Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Canada at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
64%
of electricity
Food imported
9%
of merchandise imports · ~US$53,138m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Canada.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Canada, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingEnvironment
2023 fires burned 15 million hectares
More than 6,000 wildfires burned about 15 million hectares in 2023. That is an area larger than England and more than double the previous record, set in 1989.
SoberingFood
Almost half of daily calories are ultra processed
Ultra processed foods supplied 46% of Canadians' daily energy in 2015. Children over five and teenagers got more than half of their energy from them.
SoberingFood
Most people in Nunavut face food insecurity
In 2023, 58.1% of people in Nunavut lived in households with some form of food insecurity. Across the provinces the figure was 25.5%.
Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily: Canadian Income Survey, 2023 · 2023
RemarkableNature
The world's longest coastline
Canada's coastline is the world's longest, measuring 243,042 km including the mainland and offshore islands.
RemarkableEnvironment
Sixty per cent of power comes from water
Hydroelectricity generated 60% of Canada's electricity in 2021. In 2023 Canada was the third largest generator of hydroelectricity in the world.
RemarkableHistory
Hot springs that started a park system
Railway workers came upon the Cave and Basin thermal springs in 1883, and Banff became Canada's first national park in 1885. The site has been special to Indigenous Peoples for over ten thousand years.
Source: Parks Canada, Cave and Basin National Historic Site · 1885
Worth knowingNature
A share of the largest freshwater lake group
Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, and about a third of their surface lies in Canada. Fresh water covers 891,163 square kilometres of the country.
The History of Canada.
Canada's most distinctive living heritage belongs to its Indigenous peoples. First Nations powwows, banned under the Indian Act until 1951, now fill the summer, the potlatch, the gift giving feast of West Coast nations, was banned from 1885 to 1951, and in 2014 Quebec named Inuit throat singing, katajjaniq, its first element of intangible cultural heritage. Métis fiddling and jigging carry on too, and the Red River Jig is played at almost all Métis functions.
Where the name comes from
The name likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata, meaning 'village' or 'settlement'. In 1535 Jacques Cartier used it for the village of Stadacona, on the site of today's Québec City, and for the wider area under its chief Donnacona, according to the Government of Canada.
The land itself: plains through the middle, mountains in the west, lowlands in the south east. Its high point is Mount Logan, 5,959 m. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
Where it starts
The oldest dates on the continent, still argued
Cut-marked bone from Bluefish Caves in the northern Yukon carries radiocarbon dates showing people there as early as 24,000 years ago, the oldest claimed for human presence in North America. The claim has long been debated, because no other sites of a similar age are known. Twenty nine human footprints pressed into a 13,000 year old soil below the beach on Calvert Island show early people on the Pacific coast, and at Aísínaiʼpi on the Milk River the Blackfoot Confederacy left thousands of engravings and paintings, the oldest perhaps 3,000 years old.
How it got here
Nations, then a dominion
When Europeans explored Canada they found every region occupied by Indigenous peoples, from the Huron-Wendat and Iroquois farmers and hunters of the Great Lakes to the Cree and Dene of the northwest and the Inuit of the Arctic. A Norse settlement at LʼAnse aux Meadows in the eleventh century is the earliest evidence of European settlement in the Americas. Jacques Cartier claimed land for France from 1534, Britain defeated France at Quebec City in 1759, and four provinces federated in 1867. More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children attended residential schools between 1831 and the late 1990s, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report and 94 Calls to Action in 2015.
The timeline
c. 24,000 years ago
Bluefish Caves.
Radiocarbon dates on cut marked bone from the Bluefish Caves in the northern Yukon suggest people were there as early as 24,000 years ago. The idea has long been controversial, because no other sites of a similar age are known. Source
c. 13,000 years ago
Calvert Island.
Twenty nine human footprints pressed into a 13,000 year old soil below the beach on Calvert Island, British Columbia, show an early human presence on the Pacific coast. Source
c. 3,000 years ago onward
Áísínaiʼpi.
The Blackfoot Confederacy leave thousands of engravings and paintings on the sandstone walls of the Milk River Valley. The oldest may date to about 3,000 years ago, and most were made in the last thousand years. Source
Before European contact
Nations and confederacies.
Europeans find every region occupied by Indigenous peoples. The Huron-Wendat and Iroquois farm and hunt, the Cree and Dene hunt and gather in the northwest, and the Inuit live off Arctic wildlife. Source
11th century
LʼAnse aux Meadows.
The remains of a Norse settlement in Newfoundland, the earliest evidence of European settlement in the Americas and the only known Viking site in North America. Source
1534 onward
French and British claims.
Jacques Cartier claims land for the King of France on the first of three voyages. The French build a fur trade economy with Indigenous peoples, and Britain defeats France at Quebec City in 1759. Source
1867
Confederation.
Four provinces federate as the Dominion of Canada in 1867 under the British North America Act. Source
1831 to the late 1990s
Residential schools.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children attended residential schools. The first church run school opened in 1831, and the last federally run school closed in the late 1990s. Source
2015
Truth and Reconciliation.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission releases its final report and 94 Calls to Action in December 2015. Source
Canadian Museum of History · PLOS ONE, Earliest Human Presence in North America Dated to the Last Glacial Maximum · UNESCO World Heritage, Writing-on-Stone / Aísínaiʼpi · PLOS ONE, Terminal Pleistocene epoch human footprints from the Pacific coast of Canada · UNESCO World Heritage, LʼAnse aux Meadows National Historic Site · Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Discover Canada, Canada's history · National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Residential school history · Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Indian Residential Schools · Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
Nature and Biodiversity in Canada.
