Canada has long been considered a model for personal health. Last year, U.S. News & World Report ranked it eighth in the world among the most health-conscious countries.
However, like any country, some Canadian provinces place a greater emphasis on healthier living practices, such as proper diet and physical activity. At OntarioBets.com, we stepped away from tracking this year’s Stanley Cup Playoff odds to determine which provinces are the healthiest.
Rank | Province | Total Score |
1 | British Columbia | 460 |
2 | Nova Scotia | 410 |
T3 | Alberta | 380 |
T3 | Prince Edward Island | 380 |
T5 | Ontario | 340 |
T5 | Manitoba | 340 |
7 | Saskatchewan | 300 |
8 | Quebec | 290 |
9 | New Brunswick | 280 |
10 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 150 |
Using a scoring system based on life expectancy, obesity rate, physical activity rates and smoking rates, we ranked Canadian province health by total points in the chart above. The higher the score, the healthier the province.
Life Expectancy and physical activity rate were found using StatCan.gc.ca; Statista was used to find the smoking rate and obesity rate by province.
The home of Ontario online casinos finished in the middle of the pack for Canada health thanks to a mix of high and low scores in our metrics. At 81.8 years, it had the second-highest average life expectancy at birth in 2022. Only Quebec’s 82.5 was higher, and Ontario’s average surpassed the national average by about half a year.
Canada’s most populous province also had the nation’s second-lowest smoking rate, at 9.9%, a full percentage point better than the national average. Only British Columbia reported a lower rate, at 8.7%.
In addition, Ontario’s obesity rates are slightly below the national percentages for adults 18-34, 35-49, 50-64 and 65-and-up.
However, Statistics Canada reported that only 51.5% of Ontario residents self-reported exercising or partaking in some other physical activity in 2021. Only Prince Edward Island (51.3%), New Brunswick (50.6%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (50.3%) posted lower scores in this Canada health measure.
British Columbia posted strong scores across the Canadian province health spectrum. Its 81.5-year life expectancy was just below Ontario’s for third in Canada, and the far western province’s 62.4% physical activity rate was clearly superior to the other provinces. Less than a quarter of B.C. residents (23%) are considered obese, best among the provinces.
Alberta placed second with a 58% participation rate, but no other province reported a rate higher than 56%. Nova Scotia came in third, with 55.4% reporting they get sufficient exercise.
Saskatchewan had the lowest life expectancy, with Statistics Canada reporting that the average lifespan in the Prairie Province was 78.5, down two full years from 2019.
The highest rate of smoking can be found in New Brunswick, with the Maritime Province reporting a 15.8% rate among those 15 and older in 2022. Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest obesity rate at 41%.
Stay with OntarioBets.com for more lifestyle stories plus the best Ontario sports betting apps reviews on the market.
USA Today Network photo by Jovanny Hernandez/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on OntarioBets, among other sites.
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