Many Canadians are rejecting the idea of becoming the 51st state of the United States, pointing out that Canada ranks better than their southern neighbour in terms of happiness, safety, life expectancy and even freedom.
Ever since taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump has been provoking Canada with the suggestion of annexing the country to become an American state.
Trump’s 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and threats have inspired a patriotic sentiment among many Canadians, who have been recently booing the American anthem during sports matches, boycotting American products for Canadian-made alternatives and defending strong retaliatory tariffs and other measures.
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Amid heightened tensions, some Canadians have even been comparing statistics between the two countries, asking themselves why they would even consider becoming part of the United States and raising the discussion online.
COMPARING CANADA TO THE U.S.
One Threads user even compared certain metrics between the two countries, including literacy rates, happiness, life expectancy and safety.
View on Threads
Although the U.S. ranks higher than Canada in quality of life according to the World Population Review, being the 12th on the list with an index of 185 on a scale of 0 to 220, while Canada is the 29th with a 161 index, Canada still seems to rank higher in other areas like happiness, life expectancy and safety.
While Canadians are expected to live up to around 83.26 years old, the average American in 2025 lives to be 79.40 years old, according to a Macrotrends study based on data from the United Nations.
Based on the numbers revealed by the World Population Review, Canadians are also happier than Americans, scoring as the 15th happiest country in the world, while the U.S. ranks 23rd.
In terms of safety, the difference is large. While Canada falls short of being one of the 10 safest countries in the world, with a 1.449 score on the Global Peace Index (GPI) and ranking 11th on the list, the U.S. is among the most dangerous places to live, scoring 2.622 on the GPI and ranking 131st.
While the living cost in both countries is similarly high, with the average single person spending CAD $13,757 a year in Canada and the average American spending around USD $12,000 to $20,000 per year, in Canada the minimum wage as of April will be CAD $17.75 per hour compared to USD $7.25 per hour in the U.S.
CANADIANS QUESTIONING AMERICANS’ PRIDE
Based on the numbers, some Canadians have been questioning Americans on their pride for their country’s living standards.
“I have no idea why Americans think they’re so great? I get having pride for your country. But why would you think Canadians want to be one of you? We only like you as a friend. Right now, not so much!” a Threads user commented.
“Not the 51st state. You have nothing to offer that we already [don’t] have,” one user added.
Many users also have been pointing out the cost of health care in both countries.
Canada has a tax-funded universal health-care system that covers most health-related services for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. The U.S., on the other hand, does not provide citizens with universal health care, while the average American spends around USD $14,570 in health care per year.
Some Americans have been disputing these comparisons by arguing that the U.S. beats Canada in terms of freedom, but that also doesn’t seem to be the case.
“FREEDOM: 100% USA / 0.03% Canada 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅,” a Threads user wrote.
According to the Human Freedom Index, the U.S. is currently the 17th freest country in the world, tied with the United Kingdom, while Canada is the 11th.
The system ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 10 (0 being no freedom at all and 10 absolute freedom) based on 12 categories, including the rule of law, safety, religion, regulations, and freedom of expression and information.
“US is a country which only talks about freedom, but actually has no idea what it is,” another user commented.
Meanwhile, American users seemed to joke that the U.S. should consider joining Canada instead.
“Are you taking applications for new provinces?,” a user said.
“Would you be interested in annexing CA (California)? Asking for a friend,” another user added.
