Disaggregated Data Action Plan Accomplishments Report 2024–2025: From Commitment to Continuity
Since its launch in 2021, the goal of the Disaggregated Data Action Plan (DDAP) has been to deliver the right data, at the right time, to the right people so policies, programs and services reflect the lived realities of all Canadians. By improving how data are collected, analyzed and shared, the DDAP empowers governments, businesses and communities to build a more inclusive and equitable society.
At its core, the DDAP was designed to enhance the quality and availability of statistics on four employment equity (EE) population groups: women, Indigenous people (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), racialized populations (various subgroups) and persons with disabilities (various subgroups).
Recognizing that identity is multifaceted and that context matters, data are further broken down, where possible, by gender, ethnocultural background, age, sexual orientation and geography. Statistics Canada also endeavours to disaggregate data beyond identity indicators, such as by participation rate or size of business.
The 2024-25 DDAP Accomplishments Report highlights key insights from the analyses of disaggregated data and discusses how these insights are shaping policy and program decisions. While this report focuses on the 2024-25 fiscal year, the progress it highlights is built on foundational work from 2021 onward.
The report is organized into thematic categories: Economic inclusion through data; Social conditions; Health equity in focus; and Building capacity for equity. An additional section, titled "Whole-of-government impacts" details how other government departments and agencies have leveraged disaggregated data to inform policy and program design as well as decision-making.
Economic inclusion through data
Insights from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions (CSBC) have the potential to inform decision-making in the labour, employment and business areas, among others. Some selected insights can be found below.
According to data from the LFS supplement, in 2023, Filipino and Black workers were more likely to hold multiple jobs.
Specifically, 8.4% of Filipino workers held multiple jobs, compared with 5.3% of workers who were not racialized or Indigenous. Similarly, a larger percentage of Black workers (7.4%) than non-racialized, non-Indigenous workers held multiple jobs in 2023. Black workers were overrepresented in the healthcare and social assistance industry (20.7%) and Black employees were more likely to have earnings in the lowest weekly wage quartile (33.0%)than their non-racialized counterparts (23.3%).
Since 2022, data from the LFS supplements program have allowed Statistics Canada to report labour market indicators for persons with and without disabilities on an annual basis. These data complement the in-depth portrait provided by the Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), which is conducted every five years and is the official source for the disability rate among the Canadian population.
According to these surveys, in 2024, half (50.4%) of persons with disabilities participated in the labour force, compared with 7 in 10 (70.2%) of those without disabilities. While men tend to have a higher labour force participation rate than women overall, the gap in the participation rate of men and women is much smaller or non-existent among persons with disabilities, notably because having a disability has a larger impact on the participation rate of men.
In June 2024, small businesses in Canada played a significant role in employing Canadians. However, CSBC data collected from April to May 2024 reveal that smaller businesses were less likely to hire in the short term. In fact, 5.0% of businesses with 1 to 19 employees expected the number of vacant positions to increase over the next three months, compared with 11.6% of businesses with 20 to 99 employees and 9.8% of businesses with 100 or more employees.
According to data collected by the CSBC on the representation of women and men in various workplace roles, from January to March 2025, 36.6% of senior management positions were held by women and 63.4% by men. In all other management roles, women represented 46.4% , while men represented 53.6%. For non-management positions, women made up 43.8% of the workforce, while men accounted for 56.2%. These figures reflect the gender distribution across distinct levels of employment, highlighting ongoing disparities in senior leadership roles.
Most employed people with disabilities face barriers at work.
The 2024 Survey Series on Accessibility, which focused on experiences with accessibility and employment, found that 69% of the employed population with disabilities or long-term conditions aged 15 to 64 experienced a barrier to accessibility in the workplace. The most prevalent barrier reported by these individuals was linked to difficulty with disclosing their disability (50%), followed closely by barriers in the physical environment, with 49% of this population group reporting encountering such barriers in the workplace.
Additional accomplishments in the labour and employment area include the development of questions and data collection to provide insights on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the Canadian economy. This revealed that certain groups of workers, such as those living in urban areas, women, higher earners and highly educated individuals, are more likely to be employed in jobs that could be highly exposed to AI-related job transformation than other groups (see Exposure to artificial intelligence in Canadian jobs: Experimental estimates for more information).
Social conditions
Statistics Canada collects data on social indicators through a variety of surveys and tools. Some selected insights can be found below.
