Dimensions of Poverty Hub

Description - Deep income poverty in Canada

• This line chart shows the change in the deep income poverty rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 4 to 8 percent, by increments of 1 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 2015 to 2019, by increments of 1 year.
• The line shows that the deep income poverty rate was 7.4% in 2015, and declined to 5.0% in 2019.
• Three data points are highlighted: 7.4% in 2015, 5.4% in 2018 and 5.0% in 2019.

What is it?

This indicator measures the number of individuals whose family disposable income is below 75 percent of Canada's Official Poverty Line.

Why is it important?

The Deep income poverty is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Dignity pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Dignity pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help lifting Canadians out of poverty by ensuring everyone's basic needs are met.

Notes:

Program: Canadian Income Survey - Annually

Source: Statistics Canada, Custom tabulation

Note: 2020 data will be released in early 2022.

Unmet housing needs and chronic homelessness

• This bar chart shows the change in the unmet housing needs rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 6 to 14 percent, by increments of 2 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing four years, 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016.
• In 2001, the rate was 13.7%. In 2006, it was 12.7%. In 2011, it was 12.5%. In 2016, it was 12.7%.

What is it?

Unmet housing needs refers to the number of Canadians who are in housing that is unaffordable (i.e. having shelter costs that are more than 30 percent of before-tax household income), in need of major repairs, or unsuitable for the size and composition of the household, and whose household income is such that they could not afford a suitable and adequate home in their community.

Why is it important?

The Unmet housing needs and chronic homelessness indicator is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Dignity pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Dignity pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help lift Canadians out of poverty by ensuring everyone's basic needs are met.

Notes:

Program: Census of Population – Every five years

Source: Statistics Canada. 2016 Census Table: Core housing need

Note: 2021 Census data will be released in 2022.

Description - Unmet health needs in Canada

• This bar chart shows the change in the unmet health needs rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 10.5 to 13.0 percent, by increments of 0.5 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing two time periods, 2000-01 and 2014.
• In 2000-01, the rate was 12.5%. In 2014, it was 11.2%.

What is it?

This indicator measures the number of Canadians that reported that their health care needs were not met when they needed it during the past 12 months.

Why is it important?

The Unmet health needs is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Dignity pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Dignity pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help lift Canadians out of poverty by ensuring everyone's basic needs are met.

Notes:

This indicator is currently available from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). While the CCHS is conducted annually, unmet health needs is optional content not collected every years and not collected by all provinces and territories. Unmet health needs content was first collected by the Canadian Income Survey in 2019, for reference year 2018, with plans to continue collecting this data annually after that.

Program: Canadian Community Health Survey - Annually

Source: Custom tabulation

Description - Food insecurity

• This bar chart shows the change in the food security rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 7.0 to 9.0 percent, by increments of 0.5 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing three time periods: 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2017-18.
• In 2007-08, the rate was 7.7%. In 2011-12, it was 8.3%. In 2017-18, it was 8.7%.

What is it?

This indicator measures the number of Canadian households that do not have enough money to purchase or access a sufficient amount and variety of food to live a healthy lifestyle

Why is it important?

The Food insecurity is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Dignity pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Dignity pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help lift Canadians out of poverty by ensuring everyone's basic needs are met.

Notes:

This indicator is currently available from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). While the CCHS is conducted annually, food insecurity is optional content not collected every years and not collected by all provinces and territories. The CCHS underwent a methodological and content redesign beginning in 2015, which may affect comparisons of estimates from before the redesign. Food security content was first collected by the Canadian Income Survey in 2019, for reference year 2018, with plans to continue collecting this data annually after that.

Program: Canadian Community Health Survey - Annually

Source: Statistics Canada. Custom tabulation.

Description - Relative low income rate in Canada

• This line chart shows the change in the relative low income rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 10 to 15, by increments of 1 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 1976 to 2019, in 2 year increments.
• The line begins at 13.0%, and is fairly jagged. The lowest point on the graph is 10.5% in 1989.
• Three recent data points are highlighted: a graph high point of 14.2% in 2015, 12.3% in 2018, and 12.1% in 2019.

What is it?

