Core housing need in Canada

Release date: September 21, 2022 Correction date: April 23, 2024
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Correction Notice

A correction was made in this infographic, in the section on the types of challenges faced by households in core housing need. The percentage of households in core housing need that faced inadequate housing only (represented by an icon with tools) has been corrected from 4.4% to 5.5%, while the percentage of those facing unsuitable housing only (represented by an icon with four people on a couch) has been corrected from 5.5% to 4.4%.

Infographic: Core housing need in Canada
Description: Core housing need in Canada

In 2021, 1 in 10 households were in core housing need


Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1. The information is grouped by Geography (appearing as row headers), 2021 (appearing as column headers).
Geography 2021
Canada 10.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador 8.0%
Prince Edward Island 7.0%
Nova Scotia 10.0%
New Brunswick 6.2%
Quebec 6.0%
Ontario 12.1%
Manitoba 10.1%
Saskatchewan 10.3%
Alberta 9.9%
British Columbia 13.4%
Yukon 13.1%
Northwest Territories 13.2%
Nunavut 32.9%

Households in core housing need live in an unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable dwelling and cannot afford alternative housing in their community. 

More than one in ten households in core housing need face more than one housing challenge


Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2. The information is grouped by One housing challenge (appearing as row headers), Rate (appearing as column headers).
One housing challenge Rate
Unaffordable housing 77.1%
Inadequate housing 5.5%
Unsuitable housing 4.4%
More than one 13.0%

Renters are more likely than owners to be in core housing need


Table 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 3. The information is grouped by Owner households (appearing as row headers), Renter households (appearing as column headers).
Owner households Renter households
5.3% 20.0%

Core housing need rates are highest in Canada’s primary downtowns


Table 4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 4. The information is grouped by Geography (appearing as row headers), Rate (appearing as column headers).
Geography Rate
Primary downtowns 18.4%
Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) 11.2%
Census agglomerations (CAs) 6.8%
Outside CMAs and CAs 7.2%

Legend:

Unaffordable housing: A household that spends more than 30% of its income on shelter cost.

Inadequate housing:  A household that lives in a dwelling in need of major repairs.

Unsuitable housing: A household that does not have enough bedrooms according to the National Occupancy Standard.

Core housing need: Core housing need refers to whether a private household's housing falls below at least one of the indicator thresholds for housing adequacy, affordability or suitability, and would have to spend 30% or more of its total before-tax income to pay the median rent of alternative local housing that is acceptable (attains all three housing indicator thresholds).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2022

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

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