According to police-reported data, the rate of homicide victims is higher among Indigenous people than non-Indigenous people, and nearly one-third of homicide victims are identified by police as racialized.
Despite the overall decline in homicides, police reported 225 Indigenous homicide victims in 2024, 29 more than in 2023. In 2024, the homicide rate for Indigenous people (10.84 homicides per 100,000 Indigenous population) was approximately eight times higher than the rate among the non-Indigenous population (1.35 homicides per 100,000 non-Indigenous population).
Since 2014—the first year with complete Indigenous identity data for victims of homicide—Indigenous people have been overrepresented as homicide victims. For example, most of the increase in women victims of homicide was among Indigenous people, with 21 more Indigenous women victims reported in 2024 than in the previous year.
There were 226 victims of homicide identified by police as racialized (those identified as belonging to a visible minority group, as defined by the Employment Equity Act), accounting for 29% of homicide victims in 2024. This was similar to 2023.
Data from the Survey Series on People and their Communities reveal that having social connections mitigates harms associated with discrimination. Indeed, in 2023-24, 45% of all racialized Canadians reported experiencing discrimination over the previous five years. While discrimination has been related to negative mental and physical health, lower levels of life satisfaction and reduced hopefulness about the future, these outcomes become less pronounced when victims of discriminatory acts have strong personal support networks. Among racialized Canadians who reported experiencing discrimination in the previous five years, one-third (33%) reported having a high level of life satisfaction (scoring 8 or higher on a 10-point scale). This proportion increased to 47% among victims with strong family connections and to 49% for those with strong friend connections.
Charitable giving reflects community support for different causes and plays an essential role in supporting social initiatives led by the non-profit sector. According to the 2023 Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating, the overall volunteering rate and the number of hours dedicated to volunteering decreased from 2018 to 2023. The overall volunteer rate—which includes formal and informal volunteering—decreased by 8% from 2018 to 2023. Close to three in four people (73%) volunteered in 2023, compared with just under four in five people (79%) in 2018.
Meanwhile, the total number of hours of formal and informal volunteering by Canadians fell from 5.0 billion hours in 2018 to 4.1 billion hours in 2023, a drop of 18%. On average, people who volunteered dedicated 173 hours to volunteering in 2023, or 33 fewer hours than in 2018. Women, young adults aged 25 to 34, and people with an education level below high school diploma had the largest declines in the rate of formal volunteering.
The 2022 Time Use Survey revealed that parents who teleworked spent more time per day caring for, supervising or being with their children. Specifically, these data indicate that, in 2022, teleworking parents spent an average of 71 more minutes per day on these activities than non-teleworking parents. The gap between teleworkers and non-teleworkers was more noticeable among fathers, who spent 272 minutes and 201 minutes with their children per day, respectively. Overall, however, mothers still spent an average of 52 minutes more per day than fathers caring for children, regardless of telework status.
These findings suggest that telework is associated with increased parental involvement in childcare and time with children, especially for fathers. Mothers continued to spend more time on childcare, demonstrating that previously identified gender gaps persisted.
In Canada, more than 70 distinct Indigenous languages are spoken by First Nations people, Métis and Inuit.
Indigenous Peoples have consistently emphasized the importance of language as the primary tool to share their culture, world views and values as well as pass them on to future generations. In 2021, approximately one in eight Indigenous people (237,420 people) in Canada reported that Indigenous language acquisition plays a key role in cultural continuity. In 2022, two-thirds (67%) of parents of Indigenous children aged 1 to 5 years reported that it was very or somewhat important for their young children to know an Indigenous language.
Data collected by the Canadian Community Health Survey from 2019 to 2021 indicate that about 800,000 Canadians aged 25 to 64 reported being 2SLGBTQ+. Among this population, just over 1 in 10 were parents living with at least one child under 12, with more women than men being parents.
These insights, which may inform childcare and related programs, are made possible by Statistics Canada's ongoing efforts to improve data on 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Canada has led globally in this area, becoming the first country in 2021 to collect census data on transgender and non-binary people. In 2026, sexual orientation data will also be collected in the census, providing further data to support evidence-based decision-making.
In 2022, among Canadians aged 15 years and over, a greater proportion of women (30%) had a disability than men (24%).