The Relative low income indicator uses Statistics Canada's Low Income Measure (LIM) to measure the proportion of Canadians living in low income. According to the LIM, individuals live in low income if their household after-tax income falls below half of the median after-tax income, adjusting for household size. The median income is the middle of the income distribution: it is the amount at which half the population has more income and half the population has less income.

Why is it important?

The Relative low income is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity.

Notes:

Program: Canadian Income Survey - Annually

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0135-01 Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type

Description - Bottom 40% share in Canada

• This line chart shows the change in the bottom 40% share rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 18 to 23 percent, by increments of 1 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 1976 to 2019, by increments of 2 years.
• The line shows that the bottom 40% share rate was 21.1% in 1976. It rose to 21.7% by 1981, before dropping to 21.2% by 1984. It gradually rose again to 22% in 1989, before declining to 19.9% by 2004. Between 2002 and 2012, it held relatively steady, between 19.9%% and 20.3%.
• Three recent data points are highlighted: 20.4% in 2017, 20.8% in 2018, and 21.0% in 2019.

What is it?

The Bottom 40% income share indicator measures the share of total after-tax income held by the 40 percent of the population at the bottom of the income distribution. The total after-tax income is adjusted for household size in order to take into account the economies of scale present in larger households.

Why is it important?

The bottom 40 percent income share is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity.

Notes:

Program: Canadian Income Survey - Annually

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0193-01 Upper income limit, income share and average of adjusted market, total and after-tax income by income decile

Description - Youth engagement in Canada

• This line chart shows the change in the youth engagement rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 5 to 25, by increments of 5 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 1976 to 2020, by increments of 1 year.
• The line begins at 18.5% in 1976. While there was a notable spike to 21.7% in 1983 and a drop to 13.1% in 1989, the line describes an uneven but definite downward trend from 19.2% in 1978 to 10.5% in 2013.
• Three recent data points are highlighted: 10.9% in 2015, 9.5% in 2019 and 11.7% in 2020.

What is it?

The Youth engagement indicator measures the proportion of youth aged 15 to 24 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).

Why is it important?

The Youth engagement is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity.

Notes:

Program: Labour Force Survey – monthly with indicator being updated annually

Source: Statistics Canada, Custom Tabulation

Note: 2021 data will be available in April 2021.

What is it?

The Literacy and Numeracy indicator measures the proportion of individuals who have a level of knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics to permit them to fully participate in society. Low literacy indicates limited ability in understanding, using, reflecting on and engaging with written text which enable basic participation in society. Low numeracy indicates limited ability in communicating, using and interpreting mathematics in daily life.

Why is it important?

The Literacy and Numeracy indicator is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Opportunity and Inclusion pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to help Canadians join the middle class by promoting full participation in society and equality of opportunity.

Notes:

Program: Program for International Student Assessment – Every three years

Source: PISA

Notes: 2021 data will be available in early 2024. The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies occurs every 10 years, and 2022 data expected to be released in 2023.

Description - Median hourly wage in Canada - 2020 constant dollars

• This line chart shows the change in the median hourly wage rate in 2020 constant dollars in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing dollars, from 18 to 26, by increments of 2 dollars.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 1997 to 2020, by increments of 2 years.
• The line shows that the median hourly wage was $21.22 in 1997, and rose to $21.74 in 2006. From 2006 to 2010, it rose steadily to $23.39. It dropped to $22.73 in 2012, before returning to $22.98 by 2014.
• Three data points are highlighted: $23.81 in 2015, $24.18 in 2019, and $25.50 in 2020.

What is it?

The hourly wage at which half the population has a higher wage and half the population has a lower wage.

Why is it important?

The Median hourly wage indicator is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Resilience and Security pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Resilience and Security pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to support the middle class by protecting Canadians from falling into poverty and by supporting income security and resilience.

Notes:

The annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) value may be used to convert current dollars into constant dollars.

For example, to convert the 2019 current dollar value into 2020 constant dollars, one would do the following: $24.00 (2019 value), divided by 136.0 (2019 CPI), multiplied by 137.0 (2020 CPI) = $24.18 (2019 value converted to 2020 dollars).

Program: Labour Force Survey – monthly with indicator being updated annually

Source: Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0340-01 Employee wages by occupation, annual.

Consumer Price Index, Statistics Canada. Table 18-10-0005-01 Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted.

