U.S. physicians earned an average of $386,000 in 2025, according to Medscape’s April 10 “Physician Compensation Report.” Physicians in Canada reported average total compensation of 394,000 Canadian dollars, or about $283,000, according to Medscape’s Sept. 29 “Canada: Physician Compensation Report 2026.” At that rate, U.S. physicians earn about 36% more than Canadian physicians.
Canadian physicians reported an average base salary of 290,000 Canadian dollars, or about $209,000.
Here are six ways physician pay in the two countries compares:
1. Canadian physicians are less likely to feel fairly paid. Fifty-three percent of U.S. physicians said they are fairly compensated, up from 48% in last year’s report. In Canada, 47% said the same. Among Canadian physicians who felt underpaid, 49% said they should earn 11% to 25% more, and 31% said they should earn 26% to 50% more.
2. More Canadian physicians saw their pay fall. Twenty-three percent of Canadian respondents said their 2025 earnings went down: 12% by 1% to 10%, 9% by 11% to 25%, and 2% by more than 25%. In the U.S., 17% of physicians reported a pay decrease.
3. Raises were more common in the U.S. Forty-two percent of U.S. physicians said their pay increased in 2025, compared with 35% of Canadian physicians. In both countries, most raises fell between 1% and 10%. Roughly 4 in 10 physicians in each country said their compensation stayed the same: 42% in the U.S. and 41% in Canada.
4. Incentive bonuses play a small role in Canadian pay. The average incentive bonus among all Canadian respondents was 12,000 Canadian dollars, or about $9,000, and only 4% of those who did not report a bonus in 2025 are eligible for one. In the U.S., 65% of physicians can qualify for an incentive bonus, and the average award was $49,000. RVUs generated were the most common factor in calculating U.S. bonuses, cited by 59% of respondents.
5. Canadian physicians log significant unpaid time. Canadian respondents spent an average of 17 hours a week on work outside patient visits, such as paperwork, EHR documentation, administrative work, clinical reading and research, and 76% said they are not paid for that time. They saw an average of 86 patients a week: 120 for primary care physicians and 67 for specialists. U.S. physicians reported working an average of 49 hours a week.
“It is frustrating not to get paid for all the administrative work that we do for our patients. This work is absolutely necessary for appropriate care,” one Canadian physician said in the survey.
6. Taxes weigh on Canadian physicians. Seventy percent of Canadian respondents said the amount they are taxed is unfair, including 33% who called it very unfair. Twenty-seven percent considered their tax burden fair. The U.S. report did not ask about taxes, but 28% of U.S. physicians said their pay falls short of their family’s financial needs.
The U.S. report is based on responses from 5,916 full-time U.S. physicians surveyed Sept. 5 to Dec. 17, 2025. The Canadian report is based on 363 physicians surveyed Feb. 26 to June 29, 2026, with a margin of error of 5.14% at a 95% confidence level. Canadian figures were converted to U.S. dollars using the Bank of Canada’s August 2026 average exchange rate.
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