Many immigrants know Canada for its excellent level of living, progressive social values, and wealth of opportunities. Due of these characteristics, immigrants looking for a higher standard of living frequently choose it. But, it’s normal for those who are thinking about moving to Canada to wonder what precise statistics support these favorable opinions and how Canada stacks up against other top immigration destinations worldwide. Discover how does Canada rate against other top immigrant destinations?

The United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) is an invaluable resource for investigating these issues. A wide range of indicators, such as life expectancy, education, and per capita income, are taken into account by the HDI, a comprehensive index that assesses a nation’s overall development. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a simple and consistent way to compare the quality of life in different countries by combining various indicators into a single indexed score that represents each nation’s level of human development.

Understanding the Human Development Index

The United Nations (UN) created the Human Development Index (HDI) as a single, standardized measure to assess a nation’s overall level of development. The HDI highlights that rather than concentrating just on economic growth, a country’s true level of development can be determined by the capacities and well-being of its citizens.

To do this, the HDI uses composite indicators such as the following to evaluate a nation’s population’s longevity, income, and level of education:

  • Longevity: Measured by the UN’s life expectancy index total score as well as life expectancy at birth.
  • Knowledge: Measured by the UN’s education index overall score, mean years of schooling, and predicted years of schooling.
  • Income/Standard of Living: Based on the UN’s GNI index and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, respectively.

The UN uses a combination of these metrics to award a score to each nation, with 1 denoting the highest degree of development and 0 the lowest. Since 1990, the HDI has been using these parameters to provide scores to nations.

According to the HDI, the scores correspond to different levels of national development as follows:

  • HDI score ≤ 0.550: Indicates low development
  • HDI score 0.550–0.699: Indicates medium development
  • HDI score 0.700–0.799: Indicates high development
  • HDI score ≥ 0.800: Indicates very high development

How Canada Stands on the Human Development Index?

Canada has a very high degree of development, as evidenced by its HDI score of 0.935 as of the most recent statistics available for 2022. This is an improvement over the 0.861 HDI score that was published in 1990, indicating a rise of 0.074 points throughout the previous thirty plus years.

The breakdown of Canada’s HDI score for 2022 is as follows:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: 82.8 years
  • Expected Years of Schooling: 15.9 years
  • Mean Years of Schooling: 13.8 years
  • Gross National Income per Capita: $48,444.3 (adjusted to 2017 Purchasing Power Parity dollars)

In terms of development, Canada scores noticeably better than the global average HDI score of 0.739. With a score of 0.967, Switzerland has the highest HDI score, while Somalia has the lowest, at 0.380.

How Canada Compares to Other Top Immigrant Destinations? 

The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and France were the top countries for permanent immigration in 2022, excluding Canada, according to the OECD’s 2023 International Migration Outlook. The Human Development Index (HDI) and composite scores for these nations are thoroughly examined in this research. It is crucial to remember that although the Human Development Index (HDI) provides a thorough assessment of human development, it ignores aspects like living expenses, healthcare accessibility, and legal rights and liberties.

The United States of America

As of the latest update, the United States has an HDI (Human Development Index) score of 0.927. This score is based on several key indicators:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: The average number of years a newborn is expected to live is 78.2 years.
  • Expected Years of Schooling: On average, individuals in the U.S. are anticipated to receive 16.4 years of education.
  • Mean Years of Schooling: The average number of years of schooling that adults aged 25 and older have completed is 13.5 years.
  • Gross National Income per Capita: The per capita Gross National Income, adjusted for 2017 Purchasing Power Parity, is $65,564.90.

