Canadians living longer, fewer babies

[Bengal_Tiger]

Canada's population growing older: StatsCan








Canadians are living longer, and having fewer babies, according to Statistics Canada’s most recent aging numbers.






Canadians are living longer, and having fewer babies, according to Statistics Canada's most recent aging numbers.

Statistics Canada reported Wednesday the proportion of seniors will grow more quickly in the coming years as the first generation of baby boomers are now reaching their golden years.

On July 1, 2011, the number of seniors (65 years or older) was almost five million, or 14.4 per cent of Canada's population, up 0.3 percentage points from July 1, 2010.

On the other hand, the proportion of children under the age of 15 has decreased, representing 16.4 per cent of the total population or 5,644,800.

As of Canada Day, the median age of Canada's population was estimated at 39.9 years, up 0.2 year from a year earlier. Median age is the age at which half of the population is older and half is younger.

Newfoundland and Labrador has the country's highest median age (43.8 years) and the fewest children under the age of 15 (14.8 per cent), according to StatsCan.

The median age in the other Atlantic provinces is also above the national average: 42.2 years in Prince Edward Island, 43.1 years in Nova Scotia and 43 years in New Brunswick.

For the first time in its history, Quebec has more seniors (1,253,600) than young people under the age of 15 (1,241,700).

The three Prairie provinces are the country's youngest.

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the only provinces where the median age declined last year.

The highest proportion of young people in Canada is also in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, at 18.8 per cent and 19 per cent respectively.

Alberta had, on July 1, the youngest population among the provinces with a median age of 36 years and the lowest proportion of seniors, at 10.8 per cent.

British Columbia, on the other hand, was the only province in the West where the median age was higher than that of the country as a whole, at 41.1 years. Seniors account for 15.3 per cent of B.C.'s population.

It was also the only province in the West where there were fewer children under the age of 15 (684,900) than seniors (700,500).

The territories are even more sprightly than the Prairie provinces, with Nunavut having the youngest population in Canada, with a median age of 24.8 years.

Almost a third of the Nunavut population is under the age of 15, the highest proportion in the country.

The Northwest Territories' population is also younger than the national average, with the median age at 31.8 years and 21.2 per cent of the population under the age of 15.

Among the territories, Yukon had the oldest population. Its median age was estimated at 39.2 years and the proportion of seniors was 8.8 per cent







Read more: http://www.canada.com/life/Canada+po...#ixzz1ZH6e8Ylq

[Bengal_Tiger]

Half of Canadians will have at least 40 candles on their next birthday cake, according to a new population analysis from Statistics Canada.
The agency reports that the median age of Canada's population has climbed to 39.9 years as of July 1, up 0.2 years over what it was a year ago.
That means that half the people living in Canada are older than this figure, while the other half are younger, which implies that 50 per cent of the population will have lived at least four decades by the time they hit their next birthday.
StatsCan said the median age is increasing because elderly Canadians are living longer and their younger counterparts are not having enough children to replace older generations.
The populations of provinces in Atlantic Canada have the highest median ages in the country, with Newfoundland and Labrador (43.8 years), Nova Scotia (43.1 years), New Brunswick (43.0 years) and Prince Edward Island (42.2 years) all sitting above the national average.
Quebec's population had a median age of 41.4 years as of July 1, while StatsCan said that Ontario's population had a median age of 39.6 years.
British Columbia, at 41.1 years, was the only western province where the median age was higher than the national average. Manitoba (37.6 years) and Saskatchewan (37.3 years) both had a median age that was above Alberta, which at 36.0 years was the lowest among all of the provinces in Canada.
Nunavut had the youngest population in the country with a median age of just 24.8 years. The median age of the population in the Yukon was 39.2 years, compared to 31.8 years in the Northwest Territories.
StatsCan also reports that Canada's population now sits at an estimated 34,482,800 people.
In terms of the aging population, StatsCan estimates that there are currently more than 4.97 million seniors in Canada.
But that number is only going to increase as the baby boomers enter their golden years.
Only the eldest of the Canadians born in the aftermath of the Second World War have turned 65, which means that most baby boomers are still in the midst of their working lives.
StatsCan said seniors now make up about 14.4 per cent of the population, an increase of 0.3 percentage points over last year.

http://m.ctv.ca/topstories/20110928/...rs-110928.html

[Janana]

It'll be interesting to watch how our increasingly strict immigration policy will come into play with the aging population. In the last election, the current government fought hard to win the ethnic vote but has since only screwed our immigration system.

[Bengal_Tiger]

It'll be interesting to watch how our increasingly strict immigration policy will come into play with the aging population. In the last election, the current government fought hard to win the ethnic vote but has since only screwed our immigration system.

I've never been to Canada but only heard good things about it, bar the cold weather.

I know it's the second biggest country in the world, size wise but with a population smaller than Britain, so plenty of space for growth.

As far as I know Canada has a selective immigration policy whereby they seek to attract professionals etc, and are and have historically been more tolerant than the USA.

[Janana]

I know it's the second biggest country in the world, size wise but with a population smaller than Britain, so plenty of space for growth.

As far as I know Canada has a selective immigration policy whereby they seek to attract professionals etc, and are and have historically been more tolerant than the USA.

We are large, though I'd say about a third of our population lives at or below the 49th parallel. The vast majority of our north is uninhabited and inhospitable.

Yes, our immigration system really took flight in the mid 1970s when new legislation was introduced. Our influx of immigrants in the 80s was huge. I know Chinese and Indian families that have been successful in bringing virtually every family member in a span of four generations here. We are more selective now than ever before, and fast track permanent residency for skilled workers and those on student visas.

[Bengal_Tiger]

You're not bad at ice hockey either.

[Janana]

You're not bad at ice hockey either.

Actually that's one of the only things we're good at . Not sure if you're into hockey BT, but I have a great memory of meeting Bobby Orr as a child.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Not really in to ice hockey, but does look fun to play.

[randolph85]

shrinking populations may not seem like a big deal now, but they will be in the next 100 years when the 3rd world economies develop and have a huge work force.

[Ghorzang]

Proud to be a Canadian.

[Janana]

^ I second that Ghorzang!

[Laila]

I think i would want to prefer live in Canada than the US. As long as Canada has a state like California.

[Bengal_Tiger]

A few years back during the Bush era, the Iraq war and intense anti-Americanism across the world, US backpackers and others used to put Canadian flags on their bags so as to avoid being thought of as Americans.

The world respects Canada, and it is hostile to the USA.

[Janana]

I think i would want to prefer live in Canada than the US. As long as Canada has a state like California.

Lol we totally have that Laila, it's called BC.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Do you have surfdudes who say "Dude..that's like...so like...like...aaaaahwwsssaaaooom!" and seem like they came out of a Bill and Ted movie, and the blaads and the crips too in this Canadian version of California?