Correction Notice
Corrections were made in Table 2 of this article. The table now presents the shelter costs of households with at least one person in poverty, whereas the data for households whose household maintainer was a person in poverty were previously displayed.
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The Housing Experiences in Canada series of fact sheets highlights the diversity of housing situations experienced by different groups of people living across Canada.
This fact sheet focuses on people in poverty living in private dwellings.Note The statistics below are derived from the 2016 Census. For the purposes of this analysis, people in poverty were identified based on income data collected as part of the census. Because this fact sheet focuses on people in poverty in private dwellings, those living in collective dwellings are not included in the data.Note More fact sheets are available on the Housing Experiences in Canada series page.
The National Housing Strategy Act (2019) declared that “the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right affirmed in international law.” Adequate housing is understood in international law as housing that provides secure tenure; is affordable; is habitable; provides access to basic infrastructure; is located close to employment, services and amenities; is accessible for people of all abilities; and is culturally appropriate.
This fact sheet focuses on the experience of people in poverty living in private dwellings using the following indicators collected and produced by Statistics Canada: tenure status of the household, shelter costs, housing affordability and suitability, condition of the dwelling, core housing need, and household living arrangements.
While these indicators together do not perfectly measure adequate housing as defined in international law, they are nevertheless useful proxies for understanding the housing experiences of people living in Canada.
Tenure status of household
The tenure status of a household refers to whether the household owns or rents its private dwelling.Note Homeownership is an important aspect of Canadian society and can affect outcomes for many housing indicators. For this reason, owner and renter households are often considered separately in housing analyses. In many cases, researchers further examine whether households in owner-occupied dwellings have mortgages on their dwellings and whether renter households pay subsidized rent.
According to the 2016 Census, people in poverty were about half as likely as the total population to live in a private dwelling owned by a member of their household in 2016. Of the 4,918,680 people in poverty in Canada, 36.6% lived in a private dwelling owned by a member of their household, compared with 71.6% of the total population.
The proportion of people in poverty living in rented dwellings (62.6%) was more than double that of the total population (26.6%), and people in poverty (9.8%) were nearly three times more likely to live in subsidized rental housing than the total population (3.3%). Of the 3,078,890 people in poverty living in rented dwellings, 479,580 (9.8% of all people in poverty) lived in subsidized housing, and 2,599,310 (52.8%) lived in non-subsidized housing.
Of the 1,789,900 people in poverty who owned their home, or lived with someone who owned their home, 1,341,080 (27.3% of people in poverty) lived in a dwelling with a mortgage, and the remaining 457,820 (9.3%) lived in a dwelling without a mortgage. People in poverty were less than half as likely to live in an owner-occupied dwelling without a mortgage (9.3%) as the total population (23.3%).
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, tenure status | 4,918,680 | 100.0 | 34,460,065 | 100.0 |
| Owner | 1,798,900 | 36.6 | 24,683,880 | 71.6 |
| With a mortgage | 1,341,080 | 27.3 | 16,670,675 | 48.4 |
| Without a mortgage | 457,820 | 9.3 | 8,013,205 | 23.3 |
| Renter | 3,078,890 | 62.6 | 9,164,150 | 26.6 |
| Subsidized housing | 479,580 | 9.8 | 1,135,275 | 3.3 |
| Not subsidized housing | 2,599,310 | 52.8 | 8,028,875 | 23.3 |
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Note: Figures may not add up to 100% because of rounding. Source: 2016 Census of Population. |
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Shelter costs
Shelter costs refer to the monthly dwelling-related expenses paid by households, including mortgage or rent. For owner-occupied dwellings, shelter costs include, where applicable, mortgage payments, property taxes and condominium fees, along with the costs of electricity, heat, water and other municipal services. For renter households, shelter costs include, where applicable, rent and the costs of electricity, heat, water and other municipal services.
In Canada, the median shelter cost paid by low-income households ($900) was lower than the median shelter cost paid by all households ($1,020) in 2016.Note
Low-income households in rented dwellings had lower median shelter costs than all renter households. For low-income households in rented dwellings, the median shelter cost was $850, compared with $910 for all renter households. The median shelter cost paid by low-income households in owner-occupied dwellings ($1,160) was similar to that paid by all owner households ($1,130).
The median shelter cost paid by renter households usually depends on the presence of a rent subsidy.Note Low-income households in rented dwellings with a subsidy ($420) paid less per month in median shelter costs than all households in rented dwellings with a subsidy ($524). Median shelter costs for low-income households in rented dwellings without a subsidy ($900) were also lower than those for all households in rented dwellings without a subsidy ($960).
