March 1, 2025 — Life is good for many Filipinos in Canada.
In response to a government survey, they reported being satisfied with their lives. They also said that they enjoy good physical and mental health, and that they are not having to deal with a lot of stress.
Moreover, among the seven biggest racialized groups in Canada, Filipinos are doing largely better than South Asian, Chinese, Black, Latin American, Arab, and Southeast Asian peoples.
These findings are presented in a Statistics Canada report titled “Perceived health and well-being indicators among racialized groups, 2023”, which was released on February 13, 2025.
Statistics Canada's Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics published the report, which used data from the 2023 Canadian Community Health Survey among the adult population or individuals aged 18 and older.
The article explained that indicators such as perceived general and mental health, level of daily stress, and life satisfaction are “well-being headline indicators”.
These indicators “offer insights on how health and well-being perceptions may reflect socioeconomic living conditions and the quality of life”.
As for details, Statistics Canada reported that in 2023, 85 percent of the Canadian population reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their lives as a whole.
In comparison, survey results indicate a higher proportion among Filipinos of being satisfied or very satisfied with their lives at 92 percent. Latin Americans followed second with 91.5 percent.
Moreover, “A majority (94.1%) of the Filipino population who immigrated between 2013 and 2023 reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with their life as a whole. In comparison, 84.8% of the Canadian-born population reported being satisfied or very satisfied with their life as a whole, a lower proportion than the Filipino population who immigrated before 2013 (90.9%).”
Regarding stress, more than one in five people in Canada in 2023 reported that most of their days were “quite a bit stressful” or “extremely stressful”.
For their part, Filipinos are very relaxed.
“Among the seven largest racialized groups, the Arab population had the highest proportion of people who reported a high level of daily stress (31.5%), while the Filipino population had the lowest proportion (13.7%),” Statistics Canada reported.
As for mental health, the Statistics Canada report stated that in 2023, 53.8 percent of the total population in Canada described their mental health as generally very good or excellent.
“For most racialized groups, the proportions of people who rated their mental health as very good or excellent in general were comparable to or higher than that of the total Canadian population. Among racialized groups, the Filipino (66.3%) and Black (63.3%) populations posted the highest proportions of people who described their mental health as very good or excellent.”
Regarding perceived overall health, 52.2 percent of the total adult population in Canada in 2023 reported very good or excellent health.
“In 2023, the Latin American (61.2%) and Filipino (58.7%) populations had the highest proportion of individuals who reported their health as generally very good or excellent. These proportions had the largest percentage point gaps with the national average (52.2%),” Statistics Canada stated in the report.
The report continued, “Conversely, the Latin American population (8.3%) and Filipino (9.5 %) populations were also the least likely to perceive their health as generally fair or poor, compared with the entire Canadian adult population (14.4%).”
The Canadian government pays close attention to the health and well-being of the population, including racialized groups.
“Good health is associated with the development of quality personal relationships and promotes participation in the labour market and society in general,” the agency’s report noted.
The report also stated that “several socioeconomic factors have an impact on the overall health of the population”.
“For example, the experience of discrimination is recognized as a social determinant of health,” the reported noted.
In addition, “For racialized groups challenges to accessing good working conditions and health care insurance may have an impact on their health and well-being.”
“The experiences of discrimination in various areas, such as work, housing, healthcare system or leisure are other obstacles that can occur among these population groups.”
Hence, “In this context, perceived health and well-being among racialized groups provide valuable information on populations that are likely to experience racism and discrimination or socioeconomic difficulties.”
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the report is that for many Filipinos, their decision to build new lives in Canada has been worth it.
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