Demographics of Canada

1
Demographics of Canada
2
Population Growth in Canada

• From 1851 to 1900, the population grew slowly by
  a few million. High fertility was offset by very
  high mortality levels
• Then, in the first half of the twentieth century
  (1901 to 1945), despite the two world wars, the
  growth rate generally accelerated, notably
  because of the settlement of Western Canada
• Owing to the baby-boom and strong immigration,
  the second half of the twentieth century saw the
  Canadian population grow at an even faster pace

3
Population Growth in Canada

• During the last 60 years (from 1946 to 2006),
  Canadas population went from 12.3 million to
  32.6 million, an increase of more than 20 million
• More recently, between 2001 and 2006, Canadas
  population grew at an average annual rate of
  approximately 1.0, mainly owing to strong
  immigration
• This growth is expected to continue in the coming
  decades, and Canada could have 42.5 million
  inhabitants in 2056. However, Canadas population
  growth is expected to fall off somewhat, mainly
  because of a decline in natural increase.

4
Components of Population Growth

• FERTILITY
• MORTALITY
• MIGRATORY MOVEMENTS

5
Fertility

• Soon there will be more deaths than births
• In 2005, Canada registered more births (342,176)
  than deaths (230,132). Its natural increase was
  therefore positive at 112,000
• With Canadas population steadily growing from
  year to year, the number of deaths has increased
  over time, and it will continue to do so in the
  future. When the baby-boom generations reach the
  ages of high mortality, this trend is expected to
  accelerate
• Around 2030, this could lead to a situation where
  there would be more deaths than births. If
  fertility increases to 1.7 children per woman,
  the point when the deaths start to outnumber
  births could be postponed by some fifteen years.
  If fertility declines, that point could instead
  be reached by approximately 2020.

6
Fertility

• Since the late 1990s, Canadian women have been
  having an average of 1.5 children
• At this rate, the total fertility rate is below
  the replacement level
• This means that on average, couples are no longer
  having enough children to replace them
• During the baby boom, the fertility rate remained
  at more than three children per woman

7
Fertility

• In 2005, women between 30 and 34 years of age
  gave birth, followed very closely by women aged
  25 to 29. Women aged 25 to 29 had been the most
  fertile since the late 1960s

8
Mortality

• Since the start of the last century, the life
  expectancy of Canadas population has grown
  substantially. Between 1926 and 2005, males
  gained 20.0 additional years of life, while
  females gained an additional 22.7 years

9
Mortality

• In 2005, life expectancy at birth of Canadian
  females was 82.7 years, an increase of 0.8 years
  over 2000. Among Canadian males, life expectancy
  at birth was somewhat lower in 2005, at 78.0
  years.

10
Mortality

• According to the medium mortality assumption in
  the most recent population projections, the life
  expectancy at birth of Canadian males and females
  would reach respectively 81.9 and 86.0 years in
  2031

11
Mortality

• Compared to other industrialized countries,
  Canada has one of the highest life expectancies
  at birth. In the United States, for example, life
  expectancy (74.8 years for males and 80.1 years
  for females) was, in 2003, more than two years
  lower than that observed in Canada, for males as
  for females.

12
Mortality

• At 5.4 per thousand births, the infant mortality
  rate was in 2005 at one of its lowest level ever
  recorded in Canada
• The chances of survival have greatly improved,
  owing to the virtual eradication of infant
  mortality and the postponement of mortality to
  ever more advanced ages.

13
Migratory Movement

• In 2006, 252,000 immigrants were admitted to
  Canada, representing an immigration rate of 8
  newcomers per thousand persons. This rate has
  remained relatively constant since 1990.

14
Migratory Movement

• The majority of todays immigrants to Canada are
  coming from Asia. This is a strong contrast to
  the years following World War II when Asians
  accounted for scarcely 6.4 of immigrants and
  Europeans accounted for nearly three out of four
  immigrants

15
Migratory Movement

• More than half of immigrants coming to Canada in
  2006 were economic immigrants including spouses,
  partners and dependents of principal applicants -
  meaning that they were considered to be more
  likely to stimulate economy or integrate into the
  labour market given their age, education level
  and knowledge of Canada's official languages

16
Migratory Movement

• The current situation differs from the early
  1980s, when Canada admitted on average more
  immigrants in the family reunification category
  as economic immigrants.

17
Migratory Movement

• Immigrants come to Canada in the prime of life -
  in 2006, most newcomers to Canada were between 25
  and 44 years of age

18
Homework Question

• Explain whether Canadas population will increase
  or decrease by 2060. Support your answer with
  specific details and examples.