The median shelter cost paid by households in owner-occupied dwellings is typically larger when there is a mortgage, which can represent a large portion of monthly shelter costs. Low-income households with a mortgage on their dwelling ($1,580) paid a similar amount per month in median shelter costs as all households in owner-occupied dwellings with a mortgage ($1,620). Median shelter costs for low-income households in owner-occupied dwellings without a mortgage ($488) were lower than those for all households without a mortgage ($540).
| Low income households | All households | |
|---|---|---|
| median (dollars) | ||
| Total, shelter costsTable 2 Note 1 | 900 | 1,020 |
| Owner | 1,160 | 1,130 |
| With a mortgage | 1,580 | 1,620 |
| Without a mortgage | 488 | 540 |
| Renter | 850 | 910 |
| Subsidized housing | 420 | 524 |
| Not subsidized housing | 900 | 960 |
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Housing affordability
Housing affordability is derived using the shelter-cost-to-income ratio, which refers to the proportion of average total income households spend on shelter costs. A household is said to have affordable housing if it spends less than 30% of its total income on shelter costs.Note
According to the 2016 Census, people in poverty were more than three times more likely to live in households that spent more than 30% of their total household income on shelter. Among people in poverty, 3,478,835 (71.9%) lived in households that spent more than 30% of their total income on shelter, compared with 20.0% of the total population.
The difference was even greater for people in poverty living in owner-occupied dwellings (73.4%), whose rate of unaffordable housing was nearly five times higher than that of the total population in owner-occupied dwellings (14.7%). People in poverty in rented dwellings (71.1%) also lived in unaffordable housing at a much higher rate than the total population in rented dwellings (34.5%).
For those living in owner-occupied dwellings, the rate of unaffordable housing differed depending on the presence of a mortgage. People in poverty in households with a mortgage (82.0%) were over four times more likely to live in unaffordable housing than the total population with a mortgage (19.6%). Of all people in poverty living in households without a mortgage, 48.0% were living in unaffordable housing. This was much higher than the 4.4% of the total population without a mortgage living in unaffordable housing.
The rate of unaffordable housing was higher for people in poverty in renter households with a subsidy (45.7%, compared with 32.3% for the total renter population with a subsidy) and without a subsidy (75.8%, compared with 34.8% for the total renter population without a subsidy).
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, shelter-cost-to-income ratioTable 3 Note 1 | 4,835,580 | 100.0 | 33,642,820 | 100.0 |
| Spending more than 30% of income on shelter costs | 3,478,835 | 71.9 | 6,742,050 | 20.0 |
| Owner | 1,306,285 | 73.4 | 3,605,535 | 14.7 |
| With a mortgage | 1,089,650 | 82.0 | 3,257,230 | 19.6 |
| Without a mortgage | 216,635 | 48.0 | 348,300 | 4.4 |
| Renter | 2,172,550 | 71.1 | 3,136,520 | 34.5 |
| Subsidized housing | 217,950 | 45.7 | 361,270 | 32.3 |
| Not subsidized housing | 1,954,600 | 75.8 | 2,775,245 | 34.8 |
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Housing suitability
Housing suitability refers to whether a private household is living in suitable accommodations according to the National Occupancy Standard (NOS), that is, whether the dwelling has enough bedrooms for the size and composition of the household. The indicator assesses the required number of bedrooms for a household based on the age and sex of household members, and the relationships between them.
According to the 2016 Census, people in poverty were twice as likely as the total population to live in unsuitable housing; 884,955 people in poverty (18.0%) lived in unsuitable housing, compared with 8.9% of the total population. This means that there were not enough bedrooms in the dwelling to meet the needs of the household, according to the NOS.
People in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings (10.5%) were nearly twice as likely to live in unsuitable housing as the total population in owner-occupied dwellings (5.4%). The share of people in poverty living in rented dwellings (22.5%) that were unsuitable was higher than that for the total population in rented dwellings (17.8%).
When owner-occupied dwellings are differentiated by the presence of a mortgage, people in poverty living in dwellings with a mortgage (11.8%) experienced unsuitable housing at a higher rate than the total population in dwellings with a mortgage (6.4%). The rate of unsuitable housing was nearly twice as high for people in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings without a mortgage (6.6%) compared with the total owner population without a mortgage (3.4%).
People in poverty in renter households with a subsidy (16.3%) had lower rates of unsuitable housing than the total renter population with a subsidy (19.2%). There was a 6.1 percentage point difference between the unsuitable housing rates of people in poverty (23.7%) and the total population (17.6%) living in non-subsidized housing.
