How Does Canada Really Stack Up?

If Canada is falling apart, why do we outperform half the G7 in nearly every core quality-of-life indicator?”

So.

So many charts.
So many stats.
Goals. Assists. Plus/minus—

...wait, wrong charts.

When we compare countries, there’s no single score.
We’re talking freedom. Health. Income. Inequality. Taxation. Housing. Growth.

It’s a lot.

So I built one chart to rule them all:

Canada vs the rest of the G7.

Metric by metric. Rank by rank.

I pulled 19 indicators covering democracy, health, economics, affordability, and government solvency.

Then ranked every country from 1 (best outcome) to 7 (worst). Summed the totals. Compared the standings.

Yes—it’s a wall of numbers. Zoom in if you need to.

But here’s what it says:

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Democratic Freedom

If you believe social media, Canada is a communist dictatorship where Trudeau owns the grocery stores.

Let’s check the stats:

• 1st in Freedom

• 1st in Happiness

• 2nd in Democracy Index

So yeah—we’re good here.

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Health Outcomes

We’re mid-pack. Not brag-worthy, not shameful.

• Life expectancy: middle of the pack

• Infant mortality: higher than it should be

• Health spending: 5th of 7 (not great…)

• Homicides: 2nd highest, just behind the U.S.

We pay more than some peers and get worse results.

The US is last in all of these metrics.

Not ideal, and we definitely have room to improve (looking at you Ontario & Alberta).

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Economic Performance

Not leading. Not lagging. Holding our own.

• 3rd in GDP per capita

• 2nd in median income

• GDP growth: 5th

• Unemployment is rising, and worth watching

Notable stat:

The U.S. crushes us in GDP per capita… but has nearly identical median income. Mix that with the highest poverty rate…
Translation: their top 1% soars. The rest don’t.

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Affordability & Inequality

Here’s where the cracks show.

• Worst housing affordability in the G7

• Worst household debt in the G7

• Inflation since 2010: high, but below the U.K. and U.S.

These are the stats fueling the “Canada is broken” narrative.

And on this front—it’s justified.

But:

• Inequality is 2nd lowest in the G7, just behind France.

So yes, housing is a disaster. But we’re not dealing with U.S.-style extremes.

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Government Health

Fiscally? Not bad.

• 3rd lowest debt-to-GDP

• 3rd lowest interest payments

• Middle-of-the-pack tax revenue (more than U.S./Japan, far less than Europe)

Translation: We’re doing okay, and there’s fiscal room—if we choose to use it.

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Cumulative Rank Totals

There’s no perfect way to score countries.

But ranking every G7 member across 19 metrics and summing the totals gives a picture:

• Canada: 3rd overall.

• Behind Germany and France.

• Ahead of Italy, U.K., and the U.S.

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So… Is Canada Broken?

No. But it’s creaking.

We’re not top (that’s Germany).

We’re not bottom (that’s the U.S. and U.K.).

We’re:

• One of the freest, happiest, and most democratic countries in the world

• Middle-of-the-pack or better in health, economy, and fiscal shape

• Strong on income equality and median earnings

• Less ravaged by inflation than others

But—

• Housing is a generational crisis

• Household debt is unsustainable

• Unemployment is rising

So: not broken—but under pressure.

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And the U.S.?

Lots of red on that chart.

Lots of risk.

Extreme inequality, weak social outcomes, high violence, and worsening affordability.

A very different story—and one we shouldn’t want to mirror.

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Does this line up with your sense of Canada right now? Where do you think the rankings miss the mark? Drop your thoughts in the comments—and if you think more people should see the numbers behind the noise, pass this along.