The Chief Statistician's Top Ten for 2022

1.  Nearly 3 in 4 Canadians report rising prices impacting their ability to meet day to day expenses

In April 2022, nearly three in four reported that rising prices are affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses. About one-quarter of Canadians reported having to either borrow money from friends or relatives, take on additional debt, or use credit to get by. Younger Canadians aged 15 to 29 (53%) and 30 to 39 (39%) were more than twice as likely as those 40 and above (20%) to report being very concerned about their ability to afford housing or rent. The Consumer Price Index reached a 40-year high of 8.1% in June. Higher prices for gasoline, shelter, food and durables have all contributed to consumer inflation, as supply problems coupled with strong demand have fueled price growth.

Sources:

• The Daily — Consumer Price Index, June 2022
• Recent developments in the Canadian economy: Fall 2022
• The Daily — Rising prices are affecting the ability to meet day-to-day expenses for most Canadians
• Research to Insights: Recent Economic and Social Developments

2.  4 in 10 — Canadians speak more than one language

In 2021, 41.2% of respondents reported being able to have a conversation in more than one language. This is up from 39.0% in 2016. 1 in 11 could speak three or more languages. Aside from English and French, Mandarin and Punjabi were the country's most widely spoken languages.

Sources:

• The Daily — While English and French are still the main languages spoken in Canada, the country's linguistic diversity continues to grow

3.  Number of First Nations people surpasses the 1 million mark for the first time

For the first time, more than 1 million (1,048,405) First Nations people were counted in the Census of Population. Combined, First Nations, Métis and Inuit represent 1.8 million Indigenous people, 5.0% of the population.

Sources:

• The Daily — Indigenous population continues to grow and is much younger than the non-Indigenous population, although the pace of growth has slowed

4.  997,000 — Job vacancies surge to record high amidst low unemployment

As of the second quarter of 2022, employers were seeking to fill nearly one million vacant positions, the highest on record. Sectors facing particular challenges included: healthcare and social assistance; accommodation and food services; and professional, scientific and technical services. At the same time, the unemployment rate reached a record low of 4.9% in June and has continued to stay near historic lows through the fall. Also, year-over-year growth in average hourly wages has remained above 5% since June. Nearly four in ten businesses recently reported that labour-related obstacles would limit growth.

Sources:

• The Daily — Job vacancies, second quarter 2022
• Recent developments in the Canadian economy: Fall 2022
• The Daily — Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, third quarter 2022

5.  Canada posts largest share of immigrants in 150 years

More than 23.0% of the population were or had ever been a landed immigrant or permanent resident of Canada in 2021, the largest share of the population in over 150 years and the highest among the G7 countries. Despite the growth, Canada's working-age population (15 to 64 years) has never been older and more than one in five working-age Canadians are approaching retirement age. Immigration has been the driving force behind Canada's labour supply for many years. Modest, sustained increases in immigration levels will not fully offset the longer-term impacts of an aging population, but are critical for alleviating the effects of aging on the labour market over time.

Sources:

• Census of Population
• Research to Insights: Immigration as a Source of Labour Supply
• The Daily — Labour Force Survey, October 2022
• The Daily — Immigrants make up the largest share of the population in over 150 years and continue to shape who we are as Canadians

6.  1 in 4 — Businesses anticipate continued supply chains challenges

Most recent data available from the fourth quarter of 2022 indicate that supply chain disruptions continue to be widely expected by Canadian businesses. Specifically, one-quarter of businesses reported that they were expecting challenges acquiring inputs, products or supplies domestically, and over half of these businesses expected supply challenges to continue for six months or more. Meanwhile, nearly half of businesses expected the costs of inputs to be an obstacle, up from one quarter at the beginning of 2021, and more than one in three businesses expected labour shortages to be a challenge.

Sources:

• Recent developments in the Canadian economy: Fall 2022
• The Daily — Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, third quarter 2022

7.  Canadians show their support for the Census with a 98% completion and 84% online participation

On November 30, 2022, Statistics Canada celebrated the completion of the 2021 Census cycle, making public seven major releases with new content on gender diversity, minority language rights holders, Indigenous population, religion, and veterans. This was made possible thanks to outstanding public support for the 2021 Census, as we achieved an overall collection response rate of 98.0% of which 84.1% were completed online.

Sources:

• 2021 Census dissemination planning: Release schedule
• Census Program: Census of Population

8.  Canada continues to be highly urbanized with 3 out of every 4 living within a Census Metropolitan Area

Canada continues to urbanize as large urban centres benefit most from new arrivals to the country. In 2021, 73.7% lived in one of Canada's large urban centres. For the first time, data collection focused on population changes within different areas located inside Canada's Census Metropolitan Areas and discovered that population growth within our cities has not been uniform across their territory. Almost two-thirds (65%) of large urban population centre area were classified as green in 2022. Urban greenness in Canada decreased from 2000 to 2022 and is most pronounced in large urban population centres.

Sources:

• The Daily — Canada's large urban centres continue to grow and spread
• The Daily — Census of Environment: Urban greenness, 2022

9.  50,443 — Estimated number of excess deaths in Canada directly and indirectly attributed to the pandemic

Provisional data show an estimated 50,443 excess deaths in Canada from the end of March 2020 to the beginning of August 2022, 7.3% more deaths than expected had there not been a pandemic. During this period, at least 41,480 deaths were directly attributed to COVID-19. The results of the Canadian COVID-19 Antibody and Health Survey, the first national survey measuring COVID-19 infections based on a novel self-administered saliva-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and antibodies with a dried blood spot test, showed that one-third of Canadians had tested positive at least once for the virus by May 2022 and on an average day throughout summer 2022, about 1 in every 50 Canadian adults would have tested positive if they took a PCR test, indicating a current or recent infection. Among them, about one-third (35%) were not aware that they had the virus. Among those who've tested positive or suspected an infection, 14.8% experienced symptoms at least three months after their infection.

Sources:

• The Daily — Provisional death counts and excess mortality, January 2020 to September 2022
• Inequalities in COVID-19 mortality rates by neighbourhood types in Canada
• The Daily — Canadian Social Environment Typology: A new way to help measure health and social inequalities in Canada, 2020
• Canadian Social Environment Typology: Data File and User Guide
• The Daily — Long-term symptoms in Canadian adults who tested positive for COVID-19 or suspected an infection, January 2020 to August 2022
• The Daily — Canadians' awareness of when they have COVID-19, May to August 2022

10.  189,874 — Total number of farms in Canada no longer reflecting the typical operation from a generation ago

In 2021, the Census of Agriculture counted 189,874 farms, a decrease of 1.9% from 2016. Farms are becoming increasingly sophisticated businesses that harmonize automation, modernization and production operations, with many farms reporting revenues of $1 million or more growing in terms of sales and number of employees. Meanwhile, farms are transitioning towards renewable energy production. In 2021, there were more than twice as many farms reporting renewable energy production than in the previous census.

Sources:

• The Daily — Canada's 2021 Census of Agriculture: A story about the transformation of the agriculture industry and adaptiveness of Canadian farmers