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, housing suitability | 4,918,680 | 100.0 | 34,460,065 | 100.0 |
| Not suitable | 884,955 | 18.0 | 3,081,315 | 8.9 |
| Owner | 188,235 | 10.5 | 1,335,345 | 5.4 |
| With a mortgage | 158,160 | 11.8 | 1,062,985 | 6.4 |
| Without a mortgage | 30,070 | 6.6 | 272,365 | 3.4 |
| Renter | 693,065 | 22.5 | 1,631,845 | 17.8 |
| Subsidized housing | 78,215 | 16.3 | 218,130 | 19.2 |
| Not subsidized housing | 614,850 | 23.7 | 1,413,720 | 17.6 |
| Source: 2016 Census of Population. | ||||
Condition of dwelling
Data on condition of dwelling are used to provide some insight into whether housing is habitable. Dwellings are classified into three groups by condition: needing regular maintenance only, needing minor repairs and needing major repairs. Dwellings in need of major repairs are considered to be inadequate housing. Examples of dwellings in need of major repairs include homes with defective plumbing or electrical wiring, and housing needing structural repairs to walls, floors, or ceilings.
According to the 2016 Census, people in poverty (9.5%) lived in private dwellings that were in need of major repairs at a higher rate than the total population (6.7%).
People in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings (8.4%) lived in dwellings in need of major repairs at a higher rate than the total population in owner-occupied dwellings (5.5%). A difference could also be seen among those in renter households—people in poverty (10.0%) were more likely to live in dwellings in need of major repairs than the total population (8.8%).
People in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings with a mortgage (8.0%) were less likely to live in dwellings in need of major repairs than those without a mortgage (9.6%). The opposite was true for the total population, where individuals in owner-occupied dwellings with a mortgage (5.7%) lived in dwellings in need of major repairs at a higher rate than those without a mortgage (4.9%).
Among people in poverty in renter households, 11.5% of those with a subsidy and 9.7% of those without a subsidy lived in dwellings in need of major repairs. These proportions were similar to that of the total population with a subsidy (11.6%) and higher than that of the total population without a subsidy (8.4%).
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, dwelling condition | 4,918,680 | 100.0 | 34,460,065 | 100.0 |
| Dwelling in need of major repairs | 465,485 | 9.5 | 2,298,760 | 6.7 |
| Owner | 151,885 | 8.4 | 1,351,740 | 5.5 |
| With a mortgage | 107,830 | 8.0 | 956,105 | 5.7 |
| Without a mortgage | 44,050 | 9.6 | 395,640 | 4.9 |
| Renter | 308,395 | 10.0 | 807,125 | 8.8 |
| Subsidized housing | 55,135 | 11.5 | 131,670 | 11.6 |
| Not subsidized housing | 253,260 | 9.7 | 675,460 | 8.4 |
| Source: 2016 Census of Population. | ||||
Core housing need
Core housing need touches on several elements of the right to adequate housing. It considers whether the affordability, suitability, and condition of dwelling needs of the household are being met and if not, whether affordable rental housing is available that meets all these needs. A household is said to be in core housing need if its dwelling falls below at least one of the affordability, suitability, or condition of dwelling standards, and it 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 (meets all three housing standards).
According to the 2016 Census, people in poverty (62.4%) were nearly six times more likely to live in households in core housing need than the total population (10.6%).
An even greater difference could be seen among people in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings (58.5%), where the rate of core housing need was over 10 times higher than among the total population in owner-occupied dwellings (5.4%).
Given that the rate of unaffordable housing for people in poverty in owner-occupied dwellings was 73.4%, this indicates that the majority of those in unaffordable housing were also unable to afford alternative local housing that met their needs. This gap was wider for the total population—14.7% of individuals lived in unaffordable housing and 5.4% lived in core housing need, indicating that the majority of those in unaffordable housing could have afforded alternative local housing that was acceptable.
The proportion of people in poverty in rented dwellings (64.5%) living in core housing need was more than twice as high as that of the total population in rented dwellings (25.3%). The rate of core housing need varied for renters depending on whether there was a rent subsidy. People in poverty in renter households with (54.6%) and without (66.5%) a subsidy were more likely to be in core housing need than the total population with (39.9%) and without (23.2%) a subsidy.
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, core housing needTable 6 Note 1 | 4,030,270 | 100.0 | 32,803,125 | 100.0 |
| In core housing need | 2,514,785 | 62.4 | 3,492,080 | 10.6 |
| Owner | 831,485 | 58.5 | 1,307,620 | 5.4 |
| With a mortgage | 643,605 | 62.9 | 971,150 | 6.0 |
| Without a mortgage | 187,880 | 47.3 | 336,470 | 4.3 |
| Renter | 1,683,295 | 64.5 | 2,184,455 | 25.3 |
| Subsidized housing | 242,805 | 54.6 | 433,190 | 39.9 |
| Not subsidized housing | 1,440,490 | 66.5 | 1,751,265 | 23.2 |
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Housing experiences of men and women living in poverty
In 1995, the Government of Canada committed to using Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) to advance gender equality in Canada, as part of the ratification of the United Nations’ Beijing Platform for Action.
