Canada
North America · North America
Welcoming immigration policy and universal healthcare, with high property prices in major cities.
Digital Nomad
Ideal destination
Expat
Ideal destination
At a Glance
📈Canada's Human Development Index
0.935
Very High human development#17 of 191 countries worldwide, #1 of 23 in North America.
Higher than 92% of countries with data. UNDP Human Development Report.
UNDP builds the index from three dimensions: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and a decent standard of living. They are measured by life expectancy at birth, mean and expected years of schooling, and gross national income per capita.
Closest indicators in this dataset
World Bank, own vintages. UNDP’s own component values are not carried here, so these are related measures rather than the index inputs.
Nearest countries by HDI
Full HDI ranking, all 191 countries →Canada
Canada is one of the world's largest countries by area, with an extraordinary range of landscapes from the Rocky Mountains and Pacific coast to the Great Lakes, Arctic tundra, and Atlantic maritime provinces. The cities are multicultural, well-organised, and consistently ranked among the most liveable on earth. Those who love outdoor life and wide open space will find it endlessly generous, though the winters in most of the country are genuinely severe.
- Has more lakes than the rest of the world's countries combined.
- Second largest country by area yet one of the least densely populated.
- Peacekeeping is so central to national identity that it appears on the currency.
Quick Facts
Capital
Ottawa
Languages
English, French
Currency
$ CAD
Area
8.79M km²
Nomad Hub
Fixed Broadband
278Mbps
Mobile
113Mbps
Digital Nomad Visa
Min. Income
No minimum
Duration
6 months
Renewable
Yes
Application Fee
~C$100
~$74
GDP / Capita
$56K
PPP / Capita
$67K
Inflation
2.1%
Unemployment
6.9%
Innovation (GII)
51.1
GNI / Capita
$56K
Tax Revenue
13.7%
FDI Inflows
3.0%
Education Spend
4.8%
Cost of Living
63.0
Price Level Index
12th pct
20-Year Trend + IMF Forecast
Income & inflation over time
HDI since 1990
0.861 → 0.935 (+0.074)Year by year →UNDP Human Development Report, 2023-24 edition. 33 annual values, none interpolated; hover any point for its year.
Twenty years here
Year by year →The world report →World Bank observations, first to last available year per indicator (roughly 2005–2024; each series has its own window).
Thinking about Canada for real?
The matcher weighs your budget, timeline and dealbreakers against the same data on this page, then answers with the places that actually fit.
Find your match →Neighbouring Countries
Canada head-to-head
💬Quick answers
What is Canada's Human Development Index?
Canada's Human Development Index is 0.935 (UNDP Human Development Report), ranked #17 of 191 countries.
Is Canada safe?
Canada scores 1.52 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #14 of 160 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.
How expensive is Canada?
Numbeo's cost-of-living index puts Canada at 63.0 (New York = 100); that is #121 cheapest of 143 countries with data.
What is life expectancy in Canada?
Life expectancy at birth in Canada is 82.1 yrs (World Bank), ranked #28 of 195 countries.
What is the quality of life in Canada?
Numbeo's quality-of-life index scores Canada at 172.0, ranked #26 of 87 countries with data. It composites purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, commute and pollution from resident surveys, so it reflects what residents report rather than what an economy produces.