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[加拿大新聞] Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before
Canada has higher proportion of seniors than ever before2011 Census numbers show seniors make up 14.8 per cent of total populationNews1130 Staff
May 29, 2012 06:56:54 AM
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OTTAWA, ON (NEWS1130) - The number of seniors in Canada is booming.
Statistics Canada has just released the latest data from the 2011 Census. It shows seniors make up 14.8 per cent of the total population, and that number will just continue to grow.
The baby boom generation has reached retirement age and in 20 years, the projections show nearly one in every four Canadians will be 65 and up.
British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces have the oldest populations in the country, while the other Western provinces have the youngest.
In Metro Vancouver, the census numbers show seniors make up 13.5 per cent of the population, slightly below the national average, but still growing. The median age in the region is 40.2-years-old.
If you're looking to invest in a seniors retirement complex, Parksville on Vancouver Island might be the place. It is tied with Elliot Lake, Ontario for the highest percentage of seniors in the country.
In Qualicum Beach, which is lumped in with Parksville, 47 per cent of the population is 65 or older.
The problem is that this all points to a labour crunch over the next couple of decades.
Statistics Canada director-general Jane Badets says for the first time ever, this country is seeing more people in the age group that leaves the workforce, than the age group that enters it.
"Those people that were born between 1945 and 1964, they're ready to retire. Once they start exiting the labour market, you're going to see the population aging increase and accelerate in Canada," explains Badets.
The demographic changes have already led to governments making new plans for things like old age security and health care.
While the population is aging, one surprising fact is that we're also having more children. The number of children aged four and under has increased 11 per cent since 2006, which is the highest rate of growth for that age group in the last 50 years ago.
At the moment, it's too early to tell if this is just a baby blip, or the beginning of a new boom. |
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發表於 2012-5-29 06:40
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