Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHPs)
Canada is among many countries worldwide grappling with health workforce challenges. Health workforce shortages exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic have generated a larger focus on the recruitment, integration, and retention of internationally educated health professionals (IEHPs) as a strategy to stabilize the workforce. Canada is a signatory of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel; IEHPs play an important role in the delivery of health care and should be recruited in an ethical manner. 1
This dashboard provides an overview of IEHPs currently living and working in Canada, including their distribution, demographics, countries of education, and pathways to licensure and employment across provinces and territories. It connects administrative, education, and international data to support analysis of recruitment, retention, and integration across jurisdictions.
Visit the FAQ or launch the guided tutorial in the Provider Profiles module. For optimal performance, use a web browser rather than a mobile device.
Latest update : 2026-01-08
Questions to Explore
- How are IEHPs distributed across jurisdictions, provider types, and sectors?
- What are the residency match outcomes, training pathways, retention rates, and practice settings for international medical graduates?
- How does Canada’s reliance on internationally trained providers compare to global workforce capacity and recruitment?
- What federal and provincial policy initiatives have been put in place to support IEHP recruitment, retention, and integration?
Data Sources
- Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI): Health Workforce Database (HWDB)
- Canadian Post-MD Education Registry (CAPER): Census Data Tables and National IMG Database Reports
- Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS): R-1 Match Data and Reports
- Statistics Canada: Census of Population, 2021 and Labour Force Survey (LFS)
- International comparisons from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
1. Government of Canada (2025). Ethical framework for the recruitment and retention of internationally educated health professionals in Canada. Accessed November 3, 2025.