Canada’s fertility rate has hit its lowest level in recorded history

[Coconuts]

This ties into several other issues, namely the housing crisis and the costs of living. Lot of young folks are struggling to get by, let alone raise families. As someone in their early 30's I can't tell you how many folks in my age bracket I've spoken to who are choosing not to have kids for these reasons. If my partner and I don't have children it'll be a big contributing factor. There's never a perfect time to have kids, but it just doesn't seem feasible or responsible for many. 

 

It's not necessarily that folks don't want to have children, but it's seemingly more expensive than ever when other economic factors are accounted for. 

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/10262331/canadas-fertility-rate-record-low/

 

The Canadian fertility rate has hit its lowest level since Statistics Canada began collecting data more than a century ago.

The agency released its most recent numbers Wednesday, showing the birth rate fell to 1.33 children per woman in 2022, well below the replacement level of around 2.1.

 

Canada’s birth rate dropped from 1.43 in 2021 and continues a “downward trend [that] began in 2009.”

 

This is a national trajectory with record lows in nearly every province and territories. Quebec and Nova Scotia were the exceptions, says Statistics Canada.

 

“Canada seems to be moving into this club of nations with birth rates that could be characterized as ‘ultra-low,’” Don Kerr, a demographics professor at King’s College, Western University in London, Ont., said in an interview earlier this month.

 

While birth rates have been steadily declining for more than a decade, the pace accelerated “at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Statistics Canada.

 

Its report ‘Fertility in Canada 1921 to 2022’ says Canada, like other countries, is riding the “fertility ‘pandemic rollercoaster’” with more families putting off having children.

 

“Given the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a period of public health crisis, as well as economic and societal shocks, it is possible that a segment of the population responded to this period of widespread uncertainty via their childbearing choices,” it reads.

How economic uncertainty factors in

Kerr says prolonged economic uncertainty may be dragging Canada’s low birth rates down even further.

 

“It’s been tight for a lot of people. Inflation certainly hasn’t helped. For some couples, looking at their paycheques, looking at their expenses, they’re saying ‘maybe now is not an ideal time to have kids.’”

 

The average age of mothers at childbirth was 31.6 in Canada and 34.4 for fathers.

 

The demography professor says there are notable regional differences, with the country’s largest cities seeing even lower levels than the national average.

 

He points to Vancouver, where the birth rate is 1.1 children per woman.

 

“I’d assume that the cost of housing is relevant there,” adds Kerr.

Why Canada is not unique

Every G7 country experienced a dip in fertility rates between 2021 and 2022, except for the United States.

 

Canada saw one of the largest percentage drops (-9.7 per cent) after South Korea, which experienced the steepest (-15.3 per cent).

 

That country is in the midst of a demographic crisis. The South Korean population is shrinking; its fertility rate is 0.78 children per woman, the lowest in the world.

 

Even France, which seemed to be an outlier in the West with higher-than-average birth rates, is experiencing a similar challenge.

 

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to increase parental leave pay to encourage the French to have more children, after birth rates plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Second World War.

How Canada's population continues to grow

It’s a tale of two demographic shifts in Canada. The country is seeing record low birth rates, and historically high immigration.

 

“We’ve relied increasingly upon immigration in maintaining population growth,” said Kerr. “That’s the logic behind much of the immigration policy from the federal government.”

 

Canada’s population surpassed 40 million last year, growing at the fastest pace since the 1950s. But the record growth has been tied to a national housing crisis and increased pressure on the health care system.

 

“Immigration certainly helps if you’re talking about an aging population. But if our birth rate continues this downward trajectory, our population will be aging at an accelerated pace.”

 

Kerry says both Canadian-born adults and new Canadians are having fewer children.

 

“Regardless of how fast our population grows, our family networks are getting smaller and smaller and this over the long term can be quite dramatic,” he added.

 

“If you don’t have kids around, if you don’t have grandchildren, there are going to be consequences, because people rely upon family.”

