A new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows that while the primary health workforce has shown signs of growth, the rate of family physician growth across Canada has slowed.

The rate of growth in family physicians in Canada has dropped from nearly three per cent between 2015 and 2017 to just one per cent between 2021 and 2023.

The CIHI report also shows that family physicians across the country are seeing fewer patients on average, representing an 18 per cent decline over nearly 10 years.

The number of health care workers delivering primary care in a community setting who are not family physicians is expanding. As of 2023, the number of physiotherapists had increased by 15 percentage points over the last decade.

CIHI says one in three nurse practitioners were working in community-based location last year, an increase of three per cent over the last decade.