At the end of 2024 Canada had conserved about 13.8% of its land and fresh water, 12.8% of it in formal protected areas, and 15.5% of its ocean, 11.4% of it in marine protected areas, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The country has committed to the global 30x30 target of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030, and has been adding large Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and national marine conservation areas to close the gap. Parks Canada management and enforcement are generally strong.
Is wild Canada protected? 12.9% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Canada?
Forest cover42%
Terrestrial protected area12.9%
Marine protected area9.2%
339 listed as threatened.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · GBIF occurrence data · IUCN Red List, threatened species by country (Summary Statistics, Table 5) · Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada's conserved areas · World Bank, Fish species, threatened: Canada · World Bank, Bird species, threatened: Canada · World Bank, Mammal species, threatened: Canada · World Bank, Plant species (higher), threatened: Canada
Found only here. Low endemism; notable endemics include the Vancouver Island marmot, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and one of only five endemic mammal species in Canada, and the Banff Springs snail, found only in fewer than five clusters of thermal springs in Banff National Park.
The watchlist
ThreatenedHoop ash (Fraxinus nigra) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedRag Mop (Pycnopodia helianthoides) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedBanff Springs Physa (Physella johnsoni) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedBoreal Felt Lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedSebastes paucispinis Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (species).
ThreatenedWhite Ash (Fraxinus americana) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedBlue ash (Fraxinus quadrangulata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedToothed chestnut (Castanea dentata) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Hoop ash (Fraxinus nigra)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Canada. GBIF holds 195 verified occurrence records.
Rag Mop (Pycnopodia helianthoides)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Canada. GBIF holds 49 verified occurrence records.
Banff Springs Physa (Physella johnsoni)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Canada. GBIF holds 4 verified occurrence records.
Boreal Felt Lichen (Erioderma pedicellatum)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Canada. GBIF holds 3 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Canada filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Alberta, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
National park in British Columbia, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Alberta, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
National park in British Columbia, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Alberta, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
National park in British Columbia, mapped and named in the open record for Canada. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Canada.
Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%. The main blemish is equity rather than supply, as dozens of First Nations reserve communities have lived under long-term boil-water advisories that the federal government is still working to lift.
Does Canada have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
96.9% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Tap water is safe for a visitor nearly everywhere.
Cleanest water: The glacial lakes of the Rockies, including Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and remote boreal and Arctic watersheds.
How much fresh water does Canada have, per person?
73,170 m³
Canada
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Canada withdraws about 36,128 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 3.7% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 11%, homes and towns 13%, industry 76%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
What are the rules on Canada beaches?
✓Tap water: Drinkable.
✓Plastic rules: Yes. Federal Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations (2022) ban checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, six-pack rings and hard-to-recycle takeaway containers, currently under legal appeal..
✓Solo travel: rated easy on the record for this destination.
✕Marine protection: 15.5% of the sea is protected. The 30x30 pledge for 2030 is not met yet.
Named on the open map: Algerine Shore, Athapap Beach, Backhouse Shore, Bartletts Beach, Bilbys Beach, Blacksmiths Beach, Blanche Beach, Blondy Beach. That is 16 named beaches in the public record for Canada, each one a place you can look up before you go. OpenStreetMap.
Where does the sewage go?
81.3%
of people have safely managed sanitation
81.3% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
How is the sea around Canada doing?
One cross-section, every answer measured.
Surface
What the coast carries
Long winters, short glorious summers; aurora borealis over the north.
Nearshore
Protected water
9.2% of territorial waters are protected, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Cleanest
Where the water is cleanest
The glacial lakes of the Rockies, including Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and remote boreal and Arctic watersheds..
The record
Measured
Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%.
Canada scored 70 out of 100 on the Ocean Health Index in its 2025 assessment, below the global average of 72, and ranked 134th of 220 coastal regions. The index team says it is no longer updating scores, so the 2025 figures may be the last.
Sea protected
15.5%
Conserved at the end of 2025, including 11.4% in protected areas, against the 30% pledged for 2030 under the Global Biodiversity Framework.
Threatened species
112
Mammals, birds, fish and higher plants on the IUCN list.
Is the tap water safe in Canada?
96.9% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 73,170 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 3.7% of what Canada renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Canada? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Canada actually have?
Nature renews about 73,170 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Canada 203 of 208 countries measured, placing it among the 10 best-watered countries measured. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is above that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Canada.
Canada's agri-food and seafood exports reached a record of more than 100 billion dollars in 2024, led by wheat, baked goods and canola oil (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Even so, the share of food Canadians consume that is produced at home fell from about 80% at the start of the century to about 70% in 2015 (Farm Credit Canada), and around 75% of the fruit and about half of the vegetables other than potatoes eaten in Canada are imported (University of British Columbia).
Where does the food in Canada come from?
9.2% imported
about US$53,138m a year
On the plate: Wheat, canola, oats, lentils and peas, potatoes, sweetcorn, apples, wild blueberries and maple syrup.