[Bob Long]

@Coconuts would you be willing to move to a different province if that meant the difference between having a family or not?

[NewbieCanuckFan]

Alflives keeps hoarding all the ladies to himself at the nursing home.

[Miss Korea]

Gotta move out before you can have kids.

[Shift-4]

7 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

@Coconuts would you be willing to move to a different province if that meant the difference between having a family or not?

 

Like a province in Chile?

[Coconuts]

10 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

@Coconuts would you be willing to move to a different province if that meant the difference between having a family or not?

 

I kinda already have, moved from Nanaimo to Dawson Creek in June. I'm basically in Alberta at this point. The plan was always to go back, but plans can change. We won't be staying in Dawson though, my partner was born here and given she's fourth or fifth generation Dawson Creek she wants out. The problem with smaller towns/cities is that when your roots are that deep you've got family connections everywhere. 

 

She works for Service BC, which would make leaving the province trickier, but we could realistically move anywhere in BC that has a Service BC opening. I'll graduate in 2025 and there's seemingly no shortage of work for social workers, but it really depends on where the work is and what I do/don't want to do. 

 

I'm open to the idea of being a father but not entirely sold on it, my partner is uncertain too and that's the biggest factor tbh. I'd be lying if I said economic factors weren't a good reason not to, raising children was never cheap. 

 

A lot of folks have been trying this though, a couple friends of mine moved up to Dawson 5-6 years ago because houses in Nanaimo were selling before they could even physically look at them. They've got a young daughter now. Dawson itself seems to be a popular destination for immigrants, the population up here is much more diverse than Nanaimo was when considering population proportions imo. 

 

Housing costs are less up here, but one has gotta wonder how long that'll last as housing is a strong draw. Lot of folks have been doing precisely what you asked me it seems. 

 

 

Edited January 31 by Coconuts

[Coconuts]

6 minutes ago, Miss Korea said:

Gotta move out before you can have kids.

 

Not necessarily, multigenerational families will become more of a norm going forward imo. 

[Bob Long]

2 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

 

I kinda already have, moved from Nanaimo to Dawson Creek in June. I'm basically in Alberta at this point. The plan was always to go back, but plans can change. We won't be staying in Dawson though, my partner was born here and given she's fourth or fifth generation Dawson Creek she wants out. The problem with smaller towns/cities is that when your roots are that deep you've got family connections everywhere. 

 

She works for Service BC, which would make leaving the province trickier, but we could realistically move anywhere in BC that has a Service BC opening. I'll graduate in 2025 and there's seemingly no shortage of work for social workers, but it really depends on where the work is and what I do/don't want to do. 

 

I'm open to the idea of being a father but not entirely sold on it, my partner is uncertain too and that's the biggest factor tbh. I'd be lying if I said economic factors weren't a good reason not to, raising children was never cheap. 

 

A lot of folks have been trying this though, a couple friends of mine moved up to Dawson 5-6 years ago because houses in Nanaimo were selling before they could even physically look at them. They've got a young daughter now. Dawson itself seems to be a popular destination for immigrants, the population up here is much more diverse than Nanaimo was when considering population proportions imo. 

 

Housing costs are less up here, but one has gotta wonder how long that'll last as housing is a strong draw. 

 

 

 

thats a pretty big move, good for you. I found that the first big move was by far the hardest, and the decisions get a lot easier once you've done that. 

 

We only had the one kid, so for us it wasn't that big a deal cost-wise tbh. Biggest one would probably have been daycare, but you might be fortunate on that one if those programs actually get expanded over the next few years. 

 

I'd likely be looking north as well if I were your age. I'd even be looking at some more adventurous places like Yukon and Nunavut. 

 

I tried out east in Nova Scotia, but found that to be a very cliquey place. PEI is quite nice tho. 

 

Sounds like you're open to what comes tho, which is great. 

