Lyme Disease Statistics

Please note that Canadian Lyme disease statistics tend to be a few years out of date. Only Ontario reports Lyme disease cases within a few months of being recorded. It is also helpful to be aware that the case definition for Lyme disease changed in 2016, so any abrupt jumps seen in statistics for that year don't necessarily mean it was a bad year for Lyme infections in a province. It may just mean that more cases fit the revised definition.
Updated: July 5, 2023

National

2022 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 2,168 cases diagnosed nationally in 2022. (Preliminary numbers.)
  • Between 2009 and 2022, 17,080 human cases of Lyme have been recorded in Canada.
  • Total number of annual Lyme cases in 2021 were the highest ever recorded for a single year.


British Columbia

2019 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 14 cases reported.
  • 50% of cases involved European strains.
  • 25% of cases were contracted within the province.


Alberta

2020 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 4 cases reported.
  • 15% of blacklegged ticks collected in AB were infected with Lyme bacteria.
  • Between 1991 and 2020, 132 cases of Lyme disease were reported in Alberta. All cases were acquired outside the province.



Saskatchewan

2022 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 2 cases recorded.
  • Both cases were travel related.
  • No blacklegged ticks collected in SK were positive for Lyme bacteria.


Manitoba

2022 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 38 cases reported.
  • 27 were confirmed, 11 were probable.


Ontario

The first quarter of 2023 are the most current statistics available.

  • 48 cases of Lyme disease diagnosed between January 2023 and March 2023.
  • 2023 case counts are above the 5-year average for the first 3 months of the year.


Quebec

2021 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 709 cases were reported.
  • 92% of Lyme infections were acquired within the province.
  • 2021 annual case totals are the highest ever recorded.


Newfoundland & Labrabor

2021 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 10 cases have been recorded since 1991.
  • No cases of Lyme have been acquired within the province.


Nova Scotia

2021 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 594 confirmed or probable Lyme disease cases in 2021.
  • Most cases were recorded in the 60+ age group.
  • There was a significant decrease in Lyme cases in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019.


New Brunswick

2019 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • 35 laboratory confirmed cases in 2019.
  • Case numbers significantly higher than the 20 recorded in 2018.
  • Lyme rates have been trending upwards over the past eight years.


Prince Edward Island

2023 is the most current year for which statistics are available.

  • Only one locally acquired case has ever been recorded (in 2012).
  • On average there are 0-4 cases of Lyme reported each year.