Studies assessing dyspnoea and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have focussed on patients in clinical settings, not the general population.The aim of this analysis was to compare the prevalence and severity of dyspnoea and impaired HRQoL in individuals with and without COPD from the general population, focussing on mild–moderate COPD.Analysis of the 3-year Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) study included four subgroups: mild COPD (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 1); moderate COPD (GOLD 2); non-COPD smokers; and non-COPD never-smokers. The primary outcome was dyspnoea (Medical Research Council (MRC) scale), and the secondary outcome was HRQoL (COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score; Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score). Subgroups were analysed by sex, physician-diagnosed COPD status and exacerbations.1443 participants (mild COPD (n=397); moderate COPD (n=262(; smokers (n=449) and never-smokers (n=335)) were studied. People with mild COPD were more likely to report more severe dyspnoea (MRC 2 versus 1) than those without COPD (OR (95% CI) 1.42 (1.05–1.91)), and non-COPD never-smokers (OR (95%CI) 1.64 (1.07–2.52)). Among people with mild COPD, more severe dyspnoea was reported in women versus men (MRC2 versus 1; OR (95% CI) 3.70 (2.23–6.14)); people with, versus without, physician-diagnosed COPD (MRC2 versus 1; OR (95% CI) 3.27 (1.71–6.23)), and people with versus without recent exacerbations (MRC2 versus 1; ≥2 versus 0 exacerbations: OR (95% CI) 3.62 (1.02–12.86); MRC ≥3 versus 1; 1 versus 0 exacerbation: OR (95% CI): 9.24 (2.01–42.42)). Similar between-group differences were obtained for CAT and SGRQ scores.Careful assessment of dyspnoea and HRQoL could help identify individuals for earlier diagnosis and treatment.