 

 

[Jess]

People just have to start moving away from the big cities where things are so dang expensive. I'm a similar age to you @Coconuts, but single. Even still, I feel tons of pressure to move further away from Vancouver, given how expensive things get if you're even moderately close to it. I suspect that we might see a period coming soon where there's a sort of mass exodus of young people out of the big cities into cheaper places to live. It's borderline impossible to live in places like Vancouver or Toronto unless you're genuinely very wealthy. Smaller cities on the outskirts will probably see big population booms soon I think.

 

As for kids, as a single guy, that's obviously not an option for me. I wouldn't mind getting married and having kids, but I also don't feel as strong a draw as I used to. Some of that is definitely cost and time-related, but I've also just come to accept that the single life 'aint so bad. I will still say that kids can be some of the greatest joys you'll ever experience, at least based on what my mom and friends tell me, so if I did ever get the opportunity, I'd probably give it a go, even if it were to put be under some financial stress.

[D-Money]

My wife and I have 2 kids. Moved from BC to Alberta years ago, which made it more financially doable (wasn’t the reason we moved, but became a benefit). It’s great, but we stopped at 2. They’re expensive, and we’re busy enough with just the 2 of them.

 

I think the main reason for the drop in birth rate isn’t less couples choosing to have kids, but rather families limiting how many they have. We have lots of friends with kids, and almost all of them just have 2, and only a few have 3. It’s increasingly rare to find a family with 4 or more.

[Coconuts]

10 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

thats a pretty big move, good for you. I found that the first big move was by far the hardest, and the decisions get a lot easier once you've done that. 

 

We only had the one kid, so for us it wasn't that big a deal cost-wise tbh. Biggest one would probably have been daycare, but you might be fortunate on that one if those programs actually get expanded over the next few years. 

 

I'd likely be looking north as well if I were your age. I'd even be looking at some more adventurous places like Yukon and Nunavut. 

 

I tried out east in Nova Scotia, but found that to be a very cliquey place. PEI is quite nice tho. 

 

Sounds like you're open to what comes tho, which is great. 

 

 

 

Yukon could be interesting, don't know about Nunavut though, that's a very hard place to live for almost anyone. At least Whitehorse would be larger. 

 

Northern BC is interesting, there seem to be a lot of folks who live in Dawson but work out of Alberta. Grande Prairie is about an hour away in good weather. You could probably say the same for Fort St. John, which is only about an hour from Dawson. 

 

Daycare is a huge need, it's a huge expenditure for families. The problem is working in that field doesn't typically pay all that well, my mom's been an early childhood educator longer than I've been alive and the profit some centers make is pretty nuts. Particularly if it's more on the side of being a montessori. It's amazing what folks will spend on childcare when considering the other month to month expenses families have. But what do you do? Can't just leave your young children home alone. 

 

Maritimes are physically beautiful, absolutely. Smaller populations though, so you get everything that comes with that economically. 

 

It's tricky nowadays any way you spin it, most Canadians definitely don't have it easy regardless of their age. Lot of Canadians both young and old will probably never be able to retire, that may be a thing of the past going forward. 

Edited January 31 by Coconuts

[Coconuts]

7 minutes ago, -AJ- said:

People just have to start moving away from the big cities where things are so dang expensive. I'm a similar age to you @Coconuts, but single. Even still, I feel tons of pressure to move further away from Vancouver, given how expensive things get if you're even moderately close to it. I suspect that we might see a period coming soon where there's a sort of mass exodus of young people out of the big cities into cheaper places to live. It's borderline impossible to live in places like Vancouver or Toronto unless you're genuinely very wealthy. Smaller cities on the outskirts will probably see big population booms soon I think.

 

As for kids, as a single guy, that's obviously not an option for me. I wouldn't mind getting married and having kids, but I also don't feel as strong a draw as I used to. Some of that is definitely cost and time-related, but I've also just come to accept that the single life 'aint so bad. I will still say that kids can be some of the greatest joys you'll ever experience, at least based on what my mom and friends tell me, so if I did ever get the opportunity, I'd probably give it a go, even if it were to put be under some financial stress.

