Canada vs Italy: Share of children who were born outside of marriage

Canada
32.7%
in 2020
Italy
33.8%
in 2020
Canada rank
29th
Italy rank
27th

Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time

  • Canada
  • Italy
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How they compare

Italy currently reports 33.8% against 32.7% in Canada, a difference of 1.1%.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 44 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 29th and Italy ranks 27th of 42 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 5 and Italy in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade Canada Italy Difference Ahead
1960s 6.6% 2.1% 4.4% Canada
1970s 9.2% 2.4% 6.8% Canada
1990s 29.9% 8.0% 22.0% Canada
2000s 30.8% 14.6% 16.2% Canada
2010s 33.5% 29.0% 4.5% Canada
2020s 32.7% 33.8% 1.1% Italy

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Canada or Italy?
Italy, at 33.8% against 32.7% in Canada as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Canada and Italy?
1.1%, with Italy ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Italy?
44 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
How do Canada and Italy rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
Canada ranks 29th and Italy ranks 27th of 42 countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Canada vs Italy: Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid, drawing on OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-births-outside-marriage/canada/italy/

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<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/compare/share-of-births-outside-marriage/canada/italy/">Canada vs Italy: Share of children who were born outside of marriage</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Unit
%
Source
OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed

Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.