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$53,138m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
Food is 9.2% of everything Canada imports (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 1.9% of the economy and 6.5% of the land is agricultural, of which 4.3% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Canada? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined86.1%
Diabetes7.7%
The Canadian Institute for Health Information said in September 2024 that about 7,720 lower limb amputations linked to diabetes are carried out each year on adults aged 18 and over, based on hospital records for the fiscal years 2020 to 2021 and 2022 to 2023. People with diabetes in the lowest income neighbourhoods are three times as likely to have an amputation as those in the highest income areas, and people in remote communities face a higher risk than those in cities. Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information, as reported by The Canadian Press.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 59.2%.
Can Canada feed itself?
4.3%
Arable land
6.5%
Agricultural land
252,387
Farmers
94,273,029
Arable acres
1.9%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Main harvest August to October; maple syrup is tapped in late winter to early spring, roughly February to April.
Feeding itself
Canada is one of the world's largest food exporters, ninth globally in 2024, shipping wheat, canola and pulses in volume, so its farmland comfortably feeds the country in aggregate. Even so, roughly 30% of the food and drink Canadians consume is imported, and that share has crept up from about 20% since 2000, driven by fresh produce that cannot be grown through the long winter, with around 75% of fruit and half of vegetables imported.
Certification
About 2.4% of Canada's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 according to FiBL, covering roughly 1.4 million hectares, and the share has edged upward since. Canada runs a mature federal Canada Organic Regime and is a significant organic exporter, but the organic share of farmland remains low by European standards.
Water for crops
Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 6.5% of the country is agricultural land and 4.3% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
WheatRapeseedMaizeBarleySoybeansPotatoesPeasOats
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Canada are wheat, rape or colza seed, maize, barley, soya beans and potatoes (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Abbotsford Farm & Country Market, Abbotsford Flea Market, Antigonish Farmers Market, Byward Market, Calgary Farmers' Market, Cumberland Farmer's Market. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Avelo, vegan restaurant in Toronto: seasonal tasting menus in a heritage house; Animal Liberation Kitchen, vegan cafe in Toronto: comfort food such as kimchi mac and cheese and a jackfruit burger; Buddha's Vegan Restaurant, vegan Chinese restaurant in Toronto: Hong Kong style Buddhist soups, noodles and savoury dishes; Greens Vegetarian Restaurant, vegan Asian restaurant in Toronto: pan Asian dishes, all vegan since 2015; GOOD Grains, vegan cafe in Toronto: soups, salads and hot mains, mostly gluten free; Fresh on Crawford, vegan restaurant in Toronto: salads, wraps, burgers, bowls and weekend brunch. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Canada?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
WheatCanolaOatsLentilsPeasPotatoesSweetcornApples
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · HappyCow, Toronto vegan and vegetarian listings · CIHI, Equity in diabetes care: A focus on lower limb amputation (26 September 2024) · The Canadian Press via CKPG Today, People with diabetes in lower-income areas at higher risk for amputations: report (26 September 2024) · Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Deputy minister's briefing book, December 2025 · FreshPlaza, Canada's reliance on food imports is increasing (Farm Credit Canada report) · University of British Columbia, What produce does Canada import?
Climate and Energy in Canada.
Canada's electricity is unusually clean, with roughly 60 per cent from hydropower and about 80 per cent from non-emitting sources once nuclear is included. Yet per-capita emissions are among the highest in the world at close to 14 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, driven by a cold climate, long distances and heavy industry. Crucially, Canada is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of oil and gas, including high-intensity oil sands, which weighs heavily against it on this pillar. Federal carbon pricing and a 2050 net-zero target exist, but Canada remains a major fossil-fuel exporter.
What powers Canada?
Renewable 63.9%Fossil 23%
There is no single national grid owner. Each province controls electricity generation, transmission within its borders and distribution, while the federal government covers nuclear power and electricity exports. The Canada Energy Regulator says most provinces and territories have government owned utilities that generate and distribute power, while Alberta and Ontario run competitive markets for generation and distribution. About 60 per cent of Canada's electricity came from hydropower in 2021.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
14.01 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
18.4 tonnes
The grid
Canada's electricity is unusually clean, with roughly 60 per cent from hydropower and about 80 per cent from non-emitting sources once nuclear is included. Yet per-capita emissions are among the highest in the world at close to 14 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, driven by a cold climate, long distances and heavy industry.
Pollution
Canada's air is among the cleanest in the OECD, with a population-weighted PM2.5 of about 6.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023, below the older WHO 10 microgram guideline though above the 2021 guideline of 5. On plastics, federal Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations came into force in 2022, banning checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, six-pack rings and hard-to-recycle takeaway containers, although a 2023 Federal Court ruling against the underlying toxic listing has put the rules under appeal.
Water stress
Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.34.5%
2Industry Oil sands extraction in northern Alberta and old-growth logging on the BC coast, both long-running ecological flashpoints..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.6.55
4On the record Canada's air is among the cleanest in the OECD, with a population-weighted PM2.5 of about 6.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023, below the older WHO 10 microgram guideline though above the 2021 guideline of 5.
What has Canada promised on climate?
