Mental Health in Canada: What the 2026 Data Reveals
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a great opportunity to take a moment to reflect on our well-being and that of those around us.
In a world where personal, professional, and societal pressures are ever-present, mental health has become impossible to ignore. And yet, despite growing awareness, many realities remain under the surface.
A Reality That Often Stays Hidden
According to a LEO survey conducted in February 2026, nearly one in two Canadians has hidden their mental health status at work over the past year.
Even more striking, 24% say they do so consistently with their employer or colleagues, even when dealing with stress, anxiety, or burnout.
The takeaway is clear: mental health is still a difficult conversation in the workplace.
Unequal Experiences Across Groups
Mental health is not experienced the same way by everyone.
Younger workers are particularly affected, with nearly one in four consistently concealing their struggles.
Women are also more likely to hide their mental health, with 50% reporting they do so, compared to 38% of men.
These gaps reflect deeper realities, including job insecurity and the persistent stigma surrounding mental health.
Progress, but Not Without Limits
There are, however, signs of progress.
In 2025, 86% of Canadians rated their mental health as good, very good, or excellent, compared to 79% in 2020. At the same time, the proportion reporting poor mental health has declined from 19% to 11%.
While encouraging, these figures should be interpreted with caution. Progress is real, but it remains uneven, especially in workplace settings.
Context Plays a Major Part
Mental health does not exist in isolation. It is shaped by the world around us. Mental health isn’t only about personal challenges; it’s also shaped by the environment around us.
Canadians point to several key factors influencing their well-being:
- Political issues and government decisions: 72%
- Family and personal matters: 69%
- Health and wellness concerns: 67%
- Social and cultural issues: 60%
These insights highlight just how closely our environment is tied to our mental balance.
Starting the Conversation Matters
Talking about mental health isn’t always easy, but it’s essential.
Whether with a friend, a colleague, or a professional, opening up helps break down stigma and move the conversation forward.
You are not alone.
Sources :
- Leger Survey on Mental Health Among 2SLGBTQIA+ People, Leger, 2024. https://interligne.co/sondage-leger-sur-la-sante-mentale-aupres-des-personnes-2elgbtqia/
- Canada in 2025: A Year Marked by Uncertainty, Strain and Resilience, Leger, 2025, https://leger360.com/in-the-news-leger-year-in-review-2025-can/
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How would you describe your mental health?
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46 responses to “Mental Health in Canada ”
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In this day and age it’s difficult to keep your mind in the right place focusing on the future. In order to keep moving forward on the focused plan we must stay social stay friendly stay groomed and stay close to family always moving towards the goals at hand as a team.
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In this day and age it’s difficult to keep your mind in the right place focusing on the future. In order to keep moving forward on the focused plan we must stay social as often in our day as we can
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My mental health is positive on all aspects in life. I’m satisfied with the growth of my family. After a large amount of death in our family recently loosing 5 members in a short amount of time. It made me appreciate what family I have left.
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I have a good sense on mental heath. By taking this with a social worker when I need any help.
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My mental health is an up and down spiral, as I typically put others well being and happiness before my own
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I believe that my medical doctor and myself are now on the correct medication towards having my condition under control.
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I think I can carry on but definitely need therapy for my past life. But since the therapist are too expensive and Canada health is not covering it for us considering we are not low income, so I’m ignoring my mental health and carry the pain with me.
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Yes, I do suffer from depression because of all the things I have suffered in the past year. I shattered my ankle, needing three operations. Then going through hemodialysis three times a week and suffering setbacks each night is not helping the situation. It becomes difficult to be happy so I retreat into myself.
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Personally I would describe my mental health as a ” matter of opinion” due to the fact that every persons view of what healthy mental health is would really depend on what their views of what good mental health is, because everybody deals with and handles situations and incidents differently then the next so I find it difficult to accurately label anyone’s mental state based on you can never actually be certain on what condition someone’s mental health is in.
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Mental health is not as good as it used to be, all linked to financial stability and issues recently encountered.
Not knowing what the future holds is a reason for concern and impact on society and our mental health. -
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I think I’m in a pretty good place. Health wise I exercise regularly and take regular doctor given medication to control high cohlestrol as well as high blood pressure. I continue to work part time at a job I enjoy and the money is used to help my son and his family pay their bills. Although we do worry for the well being of my son and his wife who both have serious medical issues my wife and I agree that we will continue to help them for as long as we are able. Other than that we are reasonablly happy and we still look forward to regular visits to and from our daughter, son-in -law and our five year od grandson who we love very much.
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I feel anxious a great majority of the time, but I know my family needs me to stay strong, so I smile and carry on…
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My mental health is fairly ok but I’ve been feeling more stressed than usual, it doesn’t stop me from getting things done, but it does make some days feel heavier. work and daily pressures have been big contributors.
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Je travaille à temps partiel dans un centre commercial. Cependant, certaines responsables ont des problèmes psychologiques, notamment une soif de pouvoir, un comportement autoritaire, un besoin de contrôle et du harcèlement hiérarchique. Cela nous cause des maladies chroniques et du stress, et met à rude épreuve nos relations familiales.
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Its a work in progress. Daily challenges compound economic issues that cannot be solved by political powers of today. Government is improving but the damaging mindset is ingrained in an entitled generation. World issues compound everything!
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I feel I have better insight into my mental health after dealing with issues in the 80s&90s in the workplace.
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My mental health has been a struggle my whole life and got much worse as I got older. My current state would be rated as poor.
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My mental health has been healing from grief from losing my teenager almost 3 years ago addiction is real
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My mental health is not great. I take several medications to help keep my depression and anxiety liveable. I have been in and out of counseling. I have once committed myself to the psych ward at the hospital. I do my best to stay ontop of it. But I dobt always succeed.
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My mental health seems to be declining as time goes by. I believe it is due to isolation from family & friends as well as financially unable to make ends meet each month. It is very depressing for me.
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Im ok other then divorce taking forever wish it was simple to divorce in bc its to long should be able to just move on be done and live life other then that work is stressful gas prices etc the norm is guess now also kids not seeing them properly because of distance and a soon to be a wife whos only cone down 3 times and dropped the kids off the other 100 times has been me rt to the door step then all the way down 3.5 hr drive so money got tight couldn’t see them as much because she only cones down when its something to do with her own stuff petty ide say but stay calm cool and collective and thing will happen go with the flow not against it is the old saying anyways everything is OK
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Not great. I have a lot of stress due to a major imminent job change, and toxicity in my workplace. My marriage is so-so right now, with some major stressors. I am depressed and anxious.
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I was hospitalized for mental health for the first time in 2011 for a burn out and the last time 2 weeks ago for substance use. The hospital does not provide cognitive therapy, just drug therapy with major side effects that I had to start use substance to alleviate that was provided by other patients.
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I suffer on a daily basis from PTSD, bipolar depression, ADHD , but having a pet like a dog has made a huge difference in my daily mental health struggles I highly recommend anyone suffering from any of these mental health issues get an emotional support animal.
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having a pet like a dog has made a huge difference in my daily mental health struggles I highly recommend anyone suffering from any of these mental health issues get an emotional support animal.
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