Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Canada
Canada: Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) was 7,999 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
7,999 thousands
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
20th
of 233 countries
All-time high
7,999 thousands
in 2025
All-time low
1,672 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 65 years or older in Canada, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Canada recorded 7,999 thousands for population aged 65 years or older in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 41.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Canada peaked at 7,999 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,672 thousands, in 1970.
That places Canada 20th out of 233 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Canada, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 1,672 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 1,724 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 1,773 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 1,820 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 1,870 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 1,922 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 1,983 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 2,048 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 2,116 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 2,187 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 2,264 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 2,338 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 2,407 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 2,469 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 2,532 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 2,608 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 2,696 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 2,791 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 2,886 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 2,979 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 3,076 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 3,171 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 3,256 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 3,337 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 3,412 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 3,485 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 3,561 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 3,637 thousands | +2.1% |
| 1998 | 3,710 thousands | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 3,777 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 3,839 thousands | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 3,906 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 3,974 thousands | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 4,041 thousands | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 4,112 thousands | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 4,189 thousands | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 4,276 thousands | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 4,380 thousands | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 4,493 thousands | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 4,619 thousands | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 4,752 thousands | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 4,898 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 5,075 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 5,277 thousands | +4.0% |
| 2014 | 5,473 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 5,662 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 5,854 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 6,062 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 6,275 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 6,502 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 6,746 thousands | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 6,984 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2022 | 7,230 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 7,476 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 7,739 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 7,999 thousands | +3.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 7,999 thousands is above the median for high income countries, which is 291.46 thousands, 27.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,912 thousands | 1,672 thousands | 2,187 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,597 thousands | 2,264 thousands | 2,979 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,442 thousands | 3,076 thousands | 3,777 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,183 thousands | 3,839 thousands | 4,619 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,583 thousands | 4,752 thousands | 6,502 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,362 thousands | 6,746 thousands | 7,999 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More population data for Canada
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2634 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 45,891 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.7644 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.3863 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population aged 65 years or older in Canada?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Canada was 7,999 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 7,999 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,672 thousands in 1970.
- How does Canada rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Canada ranks 20th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release