Number of physicians in rural areas increasing • More than 6 million Canadians, representing 18% of the population, live in rural areas of Canada.2 In 2012, 14% of family medicine physicians were located in rural parts of Canada.i • Between the 2006 and 2011 censuses, the population in rural areas increased by 1.7%.2 In comparison, between 2008 and 2012, the number of physicians in rural areas inc [...] Ensuring access to physicians includes considering many factors, such as the number of physicians available, their demographic profiles, the types and numbers of other health care professionals available, how physicians are distributed across the country and the health of the population.3–9 In addition to providing data on the number of physicians in Canada, this report discusses the demographic p [...] Data on migration patterns and the urban/rural distribution of physicians across Canada has been provided, all of which adds to the discussion of the question “How many physicians are required to provide care to all Canadians?” Nationally, the proportions of family medicine and specialist physicians were relatively equal, with family medicine physicians representing between 50% and 53% of the phys