Net zero, whole economy2050
Electricity renewable today67% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target12.9% by 2025
Sea protected, against a 30% target9.2% by 2025
The net-zero target year on file with Climate Watch is 2050, status: in law; in policy document; in political pledge. Measured against it, 67% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 33% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year14.01 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.86 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy2.67 t CO2e
Johannesburg return, economy2.36 t CO2e
Dubai return, economy1.93 t CO2e
Frankfurt return, economy1.08 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Canada emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. The Government of Canada launched its green bond programme in March 2022. In October 2025 it issued a new C$1 billion 30 year green bond, and in February 2026 it raised C$2 billion in a new 10 year green bond, its sixth Canadian dollar green bond issue. That took the total of federal green bonds issued since March 2022 to C$17.5 billion. The Department of Finance says Canada is the first sovereign borrower to issue a green bond that includes certain nuclear expenditures.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Canada Energy Regulator, Provincial and Territorial Energy Profiles: Canada (modified 26 March 2026) · Department of Finance Canada, Canada successfully prices new green bond to raise $2 billion (4 February 2026) · Advisor.ca, Canada to launch 6th green bond issuance
AI and Data Centres in Canada.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Canada.
Data centres
166
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
63.9 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Canada?
A machine here runs mostly on renewables, but not entirely.
Renewable 63.9%Fossil 36.1%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 67% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Canada has 166 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Toronto (24), Montreal (22), Calgary (14), alongside 28 internet exchanges (TorIX, PIX Montreal, PIX Toronto, CANIX Montreal). Named sites include Equinix TR1 - Toronto, Harbour Centre Vancouver, Neutral Data Toronto, Level(3) Toronto.
Where the cables land. 155 landing points · Addenbroke Island, BC, Ahousat, BC, Akulivik, QC, Alert Bay, BC
Economy and Tourism in Canada.
56% residents to 44% visitors across a year. 32,430,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 41,651,653 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Canada
32,430k
Visitors a year
0.8
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Canada?· for every $100 Canada earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · the 2020 peak
$ 118The worst year on the IMF record. Canada owed $118 for every $100 it earned.
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2020signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 111What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 104The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $104 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Canada earns in a year, it owes $111 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). That is more than a full year of national income, and the interest is paid before anything else.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Canada?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 32,430,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 41,651,653 residents, 0.8 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Canada is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 9.2% of everything Canada imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, wheat, rapeseed, maize, barley, soybeans, potatoes, peas, oats, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
67% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Canada. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Canada owes $111 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$111 per $1007
No plan B
25.2% of everything Canada sells abroad is mineral fuels and oils (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
25.2% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 3.7% of everything Canada makes from exports (2011, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
3.7% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Sydney a return economy seat is 2.86 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.86 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$2,507 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$2,507bnGDPUS$2,319.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP1.9%
Visitors a year32,430,000
Visitors per resident0.8
Residents~41,651,653
Agriculture
Farming is 1.9% of the economy. Canada is one of the world's largest food exporters, ninth globally in 2024, shipping wheat, canola and pulses in volume, so its farmland comfortably feeds the country in aggregate.
Natural materials
Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft.
Energy
Canada's electricity is unusually clean, with roughly 60 per cent from hydropower and about 80 per cent from non-emitting sources once nuclear is included. Yet per-capita emissions are among the highest in the world at close to 14 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, driven by a cold climate, long distances and heavy industry.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Canada?
By rooms · company records and press.
Trout Point Lodge · ~13 roomsIndependentnot published
Nimmo Bay Resort · ~9 roomsIndependentnot published
Algonquin Eco-Lodge · ~17 roomsIndependentnot published
Le Germain Hotel Charlevoix · ~145 roomsCorporatenot published
Klahoose Wilderness Resort · ~7 roomsIndependentnot published
Prairie Ridge Orchard and Resort · ~4 roomsIndependentnot published
Siwash Lake Wilderness · ~5 roomsIndependentnot published
Sonora Resort · ~88 roomsIndependentnot published
Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge · ~25 roomsIndependentnot published
Fogo Island Inn · ~29 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
201425,558k
201527,555k
201630,142k
201731,081k
201831,274k
201932,430k
Statistics Canada counted 22.8 million arrivals from the United States in 2025, down 2.9 per cent on 2024, and 6.8 million arrivals from overseas, up 7.5 per cent. Both were still below 2019, at about 91 per cent of that year's level. Visitors from abroad spent C$32.0 billion in Canada in 2025, 12.4 per cent more than in 2024. In the first quarter of 2026 visitors from the United States and overseas took 4.5 million trips to Canada, 3.5 per cent more than a year earlier, and spent C$5.0 billion.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
World Bank Open Data · International Monetary Fund · UN Tourism (UNWTO) · UN Comtrade via World Bank WITS · Statistics Canada, The Daily, Travel between Canada and other countries, December 2025 (23 February 2026) · Statistics Canada, The Daily, National Travel Survey and Visitor Travel Survey, first quarter 2026 (25 August 2026)
Visiting Canada, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking wheat, canola, oats, lentils and peas, potatoes, sweetcorn, apples, wild blueberries and maple syrup. over imported menus. The checked list
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Distances are continental, so plan on domestic flights between regions, VIA Rail on key corridors such as Toronto to Vancouver, and intercity buses. A car is essential for rural and national-park travel.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is wheat, rapeseed, maize, barley, soybeans, potatoes, peas and oats. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Best time: Summer (June to September) for hiking, wildlife and long daylight; September to October for autumn colour; winter for aurora and skiing.
