Status of Women Canada
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Status of Women Canada

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Women in Canada at a Glance Statistical Highlights

Female Population

  • Canada's population is ageing and females continue to outnumber males by a slight margin (50.4% to 49.6%), in part due to their longer life expectancy.
  • Girls (14 and under) represent approximately 16% of the Canadian population.
  • Most Canadian women live in large metropolitan centres: 69.4% of the female population is concentrated in census metropolitan areas.
  • The number of Aboriginal women and girls in Canada is growing. Whereas the female Aboriginal population accounted for only 2.8% in 1996, the percentage had risen to 3.3% in 2001 and to 3.8% of the country's total population in 2006. The median age among Aboriginal females in 2006 was 27.7 years compared to 40.0 years among the total female population.
  • The number of female immigrants in Canada has increased. Immigrant women and girls represented 20% of the country's total population in 2006. Nearly one-fifth (18%) of all female immigrants arrived in the five years prior to 2006. Among immigrant women and girls in Canada, China is the primary country of origin (7.9%).
  • Visible minority women and girls account for 16% of the total female population; the majority are Chinese (24%) or South Asian (24%). From 2001 to 2006, the number of women and girls who are members of a visible minority increased by 28%.
  • English is the dominant language among Canadian women: 58% list English as their mother tongue, 22% list French and the remaining 20% list a non-official language.

For additional information, consult the "Female Population" chapter in Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, 6th edition, or go to http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11475-eng.htm.

Total population, Canada, 1921 to 2010
Year Females Males Total
thousands as a % of the
total population 		thousands
1. Estimates adjusted for net census undercoverage.
Sources: Statistics Canada, censuses of population, 1921 to 1966; and Demography Division, 1971 to 2006; and Annual Demographic Estimates: Canada, Provinces and Territories. Cat. no. 91-215-X, 2010.
1921 4,258.3 48.5 4,529.6 8,787.9
1931 5,002.2 48.2 5,374.5 10,376.8
1941 5,606.1 48.7 5,900.5 11,506.7
1951 6,920.6 49.4 7,088.9 14,009.4
1956 7,928.9 49.3 8,151.9 16,080.8
1961 9,019.4 49.5 9,218.9 18,238.2
1966 9,960.5 49.8 10,054.3 20,014.9
1971 1 10,935.6 49.8 11,026.5 21,962.0
1976 1 11,726.5 50.0 11,723.4 23,449.8
1981 1 12,468.7 50.2 12,351.2 24,819.9
1986 1 13,148.9 50.4 12,951.4 26,100.3
1991 1 14,133.0 50.4 13,904.4 28,037.4
1996 1 14,959.9 50.5 14,650.3 29,610.2
2001 1 15,653.4 50.5 15,365.6 31,019.0
2006 1 16,428.2 50.4 16,147.9 32,576.1
2010 1 17,191.5 50.4 16,917.3 34,108.8
Population, by age group, Canada, 2010
Age group Females Males
thousands % as a % of the
age group 		thousands %
Note: Adjusted for net census undercoverage.
Source: Statistics Canada, Demography Division.
Under 5 914.7 5.3 48.7 963.4 5.7
5 to 14 1,818.1 10.6 48.6 1,920.4 11.4
15 to 24 2,236.9 13.0 48.7 2,354.8 13.9
25 to 34 2,333.1 13.6 49.7 2,362.8 14.0
35 to 44 2,343.0 13.6 49.7 2,372.7 14.0
45 to 54 2,700.3 15.7 49.9 2,711.8 16.0
55 to 64 2,163.8 12.6 50.8 2,093.2 12.4
65 to 74 1,341.4 7.8 52.1 1,232.1 7.3
75 to 84 904.6 5.3 56.5 696.0 4.1
85 and over 435.6 2.5 67.5 210.0 1.2
Total aged 65 and older 2,681.6 15.6 55.6 2,138.0 12.6
Total all age groups 17,191.5 100.0 50.4 16,917.3 100.0

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Date Modified:
2013-01-11