| Canadian seniors to outnumber kids by 2021 |
| Canada News | |
| Thursday, 27 May 2010 19:44 | |
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OTTAWA — Senior citizens may soon outnumber children in Canada, according to a Statistics Canada projection that also says the country's overall population will top 40 million by 2036. The projection, released Wednesday, says the Canadian population will reach more than 43.8 million in 2036 — up from 33.7 million in 2009 — if the population continues a medium-growth trend, which is based on consistent fertility, mortality and immigration trends. A high-growth scenario projected by the federal agency, which would see higher trends in all three categories, suggests Canada's population could jump to nearly 47.7 million. With millions of baby boomers growing older, Canada's population is expected to "age rapidly until 2031," when the entire generation will be at least 65 years old, Statistics Canada said. The population will continue to age, but at a slower rate, between 2031 and 2038. For the first time ever, the senior population is expected to outnumber that of children under the age of 15 at some point between 2015 and 2021. The actual date depends on Canada's type of growth scenario. The median age is expected to be between 42 and 45 years, up from the current median of 39.5 years. All provinces and territories are expected to see population increases under the medium- and high-growth scenarios. Newfoundland and Labrador, however, could see its population drop under a low-growth scenario. Ontario, which in 2009 had the largest provincial population at about 13 million, could see that number jump to nearly 19.5 million in 2036 under the high-growth projection. Under the same scenario, Quebec could reach a population of just over 10 million. |
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