Getting around
Distances are continental, so plan on domestic flights between regions, VIA Rail on key corridors such as Toronto to Vancouver, and intercity buses. A car is essential for rural and national-park travel.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is wheat, canola, oats, lentils and peas, potatoes, sweetcorn, apples, wild blueberries and maple syrup.. Unprocessed plant foods are easy to buy across Canada, and Vancouver and Toronto have among North America's strongest vegan and vegetarian scenes.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards everywhere; tipping 15–20%. Bear-spray and common sense in the national parks.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the big hotels
Trout Point LodgeIndependent · 13 rooms
Nimmo Bay ResortIndependent · 9 rooms
Algonquin Eco-LodgeIndependent · 17 rooms
Le Germain Hotel CharlevoixCorporate · 145 rooms
Klahoose Wilderness ResortIndependent · 7 rooms
Prairie Ridge Orchard and ResortIndependent · 4 rooms
None of the 10 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Canada.
How well is Canada actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Canada scores 83 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Canada really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Distances are continental, so plan on domestic flights between regions, VIA Rail on key corridors such as Toronto to Vancouver, and intercity buses. A car is essential for rural and national-park travel.
Made in Canada.
Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Canada actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Canada sells the world is mineral fuels and oils, 25.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$142.97 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are vehicles at 11.2%, machinery and mechanical appliances at 7.5%, pearls, gemstones and precious metals at 4.9%, other at 3.9%.
Made now · natural materials
Hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed
Worked in Canada from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand
Worked in Canada from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Is a protected
Worked in Canada from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Still-practised craft. Indigenous
Worked in Canada from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Metis fibre work continues too
Worked in Canada from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Could make · grown here already
Wheat
Grown in Canada and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Canola
Grown in Canada and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
Could make · grown here already
Oats
Grown in Canada and mostly sold raw. Processing it here would keep the margin here.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Canada produces about US$2,320 billion a year, which is roughly US$55,698 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 1.9% of that, while food is 9.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in Canada.
Summer weekends
First Nations powwow drum and dance
Gatherings where drum groups and dancers meet to share teachings and culture. Powwows were banned under the Indian Act until 1951, and the tradition, which began on the western plains, has since spread to the east coast.
Potlatch
A gift giving feast of West Coast nations that marks marriages, the naming of children, coming of age and the passing on of rights and chieftainships. Canadian law banned it from 1885 until 1951.
Inuit throat singing (katajjaniq)A playful, guttural vocal tradition practised by Inuit women and passed down from woman to woman. In January 2014 Quebec recognised it as the first element of its intangible cultural heritage.
Inuit drum dancingAn age old Inuit tradition that Moravian missionaries once feared and banned. Groups such as Kilautiup Songuninga in St John’s are reviving its songs, with women leading the way.
Does Canada protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Canada's most distinctive living heritage belongs to its Indigenous peoples, including First Nations powwow, drum and dance traditions, the potlatch of the Northwest Coast, Inuit throat singing (katajjaq) and Metis fiddle music and the Red River Jig. Quebecois folk music and dance add a further living francophone thread. These traditions are actively maintained and revitalised, but the wider society is highly modern and secular.
Who it belongs to. Canada is home to more than 1.8 million First Nations, Inuit and Metis people, and Indigenous-owned tourism is a fast-growing sector coordinated by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, spanning guided territory tours, community-run lodges and cultural centres. Land acknowledgements, treaty relationships and a public reckoning with the residential-school legacy are now part of mainstream civic life. That said, Indigenous enterprises remain a small part of a large, mainstream tourism economy, and the benefits do not always reach communities directly.
Only here. Churchill, Manitoba, the self-styled Polar Bear Capital of the World, the one accessible place where visitors reliably watch wild polar bears gather each autumn as they wait for Hudson Bay to freeze..
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Canada · CBC News, Dancing to a heartbeat, a visitor’s guide to powwows · CBC News, Historical ban on potlatch ceremony has lingering effects for Indigenous women · CBC News, Inuit throat singing granted special designation in Quebec · CBC Radio, This Inuit drum dancing group is recovering music traditions that were almost lost
The Future of Canada.
Three futures for Canada, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: C2 Centre for Craft (Winnipeg), Small Craft Aquatic Centre (Fredericton), Wetaskiwin Art and Craft Centre (Wetaskiwin), Cape Breton Centre For Craft & Design (Sydney), Peach Craft Centre (Town of Essex). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: 4Cats Arts Studio, Above Ground Art Supplies, Arts Market, Atelier d'entomologie, Blossom's Framing & Art Supplies, Candeur Savonnerie Artisanale.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 40.2% to 42% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 60.9% to 67% across 26 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 16.2 t to 14 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 41,657k to 32,430k across 24 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 9.4% to 12.9% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 3.15% to 1.1% across 30 recorded years.
How much sea is protected?
Protected sea moved from 0.8% to 9.2% across 12 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 6.83% to 6.46% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 77.6% to 82.9% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 9.4 µg/m³ to 6.55 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 97,262 m³ to 73,170 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 51.6% to 59.1% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 100% to 100% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 20,680 to 55,698 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 29,302k to 41,652k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 22.4% to 23.8% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 7,995 kg to 7,119 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 6.3% to 11.6% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 78 yrs to 82.1 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 2,700 kg/ha to 4,021 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 62.5 kg/ha to 137 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 22.4% to 17.1% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 22.3 $/m3 to 49.5 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 8.25% to 11.3% across 24 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 3,605,412 km2 to 3,688,188 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 16,562 kWh to 14,655 kWh across 30 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 50.67 to 66.55 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 64.73 to 68.15 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 138.67 to 205.27 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 455.5 to 607.07 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 29.0 to 23.75 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 77.19 to 67.74 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 2/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Canada's record. About 2.4% of Canada's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 according to FiBL, covering roughly 1.4 million hectares, and the share has edged upward since.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift natural fibres
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Canada's record. Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift plant-based eating
It scores 3 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Canada's record. Unprocessed plant foods are easy to buy across Canada, and Vancouver and Toronto have among North America's strongest vegan and vegetarian scenes.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Canada.
