In surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019, 55 percent of Canadian adults stated that they used at least one prescription drug during the past month. As one could expect, the rate increased significantly with growing age. This statistic shows the prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group.
Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group
Age group
One medication or more
Three medications or more
Total (18-79 years)
55%
24%
60-79 years
81%
52%
40-59 years
56%
22%
18-39 years
38%
7%
0%20%40%60%80%100%
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All values are based on data combined from two cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS): 2016 and 2017, and 2018 and 2019.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, statcan.gc.ca, 2016 to 2019. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
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StatCan. (June 28, 2021). Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 05, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/
StatCan. "Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group." Chart. June 28, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/
StatCan. (2021). Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/
StatCan. "Prescription Drug Use among Adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by Age Group." Statista, Statista Inc., 28 Jun 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/
StatCan, Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/ (last visited May 05, 2025)
Prescription drug use among adults in Canada between 2016 and 2019, by age group [Graph], StatCan, June 28, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1336405/share-of-adult-canadians-with-rx-drug-usage-by-age/
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