Demographic
Characteristics of
BC Stats
Ministry of
Labour and Citizens' Services
Government
of
June 2006
________________________________________________________________________________________
The population of BC is
growing
The population of BC has always seen growth, although at variable
rates. Growth has been driven by not
only interprovincial and international migration, but also by 'natural
increase' - the excess of births over deaths. With the aging of the population,
declines in fertility rates, increases in deaths and moderate levels of
in-migration, the average total population growth rate is expected to decline.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number of seniors is
increasing
With the aging of
the population and the migration of seniors to BC, the number of persons 65+
has been on the rise. The growth in the total population (all ages) was greater
than the 65+ group during the 1950’s and 1960’s and during the peak of the
international migration in the early 1990’s. However, for the foreseeable
future, the growth rate for seniors will be significantly greater than for the
overall population. In BC, the main
driver of growth in the 65+ age group is the aging of the baby-boom generation
rather than migration of seniors. As females have a greater life expectancy
than males, they tend to make up more of the senior population.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The growth rate of the
senior population is greater than that for the whole
For the last 35 years, growth in the senior population has almost always
been greater than growth in the rest of the population. With the aging of the baby boom, this will
continue for the foreseeable future.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Seniors are becoming a
larger share of the total population
With the overall decline in fertility and the aging of the baby boom,
seniors will become a more visible proportion of the total population. Consequently, demand for services tailored to
seniors will increase.
________________________________________________________________________________________
BC is not
the 'oldest' province
BC has the fifth oldest population in
________________________________________________________________________________________
There are
other countries with greater proportion of seniors
BC’s proportion of seniors ranks up with the more industrialized
countries, but it is lower than those of the
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number of seniors is
increasing at a greater rate than labour force workers (18-64 year olds)
The Elderly Dependency Ratio (EDR) is the number of persons aged 65+ per
100 persons aged 18-64 (those typically in the work force). The EDR is changing as a result of the
baby-boomers aging out of the work force, the declining fertility and no large
increase in migration.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number
of the 'oldest-old' are increasing
Even more than with the population 65 and over, women make up a greater
proportion of the population aged 85+. If types of services and delivery modes
vary according to gender, then knowing the projected sex ratio at various ages
could prove useful.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Different
senior age groupings are growing at different rates
As per capita service delivery costs may differ among the senior age groups,
analysis of programs and expenditures for each age group will support the
appropriate allocation of resources.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number
of males per 100 females has been changing
As the focus of some types of services is, to some degree, gender
related, it may be necessary to change the balance of types of services to the
elderly. This is especially true if one
looks at the change in the sex ratio of the 85+ age group, and in the short
term the 75-84 age group. For example,
as it is frequently the case that when one spouse dies the other will go in to
assisted living, and females tend to have a greater life expectancy, the sex
ratio of seniors is important to note.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Life
expectancy of seniors is increasing, but more rapidly for males than females
Life expectancy is a general measure of the health of a population - a
longer life expectancy indicates fewer
serious health problems that could shorten a person's life span (heart disease,
lack of access to good food, AIDS,
etc). Looking just at life expectancy
from age 65, the difference for males and females is quite evident. However, this difference (looking at the
inset of the male to female ratio) shows that senior male and female life
expectancies are becoming more similar.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The Population Pyramid
summarizes how the demographic components of deaths, births, migration and
ageing impact on the population structure over time.
