Table 4. Estimated chronic hepatitis C prevalence for the general population and key populations, Canada, 2021.
| Population | Population size estimate | Prevalence (%) | Estimated number of people living with CHC | Reference(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point estimate | Lower bound | Upper bound | Point estimate | Lower bound | Upper bound | |||
| General population | 38,239,864 | 0.56% | 0.15% | 0.97% | 214,000 | 58,500 | 369,000 | ((12,21,30,31,48–52)) |
| PWID, within 12 months | 100,300 | 36.9% | 12.6% | 55.1% | 37,000 | 12,600 | 55,300 | ((32–35,53,54)) Unpublished data from the HEPCO study, 2022–2023 (personal communication, Sarah Larney, 2024) Unpublished data from the Virtual Cascade of Care Cohort study, 2018–2019 (personal communication, Stine Høj, 2023) |
| People who have ever injected drugs | 388,400 | 18.1% | 5.7% | 30.5% | 70,100 | 21,900 | 118,000 | ((21,35)) Unpublished data from the Virtual Cascade of Care Cohort study, 2018–2019 (personal communication, Stine Høj, 2023) |
| People incarcerated in provincial prisonsa | 18,950 | 5.1% | 4.4% | 5.7% | 957 | 834 | 1,080 | ((38,40,41)) Unpublished data from Alberta Health Services, 2023 (personal communication, Kaylee Goralcyk, 2024) |
| First Nations | 1,048,400 | 3.3% | 1.5% | 5.0% | 34,300 | 15,800 | 52,800 | ((42–44,55,56)) |
| People incarcerated in federal prisonsb | 12,405 | 3.2% | 2.7% | 3.7% | 396 | 335 | 464 | Unpublished data from Correctional Service Canada, 2021 (personal communication, 2024) |
| Immigrants from countries where hepatitis C is common (≥2% seroprevalence) | 1,276,405 | 2.2% | 1.6% | 3.5% | 28,100 | 19,800 | 44,600 | ((25)) |
| Adults in the 1945–1975 birth cohort | 14,267,340 | 1.1% | 0.21% | 2.0% | 157,000 | 30,000 | 284,000 | ((12,21,48,49,57)) |
| GBMSM | 669,613 | 0.94% | 0.18% | 1.7% | 6,290 | 1,210 | 11,400 | ((27,45,46)) Unpublished data from the Engage cohort study 2017–2019 |
| Inuit | Insufficient information | |||||||
| Métis | Insufficient information | |||||||
Abbreviations: CHC, chronic hepatitis C; HEPCO, Hepatitis Cohort; GBMSM, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men; PWID, people who inject drugs
a Who were sentenced for two years or more
b Who were sentenced for less than two years