Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada, 2008 to 2012
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Released: 2013-07-09
The Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada, Statistics Canada's analysis of the current demographic situation of the country, is now available.
The report includes analysis of trends in population growth, age structure and marital status, and looks at each component of population growth: fertility, mortality and migration (interprovincial and international).
One of the findings related to fertility is that women in their thirties now experience higher fertility rates than women in their twenties. For the first time in 2010, the fertility rate was higher for women aged 35 to 39 (51.7 births per 1,000 women) than for women aged 20 to 24 (48.0). By 2011, this gap had widened to 52.3 and 45.7 births per 1,000 women respectively.
Mortality data showed that according to mortality rates observed in 1931, 75.2% of persons would have remained alive from birth to age 50, while for rates observed in 2009 this proportion had increased to 95.3%.
According to the analysis on immigration, for the first time since comparable data became available (1980), Canada accepted a greater proportion of immigrants from Africa (13.8%) in 2010 than from Europe (13.3%). Data for 2011 show that the gap widened between the two continents, with Africa accounting for 13.6% of all immigrants admitted compared with 11.9% for Europe. Asia, including the Middle East, remained the main source region of immigrants to Canada in 2010 and 2011, as it had been in previous years.
In terms of marital status, there was a large increase in the proportions of the population in their twenties and thirties that were never legally married in 2011 compared with 1981. For young adults aged 25 to 29, the proportion that had never been married rose from about one-quarter of this population (26.0%) in 1981 to close to three-quarters (73.1%) in 2011.
Note to readers
Since its inception in 1985, the Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada has analysed recent demographic patterns at the national, provincial and sub-provincial levels. In 2011, the report transformed to a dynamic, Internet-only publication. The new format is designed to always provide the most recent data and analysis on Canadian demographics as soon as they are available.
The Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada (Catalogue number91-209-X) is now available from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@canada.ca).
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