Census shows aging population, shift to apartment living in Metro Vancouver

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The wave of retiring baby boomers is now firmly crashing down on Canada’s demographic shores with newly released census figures painting more shades of grey of the population.

The figures released today show the number of seniors grew by 20 per cent between 2010 and 2016 — the fastest rate the census has recorded in 150 years.

When it comes to demographics, almost one-in-five British Columbians is older than 65, according to Statistics Canada. The agency says that puts BC near the top. On the other hand, we have the lowest proportion of children under the age of 14 in Western Canada.

Statistics Canada adds the census counted 5.9 million seniors and 5.8 million youth last year, marking the first time there were more Canadians over the age of 65 than under age 15.

The numbers are also shedding some light on what kind of roof people have over their head. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise given all the cranes and construction we’ve seen throughout Metro Vancouver in recent years. But it seems living in a detached home is becoming a rarity in our region — as apartments and condos spring up everywhere.

And this shift is the most pronounced in Vancouver, according to the figures. As a percentage of all dwelling types, the detached house is down 13 per cent since we got the last statistics earlier this year. In contrast, taller apartments — with at least five storeys — are up 18 per cent over the same period.

This is still no match for Toronto, where one-in-three homes is in a building with five floors or more.

National population ages

Statistics Canada also found that 8,230 people had reached the age of 100 last year, making centenarians the fastest growing segment of the Canadian population at 41.3 per cent. The agency says the aging of Canada’s population is only going to accelerate over the coming decades as more and more baby boomers march towards retirement.

The figures also show there were 97 men for every 100 women, a figure that has held relatively steady over 15 years based on data from Statistics Canada. At the youngest age range, men outnumber women, but their lead diminishes over time and evaporates between the ages of 35 and 64, thanks to the longer lifespans of women.

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