Who is in charge of Canada now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Mark Carney
Prime Minister
Mark Carney is the head of government of Canada, in office since 14 March 2025. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 85.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 84.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 80.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 81.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 79.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 76.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 83.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 83.1 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 80.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 77.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Mark CarneyPrime Minister
Parliament of Canada, Parlement du CanadaLegislature, bicameral
Last election28 April 2025
Constitution1867, as revised to 2011
Government typefederal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Canada national goals: climate commitments on record · as recorded by Climate Watch, World Resources Institute
2050
Net zero
In Law<br>In Policy Document<br>In Political PledgeNet-zero target as recorded by Climate Watch. Status: In Law (6/29/2021)
In Policy Document (10/31/2022, 7/12/2021)
In Political Pledge (12/12/2020) Source
In Policy Document (10/31/2022, 7/12/2021)
In Political Pledge (12/12/2020) Source
Gases covered
All GHGs Covered Source
Sectors covered
All Sectors Source
International offsets
Unclear or Undecided Source
Plain Answers About Canada.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Canada sustainable?
Canada scores 65 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Canada pairs one of the planet's largest freshwater and forest reserves with a mostly renewable, hydro-heavy electricity grid, though a meat-leaning, import-reliant food culture and middling recycling keep it out of the very top tier.
Is the water in Canada safe and plentiful?
Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%. The main blemish is equity rather than supply, as dozens of First Nations reserve communities have lived under long-term boil-water advisories that the federal government is still working to lift.
Can Canada feed itself?
Canada is one of the world's largest food exporters, ninth globally in 2024, shipping wheat, canola and pulses in volume, so its farmland comfortably feeds the country in aggregate. Even so, roughly 30% of the food and drink Canadians consume is imported, and that share has crept up from about 20% since 2000, driven by fresh produce that cannot be grown through the long winter, with around 75% of fruit and half of vegetables imported. Domestic production still covers about 70% of consumption.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Canada?
Unprocessed plant foods are easy to buy across Canada, and Vancouver and Toronto have among North America's strongest vegan and vegetarian scenes. Only a small minority of Canadians identify as vegetarian or vegan, however, and the traditional diet leans heavily on meat and dairy. Local plant eating is also seasonally constrained, as much of the fresh produce is imported outside summer and autumn.
How much of Canada is actually protected?
At the end of 2024 Canada had conserved about 13.8% of its land and fresh water, 12.8% of it in formal protected areas, and 15.5% of its ocean, 11.4% of it in marine protected areas, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The country has committed to the global 30x30 target of protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030, and has been adding large Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas and national marine conservation areas to close the gap. Parks Canada management and enforcement are generally strong.
What wildlife is left in Canada?
Canada's vast boreal forest, Arctic tundra and two long coastlines hold iconic megafauna, including polar and grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, wood bison and both Atlantic and Pacific whales, along with globally important migratory bird flyways. Endemism is low, with only about 54 species known to be endemic to the whole country, but there are notable endemics such as the Critically Endangered Vancouver Island marmot and the Banff Springs snail. Active recovery work includes the return of wild plains bison to Banff National Park.
Is Canada on clean energy?
Canada's electricity is unusually clean, with roughly 60 per cent from hydropower and about 80 per cent from non-emitting sources once nuclear is included. Yet per-capita emissions are among the highest in the world at close to 14 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, driven by a cold climate, long distances and heavy industry. Crucially, Canada is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of oil and gas, including high-intensity oil sands, which weighs heavily against it on this pillar.
How polluted is Canada?
Canada's air is among the cleanest in the OECD, with a population-weighted PM2.5 of about 6.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023, below the older WHO 10 microgram guideline though above the 2021 guideline of 5. On plastics, federal Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations came into force in 2022, banning checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, six-pack rings and hard-to-recycle takeaway containers, although a 2023 Federal Court ruling against the underlying toxic listing has put the rules under appeal. Record wildfire seasons, notably 2023, periodically spike smoke pollution.
Does recycling work in Canada?
Statistics Canada's Biennial Waste Management Survey put the national waste diversion rate, recycling plus composting, at 27.1% in 2022, up from about 21.6% in 2002 but essentially flat over recent years. Canadians divert close to 10 million tonnes a year, with Ontario and Quebec handling most of it. Extended-producer-responsibility programmes are expanding but overall diversion remains middling.
Is the farming in Canada organic?
About 2.4% of Canada's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 according to FiBL, covering roughly 1.4 million hectares, and the share has edged upward since. Canada runs a mature federal Canada Organic Regime and is a significant organic exporter, but the organic share of farmland remains low by European standards. Growth is steady rather than rapid.
Are there natural materials and craft in Canada?
Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft. Indigenous and Metis fibre work continues too, from the woven ceinture flechee sash to Inuit sealskin and caribou-hide garments, alongside the historic Hudson's Bay wool point blanket and a modern domestic wool and flax sector.
Is there living culture in Canada?