Gender equality is enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is part of the Constitution of Canada. Gender equality means that diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people are able to participate fully in all spheres of Canadian life, contributing to an inclusive and democratic society.
GBA Plus is an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs and initiatives. The “Plus” in GBA Plus is not just about differences between people on the basis of gender. We all have multiple characteristics that intersect and contribute to who we are. GBA Plus considers many other identity factors, such as race, ethnicity, immigrant status, religion, age and presence of a mental or physical disability, and how the interaction between these factors influences the way we experience government policies and initiatives.
The data presented here highlight differences in housing experiences for men and women living in poverty. Compared with men in poverty, women in poverty were less likely to live in an owner-occupied dwelling.
| Men in poverty | Women in poverty | |
|---|---|---|
| percent | ||
| In an owner-occupied dwelling | 37.7 | 36.2 |
| In household spending 30% or more of income on shelter costsTable 7 Note 1 | 72.8 | 72.0 |
| In unsuitable housing | 17.5 | 18.0 |
| In dwelling requiring major repairs | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| In core housing needTable 7 Note 2 | 63.3 | 63.2 |
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More information on GBA Plus can be found at the
Government of Canada’s Status
of Women web page.
More information on the housing experiences of other subpopulations, broken down by age and gender group, immigrant status, population group designated as a visible minority, Indigenous population, and other groups, can be found in the additional fact sheets on the Housing Experiences in Canada series page. Additional data products that focus more on an intersectional GBA Plus analysis of housing experiences will also be released through the Housing Experiences in Canada series page as they become available.
Household living arrangements
Household living arrangements refer to whether a person lives with another person or people, and, if so, whether they are related to that person or those people. Households can be further differentiated based on whether they are census family households or non-census-family households. Census family households contain at least one census family.Note Non-census-family households are either one person living alone or a group of two or more people who live together but do not constitute a census family (for example, roommates).
According to the 2016 Census, 65.3% of people in poverty lived as part of a one-census-family household. This was below the rate for the total population (79.6%). People in poverty in one-census-family households were more likely to live in a couple family with children (31.1%) than to live in one without children (10.9%). For the total population, 45.7% of individuals lived in a one-census-family household with children and 22.5% lived in one without children. People in poverty (23.3%) were more than twice as likely to live in a one-parent-family household as the total population (11.3%).
Living in a non-census-family household was more than twice as common for people in poverty (31.5%) as it was for the total population (15.4%). This is because a large proportion (20.3%) of people in poverty lived alone. By comparison, 11.5% of the total population in private households in Canada lived alone.
| People in poverty | Total population | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| count | percent | count | percent | |
| Total, household type | 4,918,680 | 100.0 | 34,460,065 | 100.0 |
| One-census-family householdTable 8 Note 1 | 3,209,925 | 65.3 | 27,414,900 | 79.6 |
| Couple family without children | 534,020 | 10.9 | 7,761,355 | 22.5 |
| Couple family with children | 1,528,090 | 31.1 | 15,754,465 | 45.7 |
| One parent family | 1,147,815 | 23.3 | 3,899,085 | 11.3 |
| Multiple-census-family householdTable 8 Note 1 | 161,165 | 3.3 | 1,746,110 | 5.1 |
| Non-census-family household | 1,547,590 | 31.5 | 5,299,050 | 15.4 |
| One-person household | 996,170 | 20.3 | 3,967,770 | 11.5 |
| Two- or more person household | 551,415 | 11.2 | 1,331,280 | 3.9 |
Source: 2016 Census of Population. |
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About the data
The estimates presented in this fact sheet are from the 2016 Census of Population. For detailed information on any of the indicators in this fact sheet, please refer to the Census of Population main page.
The Census of Population data on housing are collected on the long-form questionnaire, which draws its sample from a frame of private dwellings across Canada. Since the survey sample is drawn from private households, individuals living in the following forms of housing are not included in the data:
- official representatives of foreign countries living in Canada, and their families
- members of religious and other communal colonies
- members of the Canadian Armed Forces living on military bases
- people living in seniors’ residences
- people living full time in institutions (e.g., inmates of penal institutions, and chronic care patients living in hospitals and nursing homes)
- people living in other types of collective dwellings (e.g., shelters, campgrounds and hotels).
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