 

Hasn't that already been happening? I can't say I've paid super close attention to that, but it makes sense how costs of living would squeeze younger folks out. 

 

Honestly, there's a lot of appeal to not having children. It's a sacrifice any way you spin it, and sometimes the pros just aren't going to outweigh the cons. I've always viewed parenthood as something that would be an adventure, but I can definitely understand the appeal of deciding not to have children. More time, money, and freedom to mention a few factors. 

 

I thought I'd be a father by now tbh, I always wanted to be one growing up, but the older I get the cooler I am with it not happening. 

[Coconuts]

10 minutes ago, D-Money said:

My wife and I have 2 kids. Moved from BC to Alberta years ago, which made it more financially doable (wasn’t the reason we moved, but became a benefit). It’s great, but we stopped at 2. They’re expensive, and we’re busy enough with just the 2 of them.

 

I think the main reason for the drop in birth rate isn’t less couples choosing to have kids, but rather families limiting how many they have. We have lots of friends with kids, and almost all of them just have 2, and only a few have 3. It’s increasingly rare to find a family with 4 or more.

 

That's definitely a factor, families often aren't as big as they were even a few generations ago. 

[Master Mind]

Quote

“If you don’t have kids around, if you don’t have grandchildren, there are going to be consequences, because people rely upon family.”

 

I think people will feel this more than they realize over time.

 

Another contributing factor is more people focusing on their careers/hobbies/themselves. Less emphasis on family.

 

To each their own, but I don't think anything in life comes anywhere close to the importance of family. Having less of that seems like a recipe for regret.

[Hammertime]

I see predominantly the most right wing of blue collar people having lots of kids. Conversely those closer to the 1% are also having lot's of kids. But the left are having 0-1-2-3 kids and I would say the 0 and 1 crowd vastly outweigh 3 or more. 

Edited January 31 by Hammertime

[canuck73_3]

Can barely afford myself let alone adding a kid to the mix 

[6of1_halfdozenofother]

 

Spoiler

"Been around the world and found that only stupid people are breeding..." 

 

[D.B Cooper]

This all started when they took bullying out of the schools.  
We said it’s cool and acceptable for guys to wear nail polish and dance. 
We told them Taylor Swift was for everybody.  
Now
There are no men left to impregnate the women.  
We have turned men gay or into a bunch of non binary boys who no woman wants to get pregnant by.  

And even if somehow the woman’s instinct got bypassed and she was ok with procreating with a ladyboy, these ‘dudes’ wouldnt want to, or even know how. 
This is why we need Donny T back in power to bully everyone back into being men.  
Once we get the men back, everyone can start fucking again.  
Boom. Problem solved.  
 

 

Edited January 31 by D.B Cooper
Grammar. Everything else was perfect

[PeteyBOI]

1 minute ago, D.B Cooper said:

This all started when they took bullying out of the schools.  
We said it’s cool and acceptable for guys to wear nail polish and dance. 
We told them Taylor Swift was for everybody.  
Now
There are no men left to impregnate the women.  
We have turned men gay or bunch of non binary boyswho no women wants to get pregnant by.  

And even if somehow the woman’s instinct got bypassed and she was ok with procreating with a ladyboy, these ‘dudes’ wouldnt want to, or even know how. 
This is why we need Donny T back in power to bully everyone back into being men.  
Once we get the men back, everyone can start fucking again.  
Boom. Problem solved.  
 

 

thats a call to arms if i ever saw one...

[canuck73_3]

4 minutes ago, D.B Cooper said:

This all started when they took bullying out of the schools.  
We said it’s cool and acceptable for guys to wear nail polish and dance. 
We told them Taylor Swift was for everybody.  
Now
There are no men left to impregnate the women.  
We have turned men gay or bunch of non binary boyswho no women wants to get pregnant by.  

