Abstract Background Individual goal setting is a fundamental element in self-management supportive interventions, serving to guide actions and enhance motivation for engagement. Despite this, little is known about the goals people with back pain have and to what extent these differ across genders, age groups and geographical location. This study aimed to elucidate this by first describing individual goals set by Danish and Canadian participants in a self-management intervention for people with back pain using the ICF framework; then, determining what proportion of these goals met criteria for being specific, measurable, acceptable, and time bound, and finally, by investigating differences between countries, sexes, and age groups. Methods In a cross-sectional study conducted August 2018 to June 2020, 394 Danish and 133 Canadian (Alberta Province) participants defined their individual goals of participating in a self-management programme involving patient education and supervised exercises. The goals were linked to the ICF framework. Distribution of goals was compared between countries, sexes, and age groups. Results Goals most often related to the ICF component of ‘Activity and Participation’. The most prevalent goals were “Walking” (DK: 20%; CA: 15%) and “Maintaining a body position” (DK: 17%; CA: 22%). Only few goals differed between populations, age and sex. All elements of SMART goal setting were recorded for 88% of Danish and 94% of Alberta participants. Conclusions People with low back pain attending a self-management programme established goals according to the SMART criteria and focused primarily on activity. Goals were similar across countries and showed few differences across sex and age groups. The high number of different goals points to the need for individualised person-centred care.