Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada
Canada: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people was 6.01 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.01 million people
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
61st
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.59 million people
in 1966
All-time low
4.09 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada stood at 6.01 million people.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada peaked at 6.59 million people in 1966 and was at its lowest, 4.09 million people, in 1950.
That places Canada 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.09 million people | — |
| 1951 | 4.27 million people | +4.4% |
| 1952 | 4.46 million people | +4.4% |
| 1953 | 4.65 million people | +4.3% |
| 1954 | 4.85 million people | +4.3% |
| 1955 | 5.05 million people | +4.1% |
| 1956 | 5.25 million people | +4.0% |
| 1957 | 5.48 million people | +4.2% |
| 1958 | 5.69 million people | +3.9% |
| 1959 | 5.87 million people | +3.2% |
| 1960 | 6.04 million people | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 6.19 million people | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 6.32 million people | +2.0% |
| 1963 | 6.42 million people | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 6.50 million people | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 6.56 million people | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 6.59 million people | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 6.59 million people | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 6.56 million people | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 6.51 million people | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 6.47 million people | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 6.42 million people | -0.7% |
| 1972 | 6.35 million people | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 6.25 million people | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 6.16 million people | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 6.07 million people | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 5.97 million people | -1.6% |
| 1977 | 5.87 million people | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 5.76 million people | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 5.66 million people | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 5.59 million people | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 5.55 million people | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 5.54 million people | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 5.54 million people | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 5.53 million people | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 5.52 million people | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 5.52 million people | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 5.55 million people | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 5.61 million people | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 5.68 million people | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 5.76 million people | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 5.83 million people | +1.3% |
| 1992 | 5.90 million people | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 5.96 million people | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 5.99 million people | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 6.01 million people | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 6.02 million people | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 6.02 million people | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 6.00 million people | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 5.97 million people | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 5.93 million people | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 5.90 million people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 5.87 million people | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 5.84 million people | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 5.79 million people | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 5.74 million people | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 5.70 million people | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 5.67 million people | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 5.66 million people | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 5.66 million people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5.66 million people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5.67 million people | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 5.70 million people | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 5.74 million people | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 5.79 million people | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 5.84 million people | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 5.90 million people | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 5.95 million people | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 6.00 million people | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 6.04 million people | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 6.06 million people | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 6.05 million people | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 6.04 million people | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.01 million people | -0.4% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 6.01 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 424,895 people, 14.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.97 million people | 4.09 million people | 5.87 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.43 million people | 6.04 million people | 6.59 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.10 million people | 5.66 million people | 6.47 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.56 million people | 5.52 million people | 5.68 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.95 million people | 5.76 million people | 6.02 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.78 million people | 5.66 million people | 5.93 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.83 million people | 5.66 million people | 6.04 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.04 million people | 6.01 million people | 6.06 million people | 4 |
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 share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada?
- Share of children, working-age adults, and older people in Canada was 6.01 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 6.59 million people in 1966.
- What is the lowest share of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.09 million people in 1950.
- How does Canada rank for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Canada ranks 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.