Data from the Canadian Survey on Disability reveal that women were more likely than men to have a disability related to pain and mental health in 2022, with young women (15 to 24 years) being twice as likely as young men to have a mental health-related disability. The median income of women with disabilities was 11% lower than that of men with disabilities ($37,010 and $41,580, respectively.) These insights may be useful to inform the design of employment programs and advance strategies for inclusivity in the workplace.
Health equity in focus
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is Canada's primary source of self-reported data on population health. It collects information on social indicators such as perceived general and mental health, daily stress levels, and life satisfaction. These indicators help assess health and well-being and provide insights into how people's perceptions of their health may reflect their socioeconomic conditions, quality of life and level of social inclusion.
The indicators are examined through a health lens because social determinants of health—such as income, education and experiences of discrimination—can reveal valuable information about populations that are more likely to face racism, social exclusion or economic hardship. The CCHS is especially useful for understanding the experiences of specific population groups, including racialized communities.
Data collected by the CCHS can provide additional health-related insights on Canada's diverse population. Some selected insights can be found below.
In 2023, just over half of the adult population who identified as belonging to a racialized community rated their health as generally very good or excellent (55.2%). That year, the Latin American (61.2%) and Filipino (58.7%) populations had the highest proportion of individuals who reported their health as being generally very good or excellent. The CCHS data also revealed greater differences in perceived health by age among racialized groups than among the non-Indigenous, non-racialized Canadian population in 2023.
For example, 67.3% of South Asians aged 18 to 34 described their health as being generally very good or excellent. This proportion drops to 49.8% among those aged 50 to 64 and to 21.2% among those aged 65 and over. By comparison, the proportion of the total adult population in Canada who reported very good or excellent health was 62.1% in the 18-to-34 group, 49.3% among those aged 50 to 64, and 40.5% among those aged 65 and over.
Data collected by Statistics Canada reveal a high impact of COVID-19 among Indigenous people. Specifically, the age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rate among First Nations females (74.3 deaths per 100,000 population) was over five times higher than the rate among non-Indigenous females (14.0 deaths per 100,000 population), while the COVID-19 death rate among Métis females (29.4 deaths per 100,000 population) was more than double the rate among non-Indigenous females.
To help fill identified data gaps and update breast cancer screening guidelines, Statistics Canada provided health authorities with key data on breast cancer incidence, stage, subtype and mortality by race and ethnicity. The results highlighted that compared with White women, higher age-specific incidence rates were observed among Filipina and women of multiple ethnicities aged 40 to 49, as well as among Arab women aged 50 to 59. Age-specific mortality rates were also higher among Black women aged 40 to 49 and First Nations and Métis women aged 60 to 69 than among White women. Breast cancer was diagnosed less frequently at stage 1 among Filipina, Black, South Asian and First Nations women than among White and Chinese women.
Data from the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit, released in November 2024, shed light on health care access and experiences among Indigenous people aged 15 and older. Specifically, these data reveal that, among First Nations people living off reserve and Inuit who had experienced unfair treatment, racism or discrimination from a health care professional, the most common setting was the hospital emergency room (50% for First Nations people living off reserve and 34% for Inuit), with 36% of Métis also reporting similar experiences in this setting. Among Métis, the most common setting was the doctor's office (46%).
Statistics Canada collaborated with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC) to produce an article on fire risks among Indigenous people using the Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database linked to the 2006 and 2016 censuses of population and the 2011 National Household Survey. This work was done to better understand the factors that contribute to higher fire-related mortality among Indigenous people.
This report highlighted risk factors that placed Indigenous people at higher risk of experiencing a fire-related death, with the aim of preventing these types of deaths in the future. In recognition of this collaborative work, the National Indigenous Fire Prevention Leadership Award was presented to Statistics Canada by the NIFSC, along with an eagle feather. The eagle feather holds profound meaning in Indigenous culture, signifying an acknowledgement of the recipient's journey or accomplishments.
Building capacity for equity
Statistics Canada played a leadership role in developing standards for gender of person and sex assigned at birth, which were endorsed by the Government of Canada in 2023-24. The agency has also developed supporting products, such as reference guides, to enable the implementation of these standards by all federal departments.
