Infographic 1
Age pyramid of Canada in 1871 and 2016: 150 years of demographic history

Infographic description

The title of the infographic is "Age pyramid of Canada in 1871 and 2016: 150 years of demographic history"

The title of this infographic is "Age pyramid of Canada in 1871 and 2016: 150 years of demographic history."

It comprises two overlapping pyramids that represent the age-sex structure of the population in 1871 (indicated by red lines) and in 2016 (indicated by a solid blue form).

The line and horizontal bars on the y-axis are located in the middle of the chart and divide the pyramids into two. They indicate the ages 0 to 100. Men are represented on the left side of the axis, and women on the right side.

The horizontal bars on the x-axis represent the proportion of people for each age per thousand from 0 to 18. They are identical on both the right and left sides of the y-axis.

The 1871 age pyramid has a wide base and a narrow apex, giving it a true pyramid shape. The shape of the 2016 age pyramid is less like a pyramid and more like a mushroom: narrower base, wider area between the ages of 50 and 70 years, and a pointed apex.

Three areas on the right side of the pyramid represent different generations and where those generations are situated on the 2016 age pyramid. The first area, indicated by a small peak in the pyramid, represents individuals who were between 15 and 34 years in 2016, often referred to as millennials. The second area, shown as a small dip in the pyramid, represents the smaller generations arising out of the baby bust in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The third area, in the "cap" of the mushroom, represents baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1965 and were therefore between the ages of 51 and 70 in 2016. It is much wider than the other areas.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1871 and 2016.