Lyme Disease in Canada:
Cases by Province (2026 Statistics)

Canada recorded approximately 5,239 reported Lyme disease cases in 2024 (the latest year), according to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) surveillance dashboard. A fuller, updated figure of 5,809 cases also appears in the same dashboard, because preliminary surveillance counts are routinely revised upward as late lab and clinical reports arrive. Since national surveillance began in 2009, PHAC has logged a cumulative 28,033 reported human cases through 2025. Important caveat: these are reported cases only — the true number of infections is believed to be several times higher, because many cases are never diagnosed, lab-confirmed, or reported to public health.

Ontario had the most reported Lyme disease cases of any province in 2024 — 2,369 cases, about 41% of the national total, according to PHAC. Nova Scotia was a very close second with 2,350 cases (roughly 40%), and Quebec was third with 834 cases (about 14%). However, by per-capita incidence rather than raw count, Nova Scotia is by far the highest-risk province, at approximately 217 cases per 100,000 people — far above the national average of 14.1 per 100,000.

In 2024, Canada reported approximately 5,239 Lyme disease cases — a national incidence rate of 14.1 per 100,000 population, up from 11.9 per 100,000 in 2023, according to PHAC. Annual reported cases have climbed steeply, from just 144 in 2009 to 2,636 in 2019 (a roughly 18-fold increase in a decade) and into the 4,000–5,800 range in 2023–2024. These figures count only diagnosed and reported cases, so the actual number of people infected each year is widely believed to be substantially higher.

Yes — Lyme disease is increasing sharply in Canada. Reported cases rose from 144 in 2009 to 2,636 in 2019 (about an 18-fold increase), then to roughly 5,239 in 2024, according to PHAC. The national incidence rate climbed from 11.9 per 100,000 in 2023 to 14.1 per 100,000 in 2024. Crucially, the share of cases acquired locally in Canada (rather than during travel) rose from 65.3% in 2009 to 93.6% in 2019 — clear evidence the blacklegged tick is now firmly established domestically rather than merely imported.

The highest-risk areas are in Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Manitoba (southeast), and parts of British Columbia, according to PHAC. Nova Scotia has the highest per-capita incidence in the country (~217 per 100,000). Risk is concentrated where blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are established — generally southern and eastern Canada — and is expanding northward at an estimated 35–55 km per year as the climate warms. The three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) reported zero cases in 2024 and have no established tick populations.

The United States reports far more Lyme disease than Canada in absolute terms. The U.S. CDC recorded over 89,000 reported cases in 2023 and estimates approximately 476,000 cases are actually diagnosed and treated each year (based on health-insurance claims, 2010–2018), compared with Canada’s roughly 5,239 reported cases in 2024. The gap reflects both the larger U.S. population and longer-established tick range. The CDC comparison also reveals that true Lyme burden runs several times higher than routine surveillance captures — underreporting that researchers say applies to Canada as well.

No. Surveillance counts only cases that are diagnosed, lab-confirmed or probable, and reported to public health. The U.S. CDC comparison — approximately 476,000 estimated cases versus about 89,000 reported — shows that true incidence can run roughly 5 to 10 times higher than reported counts, and Canadian researchers note the same underreporting applies here. For that reason, all Canadian figures on this page should be read as reported cases, not as a complete count of every infection.