The diversity of families in Canada

In 2024, Canada was home to 10.9 million census families—that is, couples with or without children and one-parent families. Among the census families, 9.1 million were couple families, while the remaining 1.8 million were one-parent families.  

In Canada, there is an increase in the diversity of family structures and there are changes in the forms of conjugal life, including more common-law unions and a higher prevalence of second marriages.

Every family is unique, and the sociodemographic characteristics of families in Canada are affected by many factors, such as population aging, decreasing fertility rates and changing norms around living arrangements.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the United Nations International Year of the Family, let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of families in Canada.

Ethnocultural diversity among parents of young children

Parents of young children today are highly diverse from an ethnocultural perspective.

In 2021, one-third (33.3%) of parents of young children (aged 5 years or younger) in Canada were immigrants, higher than the share of immigrants among the total population aged 25 to 64 years (27.7%). Among these immigrant parents, the majority (71.4%) had their youngest child after immigrating to Canada.

Similar to the prevalence of immigrant parents, one-third (33.9%) of parents with young children were part of a racialized group in 2021. South Asian (9.9%) and Black (5.9%) people were slightly overrepresented among parents of young children relative to their weight in the general population aged 25 to 64 years (7.3% for South Asian people and 4.0% for Black people).

Overall, racialized parents of young children were less likely to be in one-parent families (14.0%) than non-racialized parents (17.4%), but there was considerable variation in this regard. For instance, 7.4% of South Asian parents of young children were in one-parent families, compared with 28.7% of Black parents of young children.

Indigenous children more likely to live with at least one grandparent

In 2022, a higher proportion of Indigenous children aged 1 to 14 years lived with at least one grandparent in their home (14%) compared with non-Indigenous children (9%). Among First Nations children, 17% lived with at least one grandparent, while the proportions were 16% for Inuit children and 8% for Métis children.

Among all Indigenous children aged 1 to 14 years who lived with their grandparents, the majority (77%) lived in a multigenerational household—that is, a household with three or more generations of the same family present.

The remaining 23% lived in a skip-generation family with at least one grandparent, but with no parents being present in the household. Among children living with at least one grandparent, the proportions living in a skip-generation family were 26% for First Nations children, 16% for Métis children and 15% for Inuit children. In comparison, 5% of non-Indigenous children lived with at least one grandparent without a parent present.

A larger share of 2SLGBTQ+ women than men are parents

In the period from 2019 to 2021, approximately 800,000 adults aged 25 to 64 years in Canada reported being 2SLGBTQ+.

Almost half (46%) of 2SLGBTQ+ adults were married or in a common-law union, and over 1 in 10 2SLGBTQ+ adults (12%) were parents living with at least one child younger than 12 years. A larger share of 2SLGBTQ+ women than men were parents.

Over half (51%) of 2SLGBTQ+ adults aged 65 years and older were living alone, compared with nearly one-third (30%) of non-2SLGBTQ+ older adults. Among adults aged 65 years and older, 2SLGBTQ+ men were more than twice as likely to live alone (52%) than non-2SLGBTQ+ men (21%).

Fertility rates are decreasing

Parents today not only have fewer children, but they also have them at older ages, on average, compared with parents in previous generations. Canada’s low and decreasing fertility rate contributes to population aging and the declining proportion of families that have young children.

Canada’s total fertility rate decreased from 1.33 children per woman in 2022 to a record low of 1.26 children per woman in 2023.

The average age of mothers at childbirth has also been increasing steadily for nearly five decades, with the average age of mothers at the time of delivery being 31.7 years in 2023, up from 26.8 years in 1977.

Despite declining fertility rates, roughly two-thirds of people aged 15 to 49 years either have children or plan to have children

In 2022, we asked youth and adults aged 15 to 49 years how many children in total they intended to have.

Approximately two-thirds said they intended to have at least one, with 12% wanting one child, 36% wanting two, 14% wanting three and 6% wanting four or more children.

In addition to biological parenthood, individuals may also parent a child via adoptive or step relationships. Among people aged 15 to 49 years in 2022, 2% had at least one adopted child, while 9% had at least one stepchild.

To find the latest data and analysis on Canada’s families, see our Families, households and marital status statistics portal.