Poverty

Poverty rate according to the Market Basket Measure.

This indicator is measured in the Canadian Income Survey (CIS) and the Census of Population.

This poverty rate is the percentage of people who live in poverty based on the 2018-base Market Basket Measure (MBM). According to the MBM, a family lives in poverty if they cannot afford the cost of a specific basket of goods and services in their community, after adjusting for family size. The basket represents a modest, basic standard of living. It includes the costs of food, clothing and footwear, transportation, shelter and other expenses for a reference family. These costs are compared to disposable income of families to determine whether or not they fall below the poverty line.

For more information please refer to:

• Table 11-10-0066-01 – Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component and base year
• Technical paper for the Northern Market Basket Measure of poverty for Yukon and the Northwest Territories
• Report on the second comprehensive review of the Market Basket Measure

• Canadian Income Survey (CIS)
  • Table 11-10-0135-01 – Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type
  • Table 11-10-0136-01 – Low income statistics by economic family type
  • Table 11-10-0090-01 – Poverty and low-income statistics by disability status
• Census of Population
  • Table 98-10-0112-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by demographic and economic family characteristics of persons: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts
  • Table 98-10-0113-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by economic family characteristics of persons: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions
  • Table 98-10-0114-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by economic family characteristics of persons: Census metropolitan areas, tracted census agglomerations and census tracts
  • Table 98-10-0115-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by visible minority groups and demographic characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts
  • Table 98-10-0116-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by immigration status and demographic characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts
  • Table 98-10-0117-01 – Individual Market Basket Measure poverty status by Indigenous groups and demographic characteristics: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts

• Municipal Quality of Life Dashboard (Statistics Canada – Data Visualization Products)
• Canada's Official Poverty Dashboard of Indicators: Trends, May 2023 (Statistics Canada – Infographics, May 9, 2023)
• Income of Canadians, 2021 (Statistics Canada – Infographics, May 9, 2023)
• Sustainable Development Goals – Goal 1, No Poverty (Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Report, June 23, 2022)
• Dimensions of Poverty Hub
• Income of Canadians, 2020 (Statistics Canada - Infographics, March 23, 2022)
• Canada's Official Poverty Dashboard of Indicators: Trends, March 2022 (Statistics Canada - Infographics, March 23, 2022)
• Income of Canadians, 2019 (Statistics Canada - Infographics, March 23, 2021)

• Housing Experiences in Canada: Renters who are in poverty, seniors and recent immigrants, 2021 (Housing Statistics in Canada, November 22, 2023)
• Poverty among racialized groups across generations (Economic and Social Reports, August 23, 2023)
• Construction of a Northern Market Basket Measure of poverty for Nunavut (Income Research Paper Series, June 21, 2023)
• Market Basket Measure Research: Additional income inequality indicators using the Market Basket Measure (Income Research Paper Series, December 20, 2022)
• Disaggregated trends in poverty from the 2021 Census of Population (Analytical products, 2021 Census, November 9, 2022)
• Market Basket Measure Research Paper: Poverty Index (Income Research Paper Series, November 01, 2022)
• New analysis on the poverty rate is released annually through The Daily:
  • Canadian Income Survey, 2021 (The Daily, May 2, 2023)
  • Canadian Income Survey: Territorial estimates, 2020 (The Daily, November 3, 2022)
  • Canadian Income Survey, 2020 (The Daily, March 23, 2022)
  • Canadian Income Survey, 2019 (The Daily, March 23, 2021)

The Market Basket Measure (MBM) was adopted as Canada's Official Poverty Line in June 2019. For more information regarding Canada's Official Poverty Line, refer to Opportunity for All: Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The Poverty Reduction Act mandates Statistics Canada to review the MBM on a regular basis "to ensure that it reflects the up-to-date cost of a basket of goods and services representing a modest, basic standard of living in Canada."

The Dimensions of Poverty Hub, sponsored by Employment and Social Development Canada, tracks progress on 13 performance indicators. It is updated regularly by Statistics Canada as new data become available.