Canada is home to more than 1.8 million First Nations, Inuit and Metis people, and Indigenous-owned tourism is a fast-growing sector coordinated by the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada, spanning guided territory tours, community-run lodges and cultural centres. Land acknowledgements, treaty relationships and a public reckoning with the residential-school legacy are now part of mainstream civic life. That said, Indigenous enterprises remain a small part of a large, mainstream tourism economy, and the benefits do not always reach communities directly.
What heritage does Canada keep alive?
Canada's most distinctive living heritage belongs to its Indigenous peoples, including First Nations powwow, drum and dance traditions, the potlatch of the Northwest Coast, Inuit throat singing (katajjaq) and Metis fiddle music and the Red River Jig. Quebecois folk music and dance add a further living francophone thread. These traditions are actively maintained and revitalised, but the wider society is highly modern and secular.
So is Canada actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 67%.
What is not: land protected at 12.9% against a 30% mark, sea protected at 9.2% against a 30% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · CIA World Factbook, Canada (archived 2025) · World Bank, Population, total: Canada · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area): Canada · World Bank, Carbon dioxide emissions per capita: Canada · World Bank, Cause of death by non-communicable diseases (% of total): Canada · Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada, Métis music and dance · CBC News, Inuit throat singing granted special designation in Quebec
How Canada Ranks, region and world.
Where Canada sits on the Eco Index, against its North America neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Canada sits 40 of 77 at 65/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Canada particularly good at?
✓ Water, scored 4/5. Canadian rivers discharge close to 7% of the world's renewable water supply, spread across the Great Lakes, the Mackenzie and St Lawrence river systems and a vast network of lakes. WHO/UNICEF JMP data put safely managed drinking water at about 96.9% of the population in 2024, with basic services at 98.3%. The main blemish is equity rather than supply, as dozens of First Nations reserve communities have lived under long-term boil-water advisories that the federal government is still working to lift. In aggregate this is one of the most water-secure countries on Earth.
✓ Food and farming, scored 4/5. Canada is one of the world's largest food exporters, ninth globally in 2024, shipping wheat, canola and pulses in volume, so its farmland comfortably feeds the country in aggregate. Even so, roughly 30% of the food and drink Canadians consume is imported, and that share has crept up from about 20% since 2000, driven by fresh produce that cannot be grown through the long winter, with around 75% of fruit and half of vegetables imported. Domestic production still covers about 70% of consumption. The country's strong agricultural base offsets the moderate import share.
✓ Pollution, scored 4/5. Canada's air is among the cleanest in the OECD, with a population-weighted PM2.5 of about 6.6 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023, below the older WHO 10 microgram guideline though above the 2021 guideline of 5. On plastics, federal Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations came into force in 2022, banning checkout bags, cutlery, stir sticks, straws, six-pack rings and hard-to-recycle takeaway containers, although a 2023 Federal Court ruling against the underlying toxic listing has put the rules under appeal. Record wildfire seasons, notably 2023, periodically spike smoke pollution. Baseline air quality and policy are both strong even where implementation is contested.
Where does Canada score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 2/5. About 2.4% of Canada's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 according to FiBL, covering roughly 1.4 million hectares, and the share has edged upward since. Canada runs a mature federal Canada Organic Regime and is a significant organic exporter, but the organic share of farmland remains low by European standards. Growth is steady rather than rapid.
✕ Natural fibres, scored 2/5. Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft. Indigenous and Metis fibre work continues too, from the woven ceinture flechee sash to Inuit sealskin and caribou-hide garments, alongside the historic Hudson's Bay wool point blanket and a modern domestic wool and flax sector. These sit within an otherwise synthetic, import-heavy consumer market.
✕ Plant-based eating, scored 3/5. Unprocessed plant foods are easy to buy across Canada, and Vancouver and Toronto have among North America's strongest vegan and vegetarian scenes. Only a small minority of Canadians identify as vegetarian or vegan, however, and the traditional diet leans heavily on meat and dairy. Local plant eating is also seasonally constrained, as much of the fresh produce is imported outside summer and autumn. Whole-food plant options are widely available and growing but not a deep-rooted staple culture.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 2/5
About 2.4% of Canada's agricultural land was certified organic in 2020 according to FiBL, covering roughly 1.4 million hectares, and the share has edged upward since.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Canada's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Natural fibres, 2/5
Canada has genuine living natural-fibre traditions. The Cowichan sweater, hand-knitted by Coast Salish knitters on Vancouver Island from undyed, hand-spun raw wool in a single continuous strand, is a protected and still-practised craft.
Plant-based eating, 3/5
Unprocessed plant foods are easy to buy across Canada, and Vancouver and Toronto have among North America's strongest vegan and vegetarian scenes. Only a small minority of Canadians identify as vegetarian or vegan, however, and the traditional diet leans heavily on meat and dairy.
The Canada Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Canada, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Canada
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
42.0
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
12.9
World Bank, 2025.
Protected sea
9.2
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
67.0
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
14.0
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
339
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
80.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
88.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
83.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
79.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
85.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
57.8 / 100 · 29 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 29 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
46.9 / 100 · 66 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 66 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
36.4 / 100 · 115 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 115 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
87.2 / 100 · 9 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 9 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
40.1 / 100 · 119 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 119 of 177 countries assessed.
Marine habitat protected
23.9 / 100 · 51 of 111
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 51 of 111 countries assessed.
