RESEARCH · SHORTAGE
Canada will be short 117,000 nurses by 2030.
The Canadian nursing shortage is a demographic cliff. Nearly 30% of the workforce is 55 or older, and CIHI data shows 6.4% of nurses didn't re-register in 2024 — the highest exit rate on record. Internationally educated nurses now drive 68% of net RN supply growth; the domestic pipeline alone is barely net-positive.
The figures
BACKGROUND — CNA 2024
117,000
nurses Canada will be short by 2030
Five years away. Counted, not projected.
BACKGROUND — CIHI 2024
6.4%
of nurses didn't come back — the highest exit rate CIHI has recorded
BACKGROUND — CIHI 2024
30%
of Canadian nurses are 55 or older — up from ~10% in 2000
BACKGROUND — CIHI 2024
13.3%
of Canada's RN workforce was internationally educated in 2024 — and IENs drove 68% of net RN growth
BACKGROUND — CFNU 2024 · n=5,595
4 in 10
Canadian nurses say they plan to leave their job in the next year
BACKGROUND — CFNU 2025 · n=4,736
1 in 3
early-career Canadian nurses are considering leaving the profession within 12 months
BACKGROUND — RNAO 2022 · n=5,000
69%
of Ontario RNs say they plan to leave their nursing position within 5 years
BACKGROUND — MEI 2025
40 / 100
young Canadian nurses (under 35) walked away in 2023 for every 100 who registered
BACKGROUND — FIQ 2025
16.4%
of new Quebec nurses leave the public network in their first year of practice
Frequently asked
- How many nurses is Canada short?
- The Canadian Nurses Association projects a shortfall of more than 117,000 nurses by 2030, building on a 60,000-nurse gap measured in 2022 (CNA forecast cited in PMC nursing-shortage review, 2024).
- Are young nurses leaving the profession?
- Yes. For every 100 Canadian nurses under 35 who registered to practise in 2023, 40 walked away (Montreal Economic Institute, October 2025). In Quebec, 16.4% of new nurses leave the public network in their first year of practice (FIQ, 2025).
- Are internationally educated nurses (IENs) filling the gap?
- Largely, yes. IENs were 13.3% of the RN workforce in 2024 and drove 68% of net RN supply growth (CIHI 2024). The Canadian domestic pipeline alone is barely net-positive without them.