FP News Features

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Spike in seniors, small kids among highlights of latest numbers from 2011 census

By: The Canadian Press

Posted: 05/29/2012 7:39 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 05/29/2012 11:22 AM

OTTAWA - Highlights from the latest set of numbers from the 2011 census, released Tuesday by Statistics Canada:

— The number of seniors aged 65 and over in Canada increased 14.1 per cent to nearly five million, a faster rate of growth than that for children aged 14 and under (0.5 per cent) and people aged 15 to 64 (5.7 per cent).

Census 2011

Census 2011

Explore the numbers and see how different regions of Canada compare and have changed since the last census in 2006.
INTERACTIVE: Canada's age pyramid
Census 2011 makes history: population in the West surpasses that in the East

Related Items

Articles
- New census data shows Canada aging quickly, despite new burst of toddlers

— Seniors accounted for a record high of 14.8 per cent of the Canadian population in 2011, up from 13.7 per cent five years earlier.

— The number of children aged 4 and under increased 11 per cent, the highest growth rate for that age group since the latter half of the baby boom between 1956 and 1961. It marks the first time in 50 years that Canada has seen an increase in small children in every province and territory.

— People aged 100 or older comprised the second fastest-growing age group in Canada, after those aged 60-64; there were 5,825 centenarians in 2011, an increase of 25.7 per cent since 2006.

— For the first time, there were more people in Canada aged 55 to 64 — typically the age group where people leave the labour force — than aged 15 to 24, when they typically enter it.

— In 2011, people aged 15 to 64 — the working-age population — represented 68.5 per cent of the Canadian population, the highest proportion of all G8 countries except Russia.

— Among the working-age population, a record high 42.4 per cent of people were in the age group 45 to 64, most of them baby boomers.

— In 2011, the proportion of seniors was the highest in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and British Columbia.

— In 2011, all large municipalities located west of Ontario had a lower proportion of people aged 65 and over than the national average of 14.8 per cent, except for the B.C. cities of Kelowna and Victoria.

— Nearly one in five people were aged 65 and over in Peterborough, Ont., and Trois-Rivieres, Que.; in Calgary, the ratio was less than one in 10.

— Among smaller communities, the Vancouver Island community of Parksville, B.C., and Elliot Lake, Ont., had the highest proportion of seniors — 38.6 per cent and 35.1 per cent, respectively, more than twice the national average of 14.8 per cent.

— In 2011, five of the 10 smaller communities that registered the highest proportions of people aged 15 to 64 were in Alberta.

— Seven of the 10 municipalities with the highest proportion of seniors were in British Columbia.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More FP News Features

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.