Immigrants admitted to Canada in 2013 to 2023 | Immigrants admitted to Canada before 2013 | Population born in Canada (ref.) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| percent | |||
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
|||
| South Asian | 62.7 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 62.4 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 51.7 |
| Chinese | 60.8 | 52.1 | 51.7 |
| Black | 71.8 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 65.5 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 51.7 |
| Filipino | 75.3 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 63.9 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 51.7 |
| Arab | 57.1 | 56.1 | 51.7 |
| Latin American | 70.4 Data table for chart 3 Note * | 59.3 | 51.7 |
| Southeast Asian | F too unreliable to be published | 47.9 | 51.7 |
Perceived life stress
Perceived life stress refers to the amount of stress in the person's life, on most days, as perceived by the person. The indicator refers to the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who, when thinking about the amount of stress in their life, described most of their days as being “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful.” The other possible answers were “a bit stressful,” “not very stressful” or “not at all stressful.”
The Arab population had the highest proportion of people who reported that their days were “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful,” while the Filipino population had the lowest proportion
In Canada in 2023, more than 1 in 5 people (22.4%) aged 18 and over reported that most of their days were “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful,” a similar proportion to the previous year (22.3%). Among the seven largest racialized groups, the Arab population had the highest proportion of people who reported a high level of daily stress (31.5%), while the Filipino population had the lowest proportion (13.7%). However, these results conceal a large difference by gender.
Arab and Filipino women were roughly twice as likely as their men counterparts to perceive most of their days as “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful.” For example, 43.3% of Arab women reported this, compared with 21.6% of Arab men. Similarly, the gender difference was observed for the Filipino, the proportion for Filipino women (17.8%) was double the proportion for Filipino men (8.0%).
By comparison, the proportion of people in the total adult population in Canada who reported a high level of stress was 25.0% among women and 19.6% among men.
| Racialized group | Perceived life stress, most days quite a bit or extremely stressful | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men+ | Women+ | |||||||
| Percent | 95% confidence interval | Percent | 95% confidence interval | Percent | 95% confidence interval | ||||
| Lower limit | Upper limit | Lower limit | Upper limit | Lower limit | Upper limit | ||||
Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category "non-binary persons" are distributed into the other two gender categories and are denoted by the "+" symbol. Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey – Annual Component, 2023. |
|||||||||
| Total – Canada (ref.) | 22.4 | 21.8 | 22.9 | 19.6 | 18.7 | 20.5 | 25 Table 3 Note † | 24.2 | 25.9 |
| South Asian | 21.9 | 18.5 | 25.7 | 18.8 | 14.9 | 23.5 | 25.9 | 20.9 | 31.8 |
| Chinese | 19.2 | 16.8 | 21.9 | 14.9 Table 3 Note * | 12.2 | 18.2 | 23.5 Table 3 Note † | 19.7 | 27.6 |
| Black | 20.3 | 16.4 | 24.9 | 22.2 | 16.2 | 29.6 | 18.5 | 13.9 | 24.3 |
| Filipino | 13.7 Table 3 Note * | 10.6 | 17.5 | 8.0 Table 3 Note * | 4.9 | 12.7 | 17.8 Table 3 Note *Table 3 Note † | 13.0 | 23.9 |
| Arab | 31.5 Table 3 Note * | 25.2 | 38.5 | 21.6 | 15.2 | 29.6 | 43.3 Table 3 Note *Table 3 Note † | 33.1 | 54.1 |
| Latin American | 25.3 | 19.5 | 32.0 | 21.8 | 14.5 | 31.5 | 29.0 | 21.1 | 38.4 |
| Southeast Asian | 19.3 | 13.9 | 26.3 | 16.4 | 10.2 | 25.2 | 22.5 | 14.1 | 33.9 |
Most individuals in the seven racialized groups in both immigration periods had proportions of individuals who perceived most of their days as “quite stressful” or “extremely stressful” that were comparable to the proportion for the Canadian-born population (22.9%). Only the Filipino population who immigrated between 2013 and 2023 had a much lower proportion of individuals than the Canadian-born population (9.7%) who described most of their days as “quite stressful” or “extremely stressful, while the recent immigrant Arab population had the highest proportion of people who reported a high level of daily stress (34.7 %).
