Valentine's Day... by the numbers

2019

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: February 11, 2019)

All couples

  • 8,227,925 — The total number of couples in private households in Canada in 2016. Slightly under 6.5 million were married couples, and over 1.7 million were common law couples.

Source: 2016 Census, Census Profile.

  • 16,455,840 — The total number of persons, aged 15 and over, living as a couple in private households in Canada in 2016. This includes opposite-sex and same-sex married spouses and common-law partners.

Source: Marital status and opposite- and same-sex status by sex for persons aged 15 and over living in private households for both sexes, total, presence and age of children, 2016 counts, Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 Census – 100% Data.

Singles

  • 12,418,440 — The total number of persons, aged 15 and over, not married and not living in common law relationships in private households in Canada in 2016.

Source: 2016 Census, Census Profile.

Same-sex couples

Same-sex couples accounted for 0.9% of all couples in 2016.

The number of same-sex married couples grew 60.7% between 2006 and 2016—the first full 10‑year period in which same-sex marriage was legal across the country.

  • 72,880 — The number of same-sex couple families in 2016.
  • 24,370 — The number of same-sex married couples in 2016.
  • 48,510 — The number of same-sex common-law couples in 2016.

Source: Census in Brief, Same-sex couples in Canada in 2016.

One couple, two addresses

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

Source: "Study: Living apart together," The Daily, March 5, 2013.

Second union

  • About 3 in 10 — The proportion of people aged 55 to 64 in 2011 who had experienced at least two unions during their lifetime. Among people aged 65 and over, the proportion was roughly 2 in 10.

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

Love at any age

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

(A "senior couple" is one in which at least one partner is aged 65 or over.)

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

A special meal

  • $2,593 — The average annual spending on food purchased from restaurants by Canadian households in 2017.

The term "restaurants" includes full-service restaurants, fast-food outlets and cafeterias, as well as refreshments stands, snack bars, vending machines, mobile canteens, caterers and chip wagons. These expenditures include tips and do not include expenditures for alcoholic beverages.

Source: Table 11-10-0222-01 Household spending, Canada, regions and provinces.

A special gift

  • $4.1 billion — The value of jewellery and watches sold at retailers in Canada in 2017.
  • $2.4 billion The value of fine jewellery sold at retailers in Canada in 2017.
  • $5.1 billion — The value of cosmetics and fragrances sold at retailers in Canada in 2017.
  • $2.1 billion — The value of women's lingerie, sleepwear and intimates sold at retailers in Canada in 2017.
  • $934.7 million — The value of men's underwear, sleepwear and hosiery sold at retailers in Canada in 2017.

Source: Table 11-10-0236-01 Retail commodity survey, retail sales (x 1,000)

A glass of wine

  • 505.4 million litres — The volume of all wines sold by liquor stores, agencies and other retail outlets in Canada in 2016/2017.
  • $7.2 billion — The value of all wines sold by liquor stores, agencies and other retail outlets in Canada in 2016/2017.
  • 65.2% — The proportion of red wines sold in Canada in 2016/2017 that were imported.
  • 51.3% — The proportion of white wines sold in Canada in 2016/2017 that were imported.

Source: Table 10-10-0011-02 Volume of sales of alcoholic beverages of liquor authorities and other retail outlets, by origin of product (x 1,000)

A glass of sparkling wine

  • $402. 0 million — The value of sales of sparkling wines in Canada in 2016/2017.
  • 18.4 million litres — The volume of sparkling wines sold in Canada in 2016/2017.

Source: Table 10-10-0011-01 Value of sales of alcoholic beverages of liquor authorities and other retail outlets, by beverage type (x 1,000).

A box of chocolates

  • 378 — The number of manufacturers in the "chocolate and chocolate confectionery manufacturing from cacao beans" sub-industry or in the "confectionery manufacturing from purchased chocolate" sub-industry in Canada in 2016.

Source: Canadian Business Counts, with employees, June 2018 (33-10-0092-01) and Canadian Business Counts, without employees, June 2018 (33-10-0094-01)

  • $811 million — The value of chocolate and chocolate confectionery manufactured in Ontario in 2015.

Source: Table 16-10-0048-01 Manufacturing sales by industry and province, monthly (dollars unless otherwise noted) (x 1,000).

  • $208 — The average annual expenditure on candies and chocolates by Canadian households in 2017.

Source: Table 11-10-0125-01 Detailed food spending, Canada, regions and provinces.

A bouquet of roses

  • 4.4 million — The number of rose stems produced in Canada in 2017.

Source: Table: 32-10-0021-01 Production of potted plants, cut flowers, cuttings, by variety and tree seedlings.

  • 12.4 million dozen — The number of cut roses and rose buds imported to Canada in 2017, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador.
  • $76.1 million — The value of cut roses and rose buds imported to Canada in 2017.

Source: Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database.

A love story

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

  • $1.6 billion — The operating revenues for the book publishing industry in Canada in 2016

Source: "Book publishing industry, 2016," The Daily, March 23, 2018.

A place to find your soulmate

You might find your soulmate in one of the places listed below. Regardless, the NHS Profile (2011) and the Census Profile (2016) are great sources of data about them.

  • Chocolate Cove, New Brunswick
  • Cupids, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Heart Lake, Alberta
  • Heart's Content, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Heart's Delight, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Heart's Desire, Newfoundland and Labrador
  • Heart's Hill, Saskatchewan
  • Honey Harbour, Ontario
  • Love, Saskatchewan
  • Romance, Saskatchewan
  • Rose Lake, British Columbia
  • Rose Valley, Saskatchewan
  • Saint-Valentin, Quebec

Happy Valentine's Day from Statistics Canada!

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