The composition of Canadian households continues to change, with alternatives to family homes, such as roommates, and de facto marriages, all experiencing significant increases, says the latest Statistics Canada census data release.
“In recent decades, there has been a gradual decline in the proportion of single-family households without additional people,” the statement said. “Alternatives like living alone, with roommates or with extended family members have grown in popularity.”
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Households made up of unrelated roommates still account for only four per cent of households, but they also constitute the fastest growing household category in Canada.
The 663,835 roommates reported in the new census represent a 54% increase between 2001 and 2021 and a 14% increase since 2016. Statistics Canada said the challenges associated with finding and paying for housing have contributed to this change in the composition of the household.
The number of multigenerational or multifamily housing has grown by 45% since 2001 and now accounts for seven per cent of all households in Canada.
After an upward trend over the past 20 years, the number of young people between the ages of 20 and 34 living with at least one parent remained steady in 2021 at 35%, the same level as in 2016.
Although the number of young adults living with their parents was higher in large urban centers such as Oshawa, Toronto, Windsor and Hamilton, where almost half of young people aged 20 to 34 lived with at least one parent, their proportion of households in cities decreased. slightly.
The number of people between the ages of 20 and 34 living with at least one parent decreased by 3% in Vancouver and by 1% in Montreal and Toronto. Statistics Canada said the change could have caused young adults to move to smaller communities during the pandemic.
The number of single-person households is increasing
Continuing an established trend, Statistics Canada said the number of Canadians living alone reached an all-time high of 4.4 million in 2021, up from 1.7 million in 1981.
In 1941 only six per cent of Canadians lived alone. In 2016, single-person households had become the dominant household type, accounting for 28% of the total. The number of single-person households increased again in 2021, to 29%.
Couples with children account for 25.3% of households, while couples without children account for 25.6% of households. Single-parent families account for 8.7% of households.
While the number of Canadians living alone is now a record, Canada has a relatively small number of single-family homes compared to other wealthy nations. All other G7 countries, apart from the US, have more single-person homes than Canada.
Statistics Canada said the growth of single-person households will affect the housing market over time. Almost six out of ten single-person households are in apartments, while 61% of households with two or more people live in detached houses.
The changing face of couples
The number of Canadians who are part of a couple has remained virtually unchanged over the past 100 years; 57 per cent of Canadians said they were in a relationship in 2021, compared to 58 per cent in 1921. But the nature of these relationships has changed.
Canada now has the highest percentage of citizens in common-law relationships living in the G7, 23%, while 77% of Canadians in couples say they are married. The proportion of couples in common law agreements is 21% in the United Kingdom, 18% in France, 12% in the United States and only 10% in Italy.
The number of de facto couples in Canada increased by 447% between 1981 and 2021, while the number of married couples only increased by 26% during the same period.
Living the common law has become the norm for adults ages 20 to 24; 79 percent of people in this age group say they are part of a couple living together. The trend is also rising among older Canadians, with 16% of Canadians aged 55 to 69 living together in 2021, compared to only 13% in 2016.
Statistics Canada says the trend is being driven largely by the province of Quebec, where 43% of couples live in line. Take Quebec out of the equation and the percentage of couples in Canada living the common law drops to 17% in 2021.
Gender diversity
Statistics Canada collected data on gender diversity for the first time in the 2021 census. It was found that 98.5% of Canada’s 8.6 million couples were made up of a man and a woman who identified with the his gender at birth.
Another 1.1% identified themselves as couples of the same gender: two men or two women. Transgender or non-binary couples, in which at least one member was transgender or non-binary, accounted for the final 0.4% of couples.
The census found that almost 80% of same-sex couples with children are made up of two women.
“In 74 per cent of stepmother families made up of same-sex, transgender or non-binary couples, all children in the family were biological children or adopted from a single spouse or partner of the couple,” the statement said.
A look at the Canadian Forces
Statistics Canada also took a first look at the Canadian Army in 50 years and asked if Canadians were active members serving in the regular or primary reserve forces.
The census found that in the spring of 2021, there were 97,625 Canadians in the Canadian Armed Forces and another 461,240 counted as veterans.
Of these veterans, 32 per cent were still young enough to fit into the basic working age group of Canadians aged 25 to 54, while 41.8 per cent of veterans were over 65 years of age.
The census found that only one in five members in service were women: 19.3%, compared to 47.3% of women who make up Canada’s non-military workforce. Canada is still among the five countries with the highest percentage of women serving in the military (the others are Hungary, Greece, the US and Bulgaria).