Life satisfaction
Life satisfaction is a measure of the general well-being of the population and used in different framework to get insight on quality of life, health of population as well as social inclusion of racialized groups of population.
The proportion of people who reported being generally satisfied or very satisfied with their life was higher for some racialized groups than the national average
In 2023, 85% of the Canadian population reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life as a whole, a lower proportion than for some racialized groups, such as the Latin American (91.5%) and Filipino (92.0%) populations.
No significant differences by gender were observed for the indicator life satisfaction among each racialized group.
A majority (94.1%) of the Filipino population who immigrated between 2013 and 2023 reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their life as a whole. In comparison, 84.8% of the Canadian-born population reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life as a whole, a lower proportion than the Filipino population who immigrated before 2013 (90.9%).
Aside from immigrant status and the number of years in the country, further analyses on the influence of cultural and social factors among immigrant cohorts would also broaden our understanding of more positive perceptions of health and well-being among racialized groups.
Data sources and definitions
This analysis is based on data from the 2022 and 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). The sample is representative of the Canadian population aged 18 and over living in the provinces. All the results are available in Table 13-10-0880-01 Health indicators by visible minority and selected sociodemographic characteristics: Canada excluding territories, annual estimates .
The percentages of the indicators are calculated by excluding non-response records or missing data in the denominator.
Perceived health
Perceived health refers to a person’s perception of their health in general. Health refers not only to the absence of disease or injury, but also physical, mental and social well-being.
Very good or excellent perceived health measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who described their health as being generally very good or excellent. The other possible answers were “good,” “fair” or “poor.”
Conversely, fair or poor perceived health measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who described their health as being generally fair or poor. The other possible answers were “good,” “very good” or “excellent.”
Perceived mental health
Perceived mental health refers to a person’s perception of their mental health in general. Perceived mental health provides a general indication of the population with some form of mental disorder, mental or emotional problems, or distress, which is not necessarily reflected in perceived health.
Very good or excellent perceived mental health measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who described their mental health as being generally either very good or excellent. The other possible answers were “good,” “fair” or “poor.”
Conversely, fair or poor perceived mental health measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who described their mental health as being generally either fair or poor. The other possible answers were “good,” “very good” or “excellent.”
High level of stress in daily life
Measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who, when thinking about the amount of stress in their life, described most of their days as being “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful.” The other possible answers were “a bit stressful,” “not very stressful” or “not at all stressful.”High level of life satisfaction (satisfied or very satisfied)
Measures the proportion of individuals aged 18 and over who reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life in general. Life satisfaction is based on a self-reported score from 0 to 10 of how respondents feel about their life as a whole at the time of the survey. “Satisfied or very satisfied” represents those who ranked life satisfaction 6 or higher out of 10.
Racialized group
The concept of “racialized group” is derived directly from the “visible minority” variable in the census. “Visible minority“ refers to whether a person is a visible minority or not, as defined by the Employment Equity Act. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal people, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.” The visible minority population comprises the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.
In this article, only the seven largest visible minority groups are analyzed. Given the small sample sizes for the West Asian, Korean, Japanese, Visible minority not included elsewhere, Multiple visible minorities and Not specified categories in the Canadian Community Health Survey, they are included in the total, but not presented in this article due to data quality or to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act.
Gender
Gender refers to an individual’s personal and social identity as a man, women or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman).
Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category “non-binary persons” are distributed into the other two gender categories. Unless otherwise indicated in the text, the category “men” includes men, as well as some non-binary persons, while the category “women” includes women, as well as some non-binary persons.
Note to readers
The indicators presented in this article are part of the Social Inclusion Framework for Ethnocultural Groups in Canada which is published by Statistics Canada’s Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics to provide insights in support of Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy.
The complete list of indicators and a brief description of their corresponding derivation are available in the Reference guide on social inclusion indicators for ethnocultural groups in Canada, 2024.
The indicators are organized under 11 themes: participation in the labour market; representation in decision-making positions; civic engagement and political participation; basic needs and housing; health and well-being; education and skills development; income and wealth; social connections and personal networks; institutions and public services; local community; and discrimination and victimization.- Date modified: