A new study has revealed the happiest Canadian provinces based on a range of important quality-of-life metrics – with Quebec topping the ranking. Following in second and third place are British Columbia and Ontario.
Unfortunately, it is bad news for residents of Saskatchewan as they are named the unhappiest Canadian province.
The research, conducted by online gambling site Lucky Days, analyzed eight essential quality-of-life metrics and scored them out of ten, identifying the province with the highest quality of life and, therefore, the happiest residents.
The study used data from various sources, including the National Statistical Office, Statistics Canada, and the Government of Canada, for eight key metrics: ‘life satisfaction survey,’ ‘median annual family income,’ ‘unemployment risk,’ ‘average life expectancy,’ ‘perceived health,’ ‘perceived mental health,’ ‘crime rate,’ and ‘air quality.’
Ranking as the happiest Canadian province by a significant margin, Quebec boasts an impressive overall happiness score of 8.63 out of a possible 10. Notably, it received a perfect score of 10 within the ‘life satisfaction survey’ metric, with the largest percentage of respondents in the country selecting the happiest option.
Moreover, Quebec excels across various other metrics, including employment opportunities, where it scored another perfect 10 for ‘unemployment risk’. In fact, Quebec has the lowest unemployment rate in Canada at just 4.5%.
Additionally, the province leads in all health-related metrics, achieving full scores for ‘life expectancy,’ ‘perceived health,’ and ‘perceived mental health.’ Alongside an average life expectancy of 82.6 years, Quebec boasts the highest percentage of respondents rating their overall health and mental health as either “excellent” or “good.”
In second place is the province of British Columbia, with an overall score of 5.38. The province scored particularly high across a couple of metrics. Specifically, it offers great employment opportunities, ranking third best across Canada for ‘unemployment risk’ with a score of 8.73 and an unemployment rate of just 5.2%.
What’s more, the province has the second highest ‘median annual family income’ of $99,610, making British Columbia a great place for those looking for career opportunities. Moreover, British Columbia offers the second-best life expectancy, with a score of 9.33 out of 10 and an average life expectancy of 82.39 years.
Unfortunately, the province scored much lower across the health metrics, with just 0.83 for ‘perceived health’ and 1.99 for ‘perceived mental health,’ indicating that residents have a lower quality of health compared to other provinces. This identifies a potential need for improvement in the province’s healthcare system.
Ontario ranked as the third happiest province with a score of 5.19 out of 10. The study ranked Ontario as by far the safest province for residents, scoring 10 within the ‘crime rate’ metric. The province had 994 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2022 – which is 27% lower than the national average of 1,364.61 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
The province also boasts the third-best life expectancy, with an average lifespan of 82.34 years, indicating a high quality of life and excellent healthcare standards. Unfortunately, Ontario scored much lower across the health metrics, with a score of 0.00 for ‘perceived health’, the lowest score among all the provinces, indicating that many residents suffer from health conditions.
The fourth happiest province is Alberta, with an overall score of 4.73. The area is clearly home to many happy residents and offers excellent financial opportunities, scoring 10 for ‘median annual family income,’ which sits at an impressive $106,960.
Additionally, the province scored 7.45 for ‘unemployment risk’, boasting an unemployment rate of just 5.90% across the province. It also received a commendable score for ‘violent crime rate,’ scoring 6.38, making it the fourth-safest province in Canada, with 1,532 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2022 – much lower than many other areas across Canada.
Rounding out the top five happiest provinces is Prince Edward Island, which has an overall happiness score of 4.24. The study ranked Prince Edward Island as the fifth happiest Canadian province for residents, mainly due to its excellent score of 10 for the ‘air quality’ metric.
The province also received a commendable score for ‘violent crime rate,’ scoring 7.67, making it the third-safest province in Canada, with 1,340 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2022. This crime rate is much lower than many other areas across Canada and 1.8% less than the national average of 1,364.61 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
Newfoundland and Labrador ranked as the sixth happiest province. Despite not ranking as high as other provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador still had a few notably high scores, including the third highest ‘air quality’ score of 9.59 and the second highest “life satisfaction survey’ score of 8.18.
In fact, 59.5% of respondents answered the highest satisfaction option within the survey – demonstrating that despite scoring lower in some metrics, the province still has plenty of happy residents.
In seventh place is New Brunswick, with a score of 4.09. Regrettably, residents of this province ranked considerably lower across several key happiness metrics. Notably, they have the lowest ‘median annual family income,’ scoring 0 out of 10 with an income of $85,150 – the lowest across Canada. However, in happier news for the province, they benefit from having the second-best ‘air quality’ score of 9.62 out of 10.
In eighth place, Manitoba earned a score of 4.03. Unfortunately, the province faces challenges, notably obtaining the lowest score for ‘life expectancy,’ shown by the lowest life expectancy across Canada at 79.88 years. Furthermore, it received the second lowest score for ‘crime rate,’ at 0.26, due to having the second highest number of reported violent crimes in 2022, totalling 2,441 crimes per 100,000 residents.
Despite its lower overall ranking, Manitoba stands out for its abundant career opportunities, boasting the second-lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 4.80%
Nova Scotia ranks ninth with a score of 3.52. The province consistently scored low across various metrics, notably ranking as the second worst province for ‘perceived mental health’ with a score of 0.85.
Finally, Saskatchewan concludes the ranking as the least happy Canadian province with a score of 3.27. Unfortunately, the province has received the lowest scores across several metrics, including ‘life satisfaction survey’ and ‘violent crime rate,’ with 2,480 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2022.
Furthermore, it holds the third-lowest scores for ‘life expectancy’ (0.67) and ‘perceived mental health’ (1.82), suggesting residents of Saskatchewan may encounter significant challenges and a lower quality of life than other provinces.
Commenting on the findings, Rich Lee, Chief Marketing Officer at Lucky Days, says: “The study highlights the importance of settling in an area that suits each individual’s needs, as certain provinces score significantly higher in specific metrics compared to others.
“However, it’s evident that Quebec stands out as the happiest region by far, boasting an impressively high overall happiness score compared to other provinces, further emphasizing its exemplary quality of life.
“Conversely, provinces such as Saskatchewan confront significant challenges, as evidenced by their lower scores across crucial metrics, especially their rate of violent crime and subpar scores in the life satisfaction survey – a clear indicator of resident happiness.”
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