Demographics of Canada

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

Population Growth in Canada During the last 60 years (from 1946 to 2006), Canada’s population went from 12.3 million to 32.6 million, an increase of more than 20 million More recently, between 2001 and 2006, Canada’s 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, Canada’s population growth is expected to fall off somewhat, mainly because of a decline in natural increase.

Components of Population Growth FERTILITY MORTALITY MIGRATORY MOVEMENTS

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 Canada’s 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.

Fertility Since the late 1990’s, 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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Migratory Movement The majority of today’s 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

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

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.

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

Homework Question Explain whether Canada’s population will increase or decrease by 2060. Support your answer with specific details and examples.