Note: 2021 data will be available in early 2022.

Description - Average poverty gap in Canada

• This line chart shows the change in the average poverty gap rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 31 to 34 percent, by increments of 0.5 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing years, from 2015 to 2019, by increments of 1 year.
• The line shows that the average poverty gap rate was 31.8% in 2015 and 2016, before increasing to 32.9% in 2017.
• Three data points are highlighted: 31.8% in 2015, 33.4% in 2018, and 33.0% in 2019.

What is it?

The Average poverty gap indicator measures the average shortfall below Canada's Official Poverty Line for those living in poverty.

Once it has been determined that an individual is living below the poverty line, the poverty gap ratio can be calculated by using the amount that the person's family disposable income is below the poverty line, expressed as a percentage of the poverty line. For example, an individual living in a family with disposable income of $15,000 and a poverty line of $20,000 would have a poverty gap of $5,000. In percentage terms, the "gap ratio" would be 25%. The average gap ratio for a given population is the average of these values as calculated for each person.

Why is it important?

The Average poverty gap is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Resilience and Security pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Resilience and Security pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to support the middle class by protecting Canadians from falling into poverty and by supporting income security and resilience. A smaller average poverty gap from one time period to the next generally indicates that Canadians living in poverty have seen their incomes increase and move closer to the poverty line.

Notes:

Program: Canadian Income Survey - Annually

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0136-01 Low income statistics by economic family type

Note: 2020 data will be available in early 2022.

Description - Asset resilience in Canada

• This bar chart shows the change in the asset resilience rate in Canada over time.
• It has a vertical axis showing percentages, from 60 to 70 percent, by increments of 2 percent.
• It has a horizontal axis showing five years: 1999, 2005, 2012, 2016 and 2019.
• The rate was 63.6% in 1999, 65.1% in 2005, 65.3% in 2012 66.6% in 2016 and 67.1% in 2019.

What is it?

The ability of Canadians to cover unexpected expenses, or reduced income, by drawing from assets (e.g. a bank account) for a period of three months. (Savings of approximately $6,000 for the three months, based on the low income measure estimate for 2019.)

Why is it important?

The Asset resilience indicator is one of the four inter-related indicators found in the Resilience and Security pillar of Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy. The indicators in the Resilience and Security pillar are meant to track the progress of initiatives used to support the middle class by protecting Canadians from falling into poverty and by supporting income security and resilience.

Notes:

This indicator represents the proportion of people who have enough liquid financial assets to cover at least three months of the low income measure. Liquid financial assets include bank accounts, term deposits, treasury bills, tax-free savings accounts, stocks and bonds (in mutual funds or not), and registered retirement savings plans.

Liquid financial assets can provide some relief for families faced with a disruption to their primary source of income, so they can continue to meet their essential needs and financial obligations. Therefore, families with lower liquid financial assets may be more vulnerable to a disruption in income than families with higher liquid financial assets.

In March 2021, the methodology used to estimate the asset resilience indicator was updated to include data from 2019. Historical data was also updated to ensure comparability over time.

Program: Survey of Financial Security – Every three years

Source: Statistics Canada. Custom tabulation.

What is it?

The low income entry and exit rates describe how Canadian tax filers' low income status changed from one year to another. These rates are estimated for Canadians who filed tax returns for two consecutive years, while those that did not file tax returns for two consecutive years are excluded from the calculations.

The low income entry rate is, out of those who were not in low income in the first year, the proportion who entered low income in the second year.

The low income exit rate is, out of those who were in low income in the first year, the proportion who exited low income in the second year.

Why is it important?

Low income entry and exit rates are one of the four inter-related indicators used to track progress of the resilience of Canadian households. These indicators are meant to track the proportion of non-low income Canadians in one year who fall into low income the following year as well as the proportion of low-income Canadians in one year who exit low income the next year.

Notes

Program: Longitudinal Administrative Databank – Annually

Statistics Canada. Table 11-10-0024-01 Low income entry and exit rates of tax filers in Canada

Note: Low income entry and exit rates are based on the Low Income Measure. The indicator is not currently available using Canada's Official Poverty Line, and it is not available in the territories. Data on low income entry and exit rates for 2018/2019 will be published in November 2021.