Statistics Canada developed three courses on disaggregated data analysis to be hosted on the Canada School of Public Service platform. These courses will help policymakers develop more targeted and effective public policies by identifying the unique needs and challenges faced by different demographic groups. The first one, "Working with Disaggregated Data for Better Policy Outcomes," was launched in November 2024. The second course, "Working with Disaggregated Data for Better Policy Outcomes: Black Entrepreneurship Case Study," was launched in fall 2025, while the third one, "Health Inequalities Case Study," is scheduled to launch in winter 2026.
Statistics Canada continued to deliver its internal workshop on disaggregated data analysis and developed a new course, the Analytical Sprint, to train analysts to write impactful disaggregated data stories. It also continued to integrate a disaggregated data lens into all its analytical courses, with the goal of reinforcing responsible disaggregation of data as a key principle to generate meaningful insights. Statistics Canada also delivered additional courses for external public servants, including a bootcamp for policy executives open to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal executives that focuses on building capacity for responsible disaggregated data analysis.
Whole-of-government impacts
Over the past few years, Statistics Canada has significantly enhanced the data landscape by increasing the availability of disaggregated data. This progress, driven by initiatives like the DDAP and a broader cultural shift within the agency, has had notable impacts across the Government of Canada.
One of the main examples of how disaggregated data are leveraged in the federal government's policies and programs lies with the application of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), including data from Statistics Canada's Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub, to better understand how intersecting identity, social and structural factors shape health outcomes. This approach supports evidence-informed decision-making and helps advance equity by ensuring that diverse lived experiences are considered in public policies and programs. The application of the Gender Results Framework (GRF) demonstrates the federal government's commitment to advancing gender equality through significant investments in key programs, policies and initiatives.
While some efforts—such as the GRF—are undertaken by all federal departments and agencies, many also leverage disaggregated data and the insights that can be drawn from disaggregated data analyses to inform their own program delivery and policy development. Some examples of this application can be found below.
Employment and Social Development Canada
Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) integrates GBA Plus and granular analysis across the policy and service continuum. As part of this approach, ESDC regularly leverages disaggregated data to inform policy and program development and to deepen understanding of the needs and experiences of clients and the impacts of programs and services.
ESDC uses disaggregated data to inform both the Disability Inclusion Action Plan and the ongoing implementation of the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). ESDC has been working with Statistics Canada to collect disaggregated data on accessibility that support the identification and removal of barriers over time.
ESDC is leveraging key disaggregated data from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability to create baseline information on the existence of barriers to accessibility in all seven priority areas set out in the ACA, including knowledge on how barriers are experienced in relation to the type and severity of disability. The inclusion of the Barriers Module, which explores experiences with specific types of accessibility barriers, from the 2022 CSD onward will help ESDC measure progress in the removal of barriers to accessibility over time.
Furthermore, ESDC leveraged disaggregated Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) administrative data and data from key national surveys, such as the 2016 and 2021 census, the Labour Force Survey, the Canadian Income Survey and the Longitudinal Immigration Database to assess the impact of the CERB. These data enabled nuanced analyses of benefit uptake and labour market dynamics across diverse population groups (such as CERB duration by occupation and industry, labour supply patterns, teleworkability) and the experiences of vulnerable groups. As well, these data were used to identify service gaps among underrepresented populations and drive targeted policy changes to improve program accessibility and equity.
Additionally, disaggregated data from the 2021 Census of Population played a key role in supporting ESDC's Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. To accomplish this, ESDC leveraged Statistics Canada's "labour and language of work" release to incorporate equity-relevant indicators into the final report. These indicators included detailed breakdowns of educational attainment, income, immigrant status, Indigenous identity, gender and visible minority status.
On top of this, disaggregated data enabled ESDC to examine the impacts of COVID-19 and inflation on housing affordability across Canada. Leveraging data sources, including the Labour Force Survey (2019 to 2023), the 2021 Census, and the Canadian Housing Survey (2018, 2021 and 2022), among others, revealed that low-income Canadians were hit hardest, facing greater income losses, debt burden and housing costs. These findings identified key policy implications, including the need to boost wages through human capital development and expand the skilled trades workforce to meet housing construction needs.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regularly uses disaggregated data to inform its policy and program development, as well as better understand issues related to its programs. For example, in 2025, IRCC undertook a research project to examine the economic outcomes of refugees resettled to Canada from 2011 to 2021. To accomplish this, IRCC used a variety of sources, including 2021 Census data tables that were disaggregated specifically to the level of the various sub-streams of the Resettlement Assistance Program (government-assisted refugees and privately sponsored refugees) as well as by period of immigration. The variables examined included highest level of education, homeowner status, citizenship uptake.
