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
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.
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 growth rate, by level of development 0.3% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 269,496 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.