Baby boomers now less than 25% of Canada’s population, 2021 census data shows

The latest census data from 2021 shows for the first time since the end of the baby boom, the boomer generation in Canada makes up less than a quarter of the country's population.

The latest census data from 2021 shows for the first time since the end of the baby boom, the boomer generation in Canada makes up less than a quarter of the country’s population.

The data also shows seniors over the age of 85 are among the fastest growing age groups in the country.

It’s another milestone on the slow march to what experts warn will be a crisis in care for Canada’s elders.

The number of people over 85 more than doubled since the 2001 census, and is expected to triple by 2046.

Environics chief demographer Doug Norris says as the population ages, that will put additional pressure on Canada’s health care and long-term care systems.

Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald with the National Institute on Ageing says the impact could be particularly devastating because Canada’s future elders have not had as many children as previous generations.

That means fewer caregivers to tend to the growing number of people who won’t have access to long-term care spaces.

Newly released census data shows 0.33 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older, or about 100,815 people, identify as transgender or non-binary.