More than a third of Quebec seniors aged 65 and over have complex multimorbidity

Quebec's aging population is bound to come with major health-care costs, according to a new study. (Pexels)

More than half (57 per cent) of those aged 65 and over suffer from at least two chronic conditions, a condition the Quebec Statistics Institute (ISQ) refers to as multimorbidity in its latest update on population aging.

According to data published on Tuesday, in 2023–2024, 37 per cent of people aged 65 and over were living with complex multimorbidity.

This is more than three times the rate among those aged 50 to 64.

The ISQ defines multimorbidity as a person suffering from at least two chronic conditions from a list of 21 medical conditions. This list includes, amongst others, alcohol and drug abuse, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety and depression, cancers, hypertension and musculoskeletal disorders. Complex multimorbidity refers to at least three chronic conditions from this same list.

“For several years now, we have observed a decline in the prevalence of multimorbidity and complex multimorbidity among older adults in each age group (65–74 years and 75 years and over), and this applies to both women and men,” the ISQ report reads.

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It adds that “the gender gap is also narrowing,” particularly among those aged 65–74.

“Until recently, prevalence was higher among women than men, but the trend reversed in 2022–2023 for multimorbidity and in 2019–2020 for complex multimorbidity.”

However, it should be noted that there was a methodological break in 2016–2017 when changes were made to the fee-for-service medical billing system.

“The new system led to a decrease in the recording of diagnostic codes in the fee-for-service medical services database. Consequently, the prevalence of multimorbidity may have been underestimated from 2016–2017 onwards,” the ISQ says in its report.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in patient numbers, which may have disrupted certain indicators from 2020-2021 onwards.

The ISQ report published on Tuesday is based on findings from the Quebec Institute of Public Health (INSPQ), whose data comes from the Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System of Québec.

Unsurprisingly, given the aging population, the raw number of older people with multiple chronic conditions is on the rise. In 2023–2024, more than one million older people aged 65 and over had at least two chronic conditions. More than 700,000 in the same age group were considered to have complex multimorbidity, according to INSPQ figures.

The prevalence of multimorbidity increases with age. The majority of older adults aged 75 and over have two or more chronic conditions. This applies to 71 per cent of this age group, compared with 45 per cent of those aged 65–74. As for complex multimorbidity, approximately 26 per cent of older adults aged 65–74 are affected, and 51 per cent of those aged 75 and over.

Overall, in 2023–2024, the prevalence of multimorbidity is higher among women than men, at 58 per cent compared with 55 per cent. However, there are variations depending on age. For example, for complex multimorbidity, the rate among men aged 65–74 is slightly higher than among women in the same age group (25 per cent of women compared with 27 per cent of men).

The Canadian Press’s health coverage is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for this journalistic content.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 7, 2026.