And even if somehow the woman’s instinct got bypassed and she was ok with procreating with a ladyboy, these ‘dudes’ wouldnt want to, or even know how. 
This is why we need Donny T back in power to bully everyone back into being men.  
Once we get the men back, everyone can start fucking again.  
Boom. Problem solved.  
 

 

If you need Trump in power to bang I would question your manhood 

[Hammertime]

4 minutes ago, D.B Cooper said:

This all started when they took bullying out of the schools.  
We said it’s cool and acceptable for guys to wear nail polish and dance. 
We told them Taylor Swift was for everybody.  
Now
There are no men left to impregnate the women.  
We have turned men gay or bunch of non binary boyswho no women wants to get pregnant by.  

And even if somehow the woman’s instinct got bypassed and she was ok with procreating with a ladyboy, these ‘dudes’ wouldnt want to, or even know how. 
This is why we need Donny T back in power to bully everyone back into being men.  
Once we get the men back, everyone can start fucking again.  
Boom. Problem solved.  
 

 

 

2 minutes ago, MidKnight Ego said:

thats a call to arms if i ever saw one...

[D.B Cooper]

3 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

If you need Trump in power to bang I would question your manhood 

I’ve already got a kid and I bang plenty.  
Donny T is here to get the kids of America hard and plowing again!

Make America Hard Again!

Edited January 31 by D.B Cooper

[Hammertime]

3 minutes ago, canuck73_3 said:

If you need Trump in power to bang I would question your manhood 

[R3aL]

1 hour ago, Coconuts said:

This ties into several other issues, namely the housing crisis and the costs of living. Lot of young folks are struggling to get by, let alone raise families. As someone in their early 30's I can't tell you how many folks in my age bracket I've spoken to who are choosing not to have kids for these reasons. If my partner and I don't have children it'll be a big contributing factor. There's never a perfect time to have kids, but it just doesn't seem feasible or responsible for many. 

 

It's not necessarily that folks don't want to have children, but it's seemingly more expensive than ever when other economic factors are accounted for. 

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/10262331/canadas-fertility-rate-record-low/

 

The Canadian fertility rate has hit its lowest level since Statistics Canada began collecting data more than a century ago.

The agency released its most recent numbers Wednesday, showing the birth rate fell to 1.33 children per woman in 2022, well below the replacement level of around 2.1.

 

Canada’s birth rate dropped from 1.43 in 2021 and continues a “downward trend [that] began in 2009.”

 

This is a national trajectory with record lows in nearly every province and territories. Quebec and Nova Scotia were the exceptions, says Statistics Canada.

 

“Canada seems to be moving into this club of nations with birth rates that could be characterized as ‘ultra-low,’” Don Kerr, a demographics professor at King’s College, Western University in London, Ont., said in an interview earlier this month.

 

While birth rates have been steadily declining for more than a decade, the pace accelerated “at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to Statistics Canada.

 

Its report ‘Fertility in Canada 1921 to 2022’ says Canada, like other countries, is riding the “fertility ‘pandemic rollercoaster’” with more families putting off having children.

 

“Given the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a period of public health crisis, as well as economic and societal shocks, it is possible that a segment of the population responded to this period of widespread uncertainty via their childbearing choices,” it reads.

How economic uncertainty factors in

Kerr says prolonged economic uncertainty may be dragging Canada’s low birth rates down even further.

 

“It’s been tight for a lot of people. Inflation certainly hasn’t helped. For some couples, looking at their paycheques, looking at their expenses, they’re saying ‘maybe now is not an ideal time to have kids.’”

 

The average age of mothers at childbirth was 31.6 in Canada and 34.4 for fathers.

 

The demography professor says there are notable regional differences, with the country’s largest cities seeing even lower levels than the national average.

 

He points to Vancouver, where the birth rate is 1.1 children per woman.

 

“I’d assume that the cost of housing is relevant there,” adds Kerr.

Why Canada is not unique

Every G7 country experienced a dip in fertility rates between 2021 and 2022, except for the United States.

