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Poverty

Domain

Prosperity

Subdomain

Economic security and deprivation

Indicator

Poverty

Note: This indicator is a headline indicator. Headline indicators are intended to provide a high-level assessment of overall quality of life in Canada.

Poverty data snapshot
Description - Poverty data snapshot

9.9% of the population lived below the poverty line, according to the Market Basket Measure (MBM).

Poverty
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Poverty rate 11.9% 11.2% 10.3% 6.4% 7.4% 9.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey, 2017-2022.

Definition

Poverty rate according to the Market Basket Measure.

Measurement

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:

Data sources

Data visualizations

Data analysis

Additional information

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 established the MBM as the official metric used to measure the level of poverty in Canada and to assess progress in meeting the poverty reduction targets. It also 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, contains Canada's Official Poverty Dashboard. The dashboard tracks progress on 13 performance indicators (including the headline indicator). It is updated regularly by Statistics Canada as new data become available.

Frameworks

This indicator aligns with the following frameworks:

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