Germany

Germany’s Human Development Index score as of the most recent reporting is 0.950. The following specific indicators are reflected in this score:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: The average life expectancy for a newborn in Germany is 80.9 years.
  • Expected Years of Schooling: German individuals are projected to receive an average of 17.3 years of education.
  • Mean Years of Schooling: The average number of years of education completed by adults aged 25 and older is 14.2 years.
  • Gross National Income per Capita: The per capita Gross National Income, adjusted to 2017 Purchasing Power Parity, stands at $55,340.10.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Human Development Index score, as of the most recent reporting, is 0.940. The aforementioned specific indicators form the basis of this score:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: The average life expectancy for a newborn in the UK is 82.1 years.
  • Expected Years of Schooling: Individuals in the UK are expected to receive an average of 17.6 years of education.
  • Mean Years of Schooling: The average number of years of education completed by adults aged 25 and older is 13.4 years.
  • Gross National Income per Capita: The per capita Gross National Income, adjusted to 2017 Purchasing Power Parity, is $46,623.90.

Spain

According to the most recent assessment, Spain’s Human Development Index (HDI) score is 0.911. This index is made up of multiple important metrics:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: The average life expectancy at birth in Spain is 83.9 years.
  • Expected Years of Schooling: On average, Spanish individuals are expected to receive 17.8 years of education throughout their lives.
  • Mean Years of Schooling: The average number of years of schooling that Spanish adults have completed is 10.6 years.
  • Gross National Income per Capita: The Gross National Income per capita in Spain is $40,043.30, calculated in 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars.

France

The latest statistics indicates that France’s Human Development Index (HDI) score is 0.91. The following indicators form the basis of the HDI:

  • Life Expectancy at Birth: The average life expectancy at birth in France is 83.2 years.
  • Expected Years of Schooling: Individuals in France are anticipated to have 15.9 years of education on average.
  • Mean Years of Schooling: The average number of years of schooling completed by French adults is 11.6 years.
  • Gross National Income per Capita: France’s Gross National Income per capita stands at $47,378.70, measured in 2017 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) dollars.

These measures, which show the country’s accomplishments in income, education, and health, demonstrate France’s high degree of human progress.

Essential Strategies for Newcomer Success in the Canadian Job Market

Recent immigrants frequently attain economic outcomes that are on par with or even better than those of individuals who were born in Canada, according to statistics from Statistics Canada.

This report, “Which Immigration Selection Factors Best Predict the Earnings of Economic Principal Applicants?” looked at a number of factors assessed by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and assessed their effects on immigrant success in three different time frames: one year or less, two years or more, and ten years or more.

The Canadian federal immigration system use the Capital Ranking System (CRS) as a method to rank economic immigrants according to human capital attributes like age, education, and language ability. Based on these variables, which represent the candidates’ likelihood of settling and successfully integrating into Canadian society, ratings are given to the candidates.

The CRS factors analyzed in the report included:

  • Years of pre-landing Canadian work experience (compared to individuals with no such experience);
  • Language proficiency in official languages (English or French) (native speakers versus those with lower proficiency);
  • Age (younger individuals, aged 25-29, compared to older individuals, aged 50-54);
  • Education level (bachelor’s degree versus secondary school education).

Pre-landing Canadian work experience is the most important factor impacting immigrant salaries in Canada in the short term (1-2 years). More specifically, the profits grow by 84% for every extra year of such experience. Additionally, language proficiency is quite important; immigrants who speak English but whose mother tongue is neither French nor English make 29% less money than those who are native speakers of either language. Education is also a significant determinant; people who have a bachelor’s degree make between 12% and 24% more money than those who don’t.

Key Factors Affecting Immigrant Earnings Over Time in Canada

Pre-landing Canadian job experience continues to be the best indicator of earnings over the medium term (more than five years). An event like this increases wages by 52–59% per year. Language proficiency still has a big impact on income. Earnings are 42% higher for those whose mother tongue is an official language. Older immigrants earn 27–35% less than younger ones, making age increasingly important. Having a bachelor’s degree increases earnings by 14–21%. Education also plays a role.

Pre-landing Canadian job experience increases salaries by 45% annually over the long term (10+ years), but it does so to a lesser level. Younger immigrants earn 44% more than older immigrants when it comes to landing age. Earnings are strongly impacted by language proficiency in an official language; speakers who are less fluent make 35% less money. Even more of an influence comes from education; a bachelor’s degree raises earnings by 23%.