How Canada Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 82 sources across 34 institutions
World Bank15 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2019 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2022 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2024 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
Bourgeon5 FIGURES
- Burke and Higham, 'Earliest Human Presence in North America Dated to the Last Glacial Maximum: New Radiocarbon Dates from Bluefish Caves, Canada', PLOS ONE, 2017, The oldest dates on the continent, still argued check
- Burke and Higham, 'Earliest Human Presence in North America Dated to the Last Glacial Maximum: New Radiocarbon Dates from Bluefish Caves, Canada', PLOS ONE, 2017 corroboration check
- Burke and Higham, 'Earliest Human Presence in North America Dated to the Last Glacial Maximum: New Radiocarbon Dates from Bluefish Caves, Canada', PLOS ONE, 2017 corroboration check
- Burke and Higham, PLOS ONE, 2017 (Bluefish Caves radiocarbon dates) corroboration check
- Burke and Higham, PLOS ONE, 2017 (Bluefish Caves radiocarbon dates) corroboration check
Other published sources5 FIGURES
- Only the 7% renewable-supply figure survives on a live ECCC page; the 20% share and the two-million lake count are not published by any current federal source check
- COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Vancouver Island Marmot, Species at Risk Public Registry, Government of Canada, May 2019, Notable endemics include the critically endangered Vancouver Island marmot check
- COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Vancouver Island Marmot, Species at Risk Public Registry, Government of Canada, May 2019 corroboration check
- COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Vancouver Island Marmot, Species at Risk Public Registry, Government of Canada, May 2019 corroboration check
- COSEWIC Assessment and Status Report on the Vancouver Island Marmot, Species at Risk Public Registry, Government of Canada, May 2019 corroboration check
Royal Astronomical Society of Canada5 FIGURES
- Dark-Sky Sites in Canada, Mont-Megantic International Dark Sky Reserve (Quebec, world's first IDA Dark Sky Reserve, 2007); Waterton-Glac check
- Dark-Sky Sites in Canada corroboration check
- Dark-Sky Sites in Canada corroboration check
- Dark-Sky Sites in Canada corroboration check
- Dark-Sky Sites in Canada corroboration check
GBIF occurrence search4 FIGURES
- plants assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List with occurrence records in Canada, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- plants assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List with occurrence records in Canada corroboration check
- plants assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List with occurrence records in Canada corroboration check
- species assessed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List with occurrence records in Canada, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Canada in GBIF occurrence data (species). check
Natural Resources Canada4 FIGURES
- 8 facts about Canada's boreal forest, Boreal wilderness, hydro-powered grid, the world's freshwater giant check
- 8 facts about Canada's boreal forest corroboration check
- Crude oil industry overview, Crucially, Canada is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of oil and gas, including high-intensi check
- Crude oil industry overview corroboration check
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, terrestrial Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_TERR, Canada, 2025 (34.1%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, marine Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_MRN_MPA, Canada, 2025 (41.7%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas covered by protected areas (%) ER_PTD_FRHWTR, Canada, 2025 (27.4%), country-reported check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Canada, 2025 (42.0%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Canada, 2025 (61.3%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Canada, 2025 (9.8%), country-reported check
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme3 FIGURES
- safely managed drinking water (via World Bank SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS), 2024 (96.9%) check
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed drinking water (%) SH_H2O_SAFE, Canada, 2024 (96.9%), modelled estimate check
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed sanitation (%) SH_SAN_SAFE, Canada, 2024 (81.3%), modelled estimate check
Canada Energy Regulator2 FIGURES
EDGAR2 FIGURES
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, European Commission Joint Research Centre, GHG booklet 2026 (fossil CO2 only workbook), Yet per-capita emissions are among the highest in the world at close to 14 tonnes of fossil CO2 a year, driven check
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, European Commission Joint Research Centre, GHG booklet 2026 (fossil CO2 only workbook) corroboration check
Environment and Climate Change Canada2 FIGURES
FAO2 FIGURES
Government of British Columbia2 FIGURES
Government of Canada2 FIGURES
IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria2 FIGURES
Parks Canada2 FIGURES
Statistics Canada2 FIGURES
UNESCO Institute for Statistics2 FIGURES
9th largest exporter of agri-food1 FIGURE
- fish and seafood in 2024, behind the US, Brazil, Netherlands, Germany, China, France, Spain and Italy check
Climate Watch (WRI)1 FIGURE
- Net-Zero Tracker check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Canada 1867 (rev. 2011) check
Ember1 FIGURE
- Global Electricity Review 2025 / Yearly Electricity Data, Canada 2024 (renewables 65.5%) check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture (Canada organic share about 2.4% of farmland, 2020) check
FreshPlaza / Food Policy for Canada1 FIGURE
- Canada's reliance on food imports (about 30% of consumption imported) check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Canada, 2023 (23.5%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Canada elections and chambers check
OECD Environment Statistics1 FIGURE
- municipal waste check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions country profile: Canada check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNEP Global E-waste Monitor1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, electronic waste recycled (%) EN_EWT_RCYR, Canada, 2022 (20.6%), modelled estimate check
WCS Canada1 FIGURE
- SHAPE of Nature: Globally threatened species (339 species found in Canada assessed CR/EN/VU/NT on the IUCN Red List, 2024) check
World Bank / GBD-IHME1 FIGURE
- PM2.5 mean annual exposure EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 (6.55 µg/m³) check