Share of births outside marriage in Canada
Canada: Share of births outside marriage was 32.65 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
32.65
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
29th
of 42 countries
All-time high
35.62
in 2015
All-time low
4.3
in 1960
Years of data
44
1960–2020
Share of births outside marriage in Canada, 1960–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of births outside marriage in Canada stood at 32.65.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Canada peaked at 35.62 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 4.3, in 1960.
Canada ranks 29th of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Share of births outside marriage in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.3 | — |
| 1961 | 4.5 | +4.7% |
| 1962 | 4.8 | +6.7% |
| 1963 | 5.3 | +10.4% |
| 1964 | 5.9 | +11.3% |
| 1965 | 6.7 | +13.6% |
| 1966 | 7.6 | +13.4% |
| 1967 | 8.3 | +9.2% |
| 1968 | 9 | +8.4% |
| 1969 | 9.2 | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 9.6 | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 9 | -6.2% |
| 1972 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 9 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 27 | +200.0% |
| 1992 | 28.2 | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 29.2 | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 29.6 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 30.5 | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 30.9 | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 31.4 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 31.3 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 31.2 | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 31.7 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 31.36 | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 31.64 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 29.23 | -7.6% |
| 2004 | 28.85 | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 29.05 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 30.61 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 30.97 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 32.09 | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 32.21 | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 32.3 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 33.42 | +3.5% |
| 2012 | 33.03 | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 32.73 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 33.2 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 35.62 | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 33.87 | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 33.85 | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 33.44 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 33.16 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 32.65 | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.56 | 4.3 | 9.2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.15 | 9 | 9.6 | 4 |
| 1990s | 29.92 | 27 | 31.4 | 9 |
| 2000s | 30.77 | 28.85 | 32.21 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.46 | 32.3 | 35.62 | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.65 | 32.65 | 32.65 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More population data for Canada
- 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)
- Population growth rate 0.327 (2100)
- Population density 6.1 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.33 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.327 (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.7644 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled 269,496 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births outside marriage in Canada?
- Share of births outside marriage in Canada was 32.65 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 35.62 in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.3 in 1960.
- How does Canada rank for share of births outside marriage?
- Canada ranks 29th out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).