Grandparents’ Day, by the numbers
Grandparents’ Day, observed on the second Sunday in September every year in Canada, is an opportunity to celebrate the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. It’s a very special one for so many!
Every five years, the General Social Survey (GSS) releases detailed data on grandparents in Canada. In 2017, there were 16.0 million Canadians aged 45 years and over, and 7.5 million of them (47.0%) were grandparents.
The average age of all grandparents was 68 years, while the average age for first-time grandparents was 52.
Living with grandparents
The 2021 Census of Population counted just under half a million (441,750) multigenerational households, meaning three or more generations of family live together.
Among census families, almost 1 in 10 children aged 0 to 14 years (9%), or more than half a million children (553,855), lived with at least one grandparent in 2021, unchanged from 2016 but up from 7% in 2001.
Most of these children (93%) lived in a multigenerational household in 2021, meaning they lived with at least one parent and one grandparent.
The rate was higher for Indigenous children; 14.2% of them lived with at least one grandparent in 2021.
Among grandparents, one in five help out
In 2022, one in five unpaid caregivers (21%) said they provided care to their grandchild (or grandchildren) in the past 12 months, according to the GSS.
Unpaid caregivers who reported only providing care for their grandchild (or grandchildren) spent about 15 hours doing so in an average week.
How many more grandparents?
In the spring of 2024, the General Social Statistics Program will be surveying Canadians on family experiences, including couple relationships, parenthood and grandparenthood.
If you are selected to participate, please do so—your participation is important. Click here for more information on survey participation.