Disaggregated data have been leveraged to assess the addition and removal of priority occupations for immigrant selection. The data have informed impacts on regions, wages, employment and gender for a comprehensive GBA Plus analysis of category-based selection. As well, IRCC juxtaposes Statistics Canada data with its own international visitor data to calibrate visa policy decisions that maximize economic benefits, including attracting top talent, while also minimizing risks of irregular migration, security threats and pressure on public programs.
Canadian Heritage
Canadian Heritage (PCH) has also leveraged DDAP data to support key initiatives, including Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy and Canada's Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The collaboration between Statistics Canada and PCH has further supported the Office of the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, contributing to the release of an infographic on the Muslim population in Canada in December 2024 and continuing to inform Canada's reporting to the United Nations on international human rights instruments.
PCH particularly relies on disaggregated data produced by the census, the General Social Survey and the Survey Series on People and their Communities to measure the impacts of its programs and policies. In this aspect, themes such as sense of belonging, shared values, pride in Canadian arts and culture, life satisfaction, and experiences of racism and discrimination are key.
PCH leverages disaggregated data to support budget requests, planning, high-level governance and different policy and program decisions. Identity variables made available by Statistics Canada, including gender, ethnicity and age, provide PCH with the essential data it requires to examine inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) uses disaggregated data to better understand issues facing Indigenous Peoples by distinction and by region. For example, CIRNAC uses Community Well-Being Index scores, which are developed from disaggregated census data, to report on the socioeconomic conditions and well-being of Indigenous communities across Canada.
Through the implementation of its data strategy, CIRNAC is taking steps towards integrating disaggregated data into its routine policy and program development processes beyond results reporting. These efforts are strongly supported by the increased availability of disaggregated data from Statistics Canada since 2021.
Indeed, increasingly granular data have made steady inroads to enabling CIRNAC to better understand the diverse socioeconomic and health disparities that First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities face compared with other Canadians.
Efforts to date have supported more targeted approaches in areas such as housing, Indigenous economic development, and social programming in northern and remote communities. These insights can help inform decision-making, support more equitable outcomes, and identify data gaps that must be addressed through stronger partnerships and data governance with Indigenous Peoples.
Public Health Agency of Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) leverages data to target promotion, program and policy efforts, such as the National Suicide Prevention Action Plan and the Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund. Data also inform peer-reviewed research articles, reporting on topics such as hepatitis B and C mortality, HIV mortality, population estimates of people who inject drugs in Canada, and population estimates of men who have sex with men, for instance. Disaggregated data also enhance PHAC's ability to conduct or complement public health surveillance activities speaking to, among other topics, concussion, falls and other injuries, mental health, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep and obesity.
Additionally, disaggregated data are used by PHAC to support intersectoral engagement. This includes efforts such as House of Commons studies on the health of LGBTQIA2Footnote 1 communities, memoranda to Cabinet on food literacy, the Mental Health of Black Canadians Initiative, as well as PHAC's engagement on Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy (CARS 2.0) and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.
PHAC also leverages disaggregated data to populate and update tools such as the Health of People in Canada (HOPIC) dashboard and the Health Inequalities Data Tool. The HOPIC dashboard provides a snapshot of the health of our populations, while illustrating the wide range of health, socioeconomic and environmental factors that interact to keep Canadians healthy and well. The Health Inequalities Data Tool leverages multiple datasets and variables for analyses, in turn enabling PHAC to provide key stakeholders with detailed, population-specific data that quantify the scale of health inequalities across Canada, including breakdowns at the provincial and territorial levels. This supports decision-making and strategic planning within PHAC and with external partners by providing publicly available and downloadable information.
Taken together, these initiatives underscore a transformative shift in how disaggregated data are leveraged across the federal government. The growing emphasis on these data not only enhances the inclusivity of policies and programs, but also reinforces a commitment to evidence-based decision-making that better serves the diverse needs of Canadians.
As Canada continues to evolve, so too must the data that inform its decisions. In recent years, the DDAP has laid a solid foundation for inclusive, responsive and equitable policymaking. Moving forward, sustained collaboration and innovation will be essential to deepen our understanding of diverse lived experiences and to ensure that every Canadian is seen, heard and served.