Daily challenges persist for Canada’s cystic fibrosis community, even as it reaches a new milestone 

Toronto (January 22, 2026) – Canada’s cystic fibrosis (CF) community has reached a new milestone, with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry 2024 Annual Data Report showing that at 4,571, the cystic fibrosis population in Canada is the largest ever recorded. 

Thanks to years of data contributed by families and care teams across the country – and donor support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada, which maintains Canada’s world-class Canadian CF Registry – the report provides a clear picture of meaningful progress, including improvements in lung health.  

Yet the report also underscores that cystic fibrosis continues to place significant demands on daily life, and that progress has not reached everyone. Many people living with CF experience frequent infections, hospitalizations, CF-related diabetes, and ongoing mental health challenges.  

The report reflects data reported by CF clinics in 2024. Highlights include: 

• The number of people living with CF in Canada has reached 4,571, the highest ever recorded. 
• Lung function in children with CF is on par with their healthy peers. In adults, median lung function is 85% of their healthy peers, reflecting steady improvement even though many adults have suffered irreparable lung damage. 
• Half of babies born with CF today are expected to live beyond 64 years. 
• Infections and CF-related diabetes are common, with 23% of Canada’s CF population having a pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in 2024 and nearly one-third (32%) of the adult CF population in Canada living with CF-related diabetes. 

As Cystic Fibrosis Canada celebrates its 65th anniversary, the organization recognizes that the progress within CF has given rise to a new set of challenges. More people are managing CF as a lifelong condition with complex health needs. This is new territory for the CF community and for the professionals who treat them.  

“There is a new set of health needs emerging in Canada’s cystic fibrosis community, and we expect these needs to continue evolving,” says Kelly Grover, President and CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. “One of our priorities, working with the CF community and clinics, is to ensure care keeps pace – especially in areas like mental health support and CF-related diabetes.” 

The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry Annual Data Report has long provided valuable real-world information that quantifies what it is to live with CF at a population level. It includes demographic information like the age and location of Canada’s CF population and its composition by genetic mutation; insights into the lung function, body mass index, and respiratory health of Canadians living with CF as well as their use of therapies; number of interactions with the health care system; rate of complications such as diabetes, mental health concerns; and survival data.