 

Canada saw one of the largest percentage drops (-9.7 per cent) after South Korea, which experienced the steepest (-15.3 per cent).

 

That country is in the midst of a demographic crisis. The South Korean population is shrinking; its fertility rate is 0.78 children per woman, the lowest in the world.

 

Even France, which seemed to be an outlier in the West with higher-than-average birth rates, is experiencing a similar challenge.

 

Earlier this month, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to increase parental leave pay to encourage the French to have more children, after birth rates plummeted to their lowest point since the end of the Second World War.

How Canada's population continues to grow

It’s a tale of two demographic shifts in Canada. The country is seeing record low birth rates, and historically high immigration.

 

“We’ve relied increasingly upon immigration in maintaining population growth,” said Kerr. “That’s the logic behind much of the immigration policy from the federal government.”

 

Canada’s population surpassed 40 million last year, growing at the fastest pace since the 1950s. But the record growth has been tied to a national housing crisis and increased pressure on the health care system.

 

“Immigration certainly helps if you’re talking about an aging population. But if our birth rate continues this downward trajectory, our population will be aging at an accelerated pace.”

 

Kerry says both Canadian-born adults and new Canadians are having fewer children.

 

“Regardless of how fast our population grows, our family networks are getting smaller and smaller and this over the long term can be quite dramatic,” he added.

 

“If you don’t have kids around, if you don’t have grandchildren, there are going to be consequences, because people rely upon family.”

I cant afford kids right now its financially out of the question.

 

Strawberrys are $7-10 unless on sale..

 

There were a lot of videos talking about how the covid vaccine will affect fertility rates too ironically fake or not.

 

But coincidentally here we are.

 

I think the financial / stress side is the culprit though for sure.

 

Small businesses suffered, economy is a mess, interest rates high, mortgage payments increased, housing market / rental market brutal, gas expensive, entertainment expensive, traffic bad, government is a joke, inflation has been felt everywhere, shipping rates / times for global purchasing is all much worse..

 

Like maybe you are in your 30's not a home owner, renting at a ridiculous rate, work pay not increasing to the cost of living it feels unsustainable and you haven't had a proper vacation in awhile last thing you can think of is hey lets get a bigger place, have a baby and cant wait to pay for daycare (costs like $2ishK a month for semi full time care if both parents are working.. which still doesn't fully work out and its also like why work then?) then what your Kid wants to play hockey?

 

There must be a large portion of people racking up debt and living on credit right now but times are tough.

 

Sacrifices are being made and having kids is much more difficult then it use to be.  I am planning myself in the next 2ish years to have it on the radar but I have some boxes to check and targets to hit before that.

 

BUT IF CANUCKS WIN STANLEY CUP throw that all out the window!

 

FERTILITY RATE SPIKE quote me!

 

Will be a local Baby Boom lol 

[Jess]

45 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

 

Hasn't that already been happening? I can't say I've paid super close attention to that, but it makes sense how costs of living would squeeze younger folks out. 

 

Honestly, there's a lot of appeal to not having children. It's a sacrifice any way you spin it, and sometimes the pros just aren't going to outweigh the cons. I've always viewed parenthood as something that would be an adventure, but I can definitely understand the appeal of deciding not to have children. More time, money, and freedom to mention a few factors. 

 

I thought I'd be a father by now tbh, I always wanted to be one growing up, but the older I get the cooler I am with it not happening. 

 

Yeah, I may be focused on my own perspective, where I've now been more seriously planning for home ownership than in years past, so I'm more in tune with those things now. My sister lives in Winnipeg on the outskirts and is trying to convince me to move way out there with some stupid cheap house prices 

 

I always dreamed of being a dad throughout my youth and 20s, but I'm more at peace about not being one now. The easier financial burden also definitely helps with that. I'd be curious to see if children birth rates are significantly different in smaller towns/cities or if they're similar to the bigger cities. I'd be surprised if there isn't a notable difference.