Tap or drag on the chart to read any year. The scale starts at 78 (not zero), so the changes look larger than they would on a scale from zero. Dashed vertical line: Survey redesigned (2022); values on either side are not directly comparable.
P provincial election: Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Oct 21, 2019; Sep 20, 2021
Tap or drag on the chart to read any year. The scale starts at 78 (not zero), so the changes look larger than they would on a scale from zero. Dashed vertical line: Survey redesigned (2022); values on either side are not directly comparable.
P provincial election: May 9, 2017; Oct 24, 2020; Oct 19, 2024F federal election: Oct 19, 2015; Oct 21, 2019; Sep 20, 2021
Older two-year estimates: Victoria area compared with B.C. (12+)
2021/22By fiscal year
South Vancouver Island75.4%
Victoria (CMA)74.9%
British Columbia83.2%
Hover or tap the chart, or use the arrow keys, to read any fiscal year.
Tap or drag on the chart to read any fiscal year. The scale starts at 70 (not zero), so the changes look larger than they would on a scale from zero. Dashed vertical line: Survey redesigned (2022); values on either side are not directly comparable.
P provincial election: May 9, 2017; Oct 24, 2020F federal election: Oct 19, 2015; Oct 21, 2019; Sep 20, 2021
Related target, not drawn: the Ministry of Health 2026/27 to 2028/29 Service Plan aims for 78% of British Columbians to be attached to a family doctor or nurse practitioner in 2026/27, rising to 80% in 2028/29. It counts people on the Province’s attachment lists, not survey answers, so it is not drawn on this survey chart.
Adults with a regular health care provider, B.C. (newest first)
Period
British Columbia (18+)
2024
79.9
2023
81.6
2022
83.2
2021
83.1
2020
80.6
2019
82.1
2018
81.7
2017
81.8
2016
83.0
2015
83.8
Older two-year estimates: Victoria area compared with B.C. (12+) (newest first)
Period
South Vancouver Island
Victoria (CMA)
British Columbia
2021/22
75.4
74.9
83.2
2019/20
71.6
71.4
81.7
2017/18
75.9
75.5
82.0
2015/16
81.6
81.5
83.4
Who decides
Province of B.C. Runs the Medical Services Plan through the Medical Services Commission, sets standards for health services and appoints Island Health’s board. Medicare Protection Act, s. 3
Show the 2 other bodies and the laws
Who decides what: Adults in B.C. with a regular health care provider
Body
What it decides
Law or bylaw
Province of B.C.
Runs the Medical Services Plan through the Medical Services Commission, sets standards for health services and appoints Island Health’s board.
Province: last general election October 19, 2024; next set for October 21, 2028 unless called earlier (Constitution Act, s. 23). Canada: last general election April 28, 2025; next set for October 15, 2029 unless called earlier (Canada Elections Act, s. 56.1).
Each row says what a body decides and links to the law, order or bylaw that gives it that role. It does not say who caused a change: markets, households and other governments also move these numbers. Who decides what, for every measure · How we choose
What this number does not show
This comes from a Statistics Canada survey, so it is an estimate with a margin of error (shown as confidence intervals in the table). Changes smaller than the margin are labelled “About the same”.
Two more limits
Survey redesign in 2022 (marked on the chart): Statistics Canada introduced a redesigned questionnaire and a new collection method in 2022 and advises caution when comparing 2022 and later with earlier years. No change is calculated across that break.
A better measure would be: People waiting for a family doctor, by community. Not published as data. Not asked for yet.
Not measured yet in health care: wait to see a specialist before surgery, people waiting for a family doctor in Greater Victoria, waits for detox and addiction treatment. See all 17 gaps
In plain words
Down 1.7 points in a year.
The share of adults in B.C. who say they have a regular health care provider, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
How we decide “About the same”
95% confidence intervals: 78.0–81.6% in 2024, 80.1–82.9% in 2023. The -1.7-point change is smaller than the combined margin of about 2.3 points, so it is not statistically significant.
A higher number means more adults have a regular health care provider. 79.9% in 2024 (95% confidence interval 78.0–81.6%) compared with 81.6% in 2023 (80.1–82.9%). The change is within the survey's margin of error.
Outcome measures read Better, Worse or About the same; published government targets read Ahead of, On or Behind target; value-judgement measures read Rising, Falling or Steady in a neutral colour. A change smaller than the agency's own margin of error, or otherwise smaller than 5% of the earlier value, is About the same (or Steady). No change is calculated across a marked break in a series. The rule.
All notes on this number
Why it matters. Having a regular provider makes it easier to get check-ups, prescriptions and referrals. The yearly figure is province-wide; older two-year estimates for the Victoria area are shown for context.
This comes from a Statistics Canada survey, so it is an estimate with a margin of error (shown as confidence intervals in the table). Changes smaller than the margin are labelled “About the same”.
Survey redesign in 2022 (marked on the chart): Statistics Canada introduced a redesigned questionnaire and a new collection method in 2022 and advises caution when comparing 2022 and later with earlier years. No change is calculated across that break.
Victoria-area figures exist only as older two-year estimates for people 12 and over, in tables Statistics Canada has since stopped updating: South Vancouver Island health service delivery area 75.4% in 2021/22 (confidence interval 72.0–78.5%), Victoria census metropolitan area 74.9% (71.4–78.1%), compared with 83.2% for B.C. The 2021/22 estimate pools two years collected in different ways, so treat it with caution.
From the 2025 survey year, Statistics Canada publishes a related but different indicator, “has a primary health care provider” (table 13-10-0986-01), for provinces only. It is not comparable with this series, so it is not added to the chart.
A better measure
What
People waiting for a family doctor, by community
Who could publish it
Province of B.C. (Ministry of Health)
Status
Not published as data. Not asked for yet.
This page uses the best public number we found. Data requests
Which places
Area: All of B.C.
The whole province of British Columbia.
Included
All of British Columbia
Not included
Where a Victoria-area figure is published, the page shows it next to the B.C. figure
Shown for comparison
Comparison area: Vancouver Island (Island Health) Island Health’s whole service area: Vancouver Island and surrounding communities, not only Greater Victoria.
Comparison area: Greater Victoria (CMA) Statistics Canada’s Victoria metropolitan area: 13 municipalities plus nearby electoral-area and reserve lands.
How the agency describes it: British Columbia (province-wide), with older Victoria-area estimates for context.
How we got it
This number is published by the agency as shown; it is not calculated here. The script reads it from the agency’s own file.
Victoria area (older two-year estimates)
South Vancouver Island health service delivery area: 75.4% (2021/22). 95% confidence interval 72.0–78.5%. People 12 and over. Statistics Canada table 13-10-0113-01 (no longer updated).
Victoria census metropolitan area: 74.9% (2021/22). 95% confidence interval 71.4–78.1%. People 12 and over. Statistics Canada table 13-10-0805-01 (no longer updated).
Licence and credits
Published under an open licence: anyone may reuse it with credit. About licences.
Victoria indicators