Valentine's Day… by the numbers

2015

February 14th is Valentine's Day!

Named for Saint Valentine, this is a day when people express their love by sending cards, exchanging gifts of chocolate, roses or personal items, and even sharing romantic dinners by candlelight.

Here are some facts on assorted topics related to Valentine's Day.

(Last updated: January 29, 2015)

All couples

  • 7,861,860 — The total number of couples in private households in Canada in 2011. Of these couples, 6.3 million were married couples and 1.6 million were common-law unions.

Sources: 2011 Census, Portrait of Families and Living Arrangements in Canada; Table 1: Distribution (number and percentage) and percentage change of census families by family structure, Canada, 2001 to 2011.

  • 15,723,715 — The total number of persons in private households living in a couple (including opposite- and same-sex married spouses and common-law partners) aged 15 and over in Canada in 2011.

Source: Household Living Arrangements (12), Age Groups (21) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 Census.

Singles

  • 11,784,855 — The total number of persons not living in a couple (including never-married, divorced, separated or widowed) aged 15 and over in Canada in 2011.

Source: 2011 Census, Census Profile.

Same-sex couples

Same-sex couples accounted for 0.8% of all couples in 2011.

The number of same-sex married couples nearly tripled between 2006 and 2011, reflecting the first full five-year period for which same-sex marriage has been legal across the country.

  • 64,575 — The number of same-sex couple families in 2011.
  • 21,015 — The number of same-sex married couples.
  • 43,560 — The number of same-sex common-law couples.

Source: 2011 Census, “2011 Census of Population: Families, households, marital status, structural type of dwelling, collectives,” The Daily, Wednesday, September 19, 2012.

One couple, two addresses

  • 1.9 million — The number of Canadians, or just over 7% of the population aged 20 and over, who said that they were in a couple relationship with someone in 2011, but lived at separate addresses. This proportion was down slightly from 8% in 2001.

Source: “Study: Living apart together,” The Daily, Tuesday, March 5, 2013.

Second union

  • About 3 in 10 — The proportion of people 55 to 64 years of age in 2011 experiencing at least two unions during their lifetime, compared with 19% among people 65 and over.

Source: “Study: Emerging trends in living arrangements and conjugal unions for current and future seniors, 1981 to 2011,” The Daily, Monday, February 24, 2014.

Love at any age

  • 14% — The proportion of senior couples with an age gap of 10 years or more in 2011, compared with 18% in 1981.
  • 49% — The proportion of senior couples with an age gap of three years or less in 2011, compared with 40% in 1981.

Source: “Emerging trends in living arrangements and conjugal unions for current and future seniors, 1981 to 2011,” Insights on Canadian Society.

A special meal

  • $2,226 — The average annual spending on food purchased from restaurants by Canadian households in 2013.

(“Restaurants” includes full service restaurants, fast-food outlets, cafeterias, but also refreshments stands, snack bars, vending machines, mobile canteens, caterers and chip wagons. Includes tips. Does not include expenses for alcoholic beverages.)

Source: CANSIM, table 203-0021.

A special gift

  • $3.33 billion — The value of jewellery and watches sold at retailers in Canada in 2013.
  • $2.55 billion — The value of cosmetics and fragrances sold at retailers in Canada in 2013.
  • $1.61 billion — The value of women's lingerie, sleepwear and intimates sold at retailers in Canada in 2013.
  • $665.5 million — The value of men's underwear, sleepwear and hosiery sold at retailers in Canada in 2013.

Source: CANSIM, table 080-0022.

A glass of wine

On a per-capita basis, wine sales amounted to 17.4 litres or $234 per person in 2013, up 4.3 litres per person from 2003.

  • 506.6 million litres — The volume of all wines sold by wineries, liquor stores and agencies in Canada during the year ending March 31, 2013, a 4.9% increase from the previous year.
  • $6.81 billion — The value of all wines sold by wineries, liquor stores and agencies in Canada during the year ending March 31, 2013, up 4.9% from the previous year.
  • 77% — The proportion of red wines sold in Canada during the year ending March 31, 2013 that were imported.
  • 61% — The proportion of white wines sold in Canada during the year ending March 31, 2013 that were imported.

Source: “Control and sale of alcoholic beverages, for the year ending March 31, 2013,” The Daily, Thursday, April 10, 2014.

A glass of sparkling wine

  • $404.5 million — The value of sales of sparkling wines in Canada in 2012/2013, up 10.2% from 2011/2012. Canadian products made up nearly a quarter of this amount.
  • 23.4 million litres — The volume of sparkling wines sold in Canada in 2012/2013, up 6.7% from 2011/2012. This represents the equivalent of nearly 11 million 750 ml bottles of domestic sparkling wines and more than 20 million 750 ml bottles of imported bubbly in 2012/2013.

Source: CANSIM, table 183-0015.

A box of chocolates

  • $1.50 billion — The total revenue of manufacturers of chocolate and confectioneries from cocoa beans in Canada in 2012.

Source: CANSIM, table 301-0006.

(Data for confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate are suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act.)

A bouquet of roses

  • 8.3 million — The number of rose stems produced in Canada in 2013.

Source: CANSIM, table 001-0049.

  • 11.0 million dozen — The number of cut roses and rose buds imported to Canada in 2013, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador.

Source: Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database.

A love story

Romance novels explore human relationships. Poetry is often used to convey feelings of love.

  • $1.87 billion — The operating revenues for the book publishing industry in Canada in 2012.

Source: Book publishers, 2012.

It's a date!

Going to a movie, a live performance at a theatre or even to a hockey game are great ideas for a date. Some couples enjoy sports activities together!

See Performing arts, Motion picture theatres, Spectator sports, event promoters, artists and related industries and Amusement and recreation for related information and data.

A place to find your soulmate

You may or may not find your soulmate in these selected places, but you might find some interesting data using the NHS Profile or the Census Profile:

  • Cupids, Newfoundland & Labrador  
  • Heart Lake, Alberta
  • Heart's Delight, Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Heart's Content, Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Heart's Desire, Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Heart's Hill, Saskatchewan
  • Love, Saskatchewan
  • Saint-Valentin, Quebec

Happy Valentine's Day from Statistics Canada!

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See features on many other subjects in By the numbers.