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Proportion of Physicians in Rural Areas

This indicator measures the proportion of active physicians in rural areas.

High proportions are desirable, all else being equal.

Data updated:
Data availability: to (calendar years)
Geographic coverage
All provinces/territories
Reporting level
National, Province/Territory, Provider
Calculation

Number of active physicians in rural areas divided by the number of total active physicians in rural and urban areas

Denominator

The number of total active physicians in rural and urban areas

Numerator

The number of active physicians in rural areas. Rural status is derived using the postal code associated with the physician's primary mailing address. Based on Statistics Canada's methodology, postal codes outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) were coded as rural.

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Name

Proportion of Physicians in Rural Areas

Short/Other Names

Not applicable

Description

This indicator measures the proportion of active physicians in rural areas.

Rationale

The geographic distribution of physicians is a major health care issue. There is a general belief that there is an uneven distribution of physicians, which means rural areas may have an inadequate supply. This indicator can be used to measure the distribution of physicians in rural areas and to monitor changes over time.

Interpretation

High proportions are desirable, all else being equal.

HSP Framework Dimension

Health system inputs and characteristics: Health system resources

Areas of Need

Not applicable

Targets/Benchmarks

Not applicable

Available Data Years

to (calendar years)

Geographic Coverage

  • All provinces/territories

Reporting Level/Disaggregation

  • National
  • Province/Territory
  • Provider

Region (2001 to 2023) 

Indicator Results

Physicians web page

Update Frequency

Every year

Latest Results Update Date

Updates

Not applicable

Description

Number of active physicians in rural areas divided by the number of total active physicians in rural and urban areas

Type of Measurement

Percentage or proportion

Denominator

Description:

The number of total active physicians in rural and urban areas

Inclusions:

  1. Active physicians in clinical and non-clinical practice (for example, research and academia) who have an MD degree and a valid mailing address

Exclusions:

  1. Residents, physicians in the military, and semi-retired and retired physicians
  2. Non-registered physicians who requested that their information not be published as of December 31 of the reference year
  3. Physicians whose urban/rural status is unknown

Numerator

Description:

The number of active physicians in rural areas. Rural status is derived using the postal code associated with the physician's primary mailing address. Based on Statistics Canada's methodology, postal codes outside of census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) were coded as rural.

Inclusions:

  1. Active physicians in clinical and non-clinical practice (for example, research and academia) who have an MD degree and a valid mailing address

Exclusions:

  1. Residents, physicians in the military, and semi-retired and retired physicians
  2. Non-registered physicians who requested that their information not be published as of December 31 of the reference year

Method of Adjustment

Not applicable

Adjustment Applied

None

Geographic Assignment

Place of residence or service

Data Sources

  • SMDB

Caveats and Limitations

The accuracy of the number of active physicians depends greatly on the validity of physicians' mailing addresses. Under-coverage issues may occur when physicians work in locum positions, since they may change locations frequently. Scott's Directories cannot add locum physicians to its "active" physicians group if there is insufficient information on them. Therefore, these physicians will be absent from the Scott's Medical Database (SMDB) counts. When sufficient address information is available, locum physicians are assigned to just one province or territory within the SMDB, even if they do locum work in multiple jurisdictions.

Trending Issues

Not applicable

Comments

Not applicable

References

Statistics Canada. Postal CodeOM Conversion File (PCCF). 2023. 

How to cite:

Canadian Institute for Health Information. Proportion of Physicians in Rural Areas. Accessed April 24, 2025.