For the second consecutive year, fewer women are giving in birth in Canada. The country now has a birth rate of 1.26 children per woman, with some provinces like British Columbia reporting a rate of only 1 child per woman. Yet, the number of children remained consistent year-over-year at 350,000, although there was a 5% decline in births from 2021 to 2022. The problem lies in fewer women of childbearing age opting to have children amid the terrible economic conditions.
“Canada has now joined the group of “lowest-low” fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan, with 1.3 children per woman or less. In comparison, the total fertility rate for the United States was 1.62 per woman in 2023,” Statistics Canada said in its press release.
More women are waiting until later in life to have children. Gone are the days when young couples could have families and rely on one income for support. Both the mother and father must be financially stable to responsibly bring life into this world. Over 26.5% of mothers in 2023 were over the age of 35 but that figure was only 10.7% twenty years ago. Unfortunately, this has increased the rate of premature births, which has reached a 50-year high.
On the other hand, Canada’s population reached an all-time high this year. Canada’s population surpassed 41 million, but it is not due to new births. Statistics Canada professed that the population rose 0.6% or 242,673 people from Q1 to Q2, standing at 41,012.563 as of April 2024. The nation rose by 1.27 from 2022 to 2023 or a 3.2%. Nearly all population growth (99.3%; 240,955 people) were solely attributed to migrants arriving in Canada.
We are witnessing population replacement at play. Birth rates are declining across developed nations among the citizens who can no longer afford to expand their families. On the other hand, these nations opened their borders and provided free shelter, healthcare, etc., to migrants who are comfortably expanding their families. We are witnessing a shift in society as the current citizens are being phased out and replaced by newcomers.
