Victoria indicators

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Surgery waiting list, in weeks of surgeries

Calculated hereArea: Vancouver Island (Island Health) compared with Comparison area: All of B.C. Fiscal year 2025/26 (list on March 31, 2026) · Where this covers · How we calculated this

17.3 weeks of surgeries

Getting better

Was 19.1 in 2024/25. Royal Jubilee 14.2, Victoria General 22.0, B.C. 17.6

Not anyone’s actual wait

Source: Calculated here from B.C. Ministry of Health data, 2025/26 · How we calculated this

What it measures

The number of people waiting for scheduled surgery, expressed as weeks of surgeries at this year’s pace: people waiting ÷ surgeries done in the year × 52. Shown for Island Health, Royal Jubilee and Victoria General, and all of B.C.

Why it matters

The typical wait only counts people who already had surgery. This shows how big the queue of people still waiting is compared with how many operations hospitals do.

Over time

Waiting list size, in weeks of surgeries (not anyone's actual wait)

  • Island Health (all hospitals): 17.3 weeks (2025/26)
  • Royal Jubilee Hospital: 14.2 weeks (2025/26)
  • Victoria General Hospital: 22.0 weeks (2025/26)
  • All of B.C.: 17.6 weeks (2025/26)
Line chart of 4 lines, 9 periods from 2017/18 to 2025/26. Island Health (all hospitals): starts at 20.1 weeks (2017/18), ends at 17.3 weeks (2025/26); highest 20.8 weeks (2019/20), lowest 16.9 weeks (2021/22). Royal Jubilee Hospital: starts at 19.7 weeks (2017/18), ends at 14.2 weeks (2025/26); highest 19.7 weeks (2017/18), lowest 14.2 weeks (2025/26). Victoria General Hospital: starts at 16.0 weeks (2017/18), ends at 22.0 weeks (2025/26); highest 23.1 weeks (2023/24), lowest 15.5 weeks (2018/19). All of B.C.: starts at 19.0 weeks (2017/18), ends at 17.6 weeks (2025/26); highest 19.6 weeks (2019/20), lowest 17.1 weeks (2024/25). Every value is in the table.0.010.020.030.02019/202022/232025/262017/18: Island Health (all hospitals): 20.1 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 19.7 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 16.0 weeks; All of B.C.: 19.0 weeks2018/19: Island Health (all hospitals): 17.8 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 17.4 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 15.5 weeks; All of B.C.: 18.1 weeks2019/20: Island Health (all hospitals): 20.8 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 19.4 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 20.1 weeks; All of B.C.: 19.6 weeks2020/21: Island Health (all hospitals): 17.2 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 16.8 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 17.4 weeks; All of B.C.: 18.5 weeks2021/22: Island Health (all hospitals): 16.9 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 15.0 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 19.3 weeks; All of B.C.: 18.4 weeks2022/23: Island Health (all hospitals): 17.7 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 16.5 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 20.4 weeks; All of B.C.: 17.7 weeks2023/24: Island Health (all hospitals): 20.2 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 18.0 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 23.1 weeks; All of B.C.: 18.1 weeks2024/25: Island Health (all hospitals): 19.1 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 14.6 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 21.8 weeks; All of B.C.: 17.1 weeks2025/26: Island Health (all hospitals): 17.3 weeks; Royal Jubilee Hospital: 14.2 weeks; Victoria General Hospital: 22.0 weeks; All of B.C.: 17.6 weeks

The scale starts at 0.0. Tap, hover or drag along the chart to see each value.

How we decided “getting better”

A lower number means the waiting list is smaller compared with how many surgeries are done in a year. This is not anyone's actual wait; see Weeks waiting for surgery for that. Island Health: 19,457 people waiting at year end and 58,424 surgeries done in 2025/26, so the list equals 17.3 weeks of surgeries, compared with 19.1 in 2024/25 (-9.6%). Royal Jubilee 14.2 weeks, Victoria General 22.0 weeks (was 16.0 in 2017/18), all of B.C. 17.6 weeks. The rules.

How we calculated this

Calculated here This figure is not published by an agency as is. It is calculated here, by script, from the public data listed below. It belongs with Weeks waiting for surgery.

Formula

Weeks of surgeries on the list = people waiting at the end of the fiscal year ÷ surgeries completed in that year × 52.

With the latest numbers

  • Island Health (all hospitals), 2025/26: 19,457 ÷ 58,424 × 52 = 17.3 weeks.
  • Royal Jubilee Hospital, 2025/26: 3,976 ÷ 14,532 × 52 = 14.2 weeks.
  • Victoria General Hospital, 2025/26: 3,438 ÷ 8,131 × 52 = 22.0 weeks.
  • All of B.C., 2025/26: 97,963 ÷ 289,315 × 52 = 17.6 weeks.

Inputs

Keep in mind

  • Not anyone's actual wait. It is the size of the list compared with a year of surgeries. Actual waits are on the Weeks waiting for surgery page.
  • Calculated here: people waiting on March 31 divided by the surgeries completed during the fiscal year, times 52.
  • All procedures are combined, from cataracts to cancer surgery, so a change in the mix of procedures can move it.
  • The waiting count starts when the hospital receives the booking form from the surgeon. The earlier wait to see the specialist is not in this data.
  • Island Health hospitals also treat people from outside Greater Victoria.

Retrieved Nov 11, 2026, 12:43 AM B.C. time. This page’s data and calculation (JSON).

Source

Calculated here from
B.C. Ministry of Health
Period
Fiscal year 2025/26 (list on March 31, 2026)
Updated
Annually (quarterly interim files during the year)
Retrieved
Nov 11, 2026, 12:43 AM B.C. time
Show the numbers as a table
Waiting list size, in weeks of surgeries (not anyone's actual wait) (newest first)
PeriodIsland Health (all hospitals)Royal Jubilee HospitalVictoria General HospitalAll of B.C.
2025/2617.314.222.017.6
2024/2519.114.621.817.1
2023/2420.218.023.118.1
2022/2317.716.520.417.7
2021/2216.915.019.318.4
2020/2117.216.817.418.5
2019/2020.819.420.119.6
2018/1917.817.415.518.1
2017/1820.119.716.019.0

Where this covers

Area: Vancouver Island (Island Health)

Island Health’s whole service area: Vancouver Island and surrounding communities, not only Greater Victoria.

Included

  • All Island Health hospitals on Vancouver Island and in surrounding communities, from Greater Victoria to the North Island
  • Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals are also shown separately on this page

Not included

  • The Lower Mainland and the rest of B.C. (served by other health authorities)

Official definition

Shown for comparison

  • Comparison area: All of B.C. The whole province of British Columbia. No open figure is published for Victoria alone.

How the agency describes it: Island Health, with Royal Jubilee and Victoria General hospitals, compared with British Columbia.

Connected to: Provincial (health authority). This is a label, not a judgement.

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