The 'baby-boom' is the most significant feature of the age structure of
BC. This aging population bulge will
have a large impact on the type, structure and location of government services
for seniors.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Between 1996 and 2001,
migration for the whole population showed outflows from the north-west and
strong inflows to the south-west
Many people left the province for employment in other provinces between
1996 and 2001. Regions that were
primarily resource dependent had the largest outflow.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Migration of the
population aged 55+ was positive in the Okanagan and in the south-west, except
for
Migration of the 55+ group was positive in areas that are thought of as appealing
to retirees (Okanagan, south Vancouver Island), while other regions of the
province had more seniors leaving than arriving. However, within the south-west region the
exception was
________________________________________________________________________________________
The proportion seniors
make up of regional populations varies considerably
The proportion of the total population that is aged 65 and over is increasing
in all regions of the province, but in some areas at a greater rate than
others. This means that long term
planning for many government services must take into account the changing
balance of the regional representation of seniors.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The
proportion of seniors to total population varies considerably by region
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number
of seniors relative to the working age population is increasing
The Elderly
Dependency Ratio (EDR) provides an indication of the potential demand the 65+ age
group may have on those aged 18-64 in the work force. Low EDR areas have either
high levels of work force aged in-migrants or started out with relatively
younger population age structures. High EDR areas are regions that attract
older migrants, or started out with relatively older population age structures.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The Elderly Dependency Ratio is
increasing in all regions
________________________________________________________________________________________
First Nations population
show regional concentrations
From the 2001 Census question of Aboriginal Identity, it can be seen
that the First Nation population is numerically concentrated in the
south-central and north-west regions of the province.
________________________________________________________________________________________
The highest proportion of
regional population that is First Nations is in the north
The proportion of the total resident regional population that indicated
that they were of Aboriginal Identity varies across the province, with the
highest proportions in northern BC and upper
________________________________________________________________________________________
First Nation seniors make
up higher proportions of their population group in the north
The regions with higher proportions of First Nation populations are also
areas where the percentage of the First Nations population that is 65+ is
highest.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Higher proportions of
First Nations seniors tend to live on-reserve in the coastal areas
Province-wide, about 27 percent of First Nations population reported
living on-reserve in the 2001 Census (from the 'Aboriginal Identity' question),
while 37 percent of First Nations seniors did so. There was considerable
regional variation in this measure, with a very high percentage reported (71%)
in the same region with the highest proportion of First Nations' population on
reserve (60%).
________________________________________________________________________________________
The number of visible
minorities is increasing in the senior's age group
As the main sources of immigrants to
________________________________________________________________________________________
The
proportion of the 55+ population who currently speak neither English nor French is highest in the
lower mainland
In 2001, 5.7% of the population aged 55+ could not conduct a
conversation in English or French. The
highest proportion of this group was in the Greater Vancouver Regional District
(with 10.9%).
________________________________________________________________________________________
Higher
proportions of seniors with University Degrees are concentrated in the
south-west
From the 2001 Census, seniors who have received a bachelors
or higher degree are concentrated in the south-west region of the
province. Given the small number of
seniors in the north-west, the high proportion shown there may be due to the
'random-rounding' of the census data for this variable.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Almost a third of seniors
residing in the eastern part of the province live alone
The proportion of seniors living alone varies across the province. In
2001, 28.4% of seniors lived alone. Of
those seniors living alone, 71.9% were women and 28.1% were men. The highest proportion of women 65+ living
alone are in south
________________________________________________________________________________________
The percentage of the population (non-institutionalized)
aged 65 and over that worked (full- or part-time) in the year 2000 is not
insignificant, but is concentrated in the younger age groups of seniors. For BC, rates of working go from 23% of 65-69's,
10% for 70-74's to 5% for 75-79s. Thus
the 65+ rate is highly dependent on the number of 65-69 year olds by region.
These areas also have higher rates of income from self-employment than other
regions.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Median
Income of seniors is highest in the south-west
The median income (half the persons have income above and half below the
ranged amount) from all income sources in 2000 shows higher incomes in the
southern half of the province, with the highest incomes in the south-west For seniors the overall BC median income from
major sources was $17,580 ($22,744 for males, 15,240 for females) in 2000.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Male and
female median incomes show differences overall, but also a wide range of
regional variation
From 2001 Census information on income, the northern parts of the
province show a much lower average income, and greater similarity in median
income levels between males and females, than on Vancouver Island.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Seniors in
eastern regions of BC receive higher proportions of their total income from
government transfers
Of the major sources of income reported in the 2001 Census (wages and
salaries, self-employment, investment income, government transfers), government
transfers (which includes CPP) accounted for 67.8% of seniors' income overall
in BC. This share is higher in the
eastern parts of the province. The
'Other Income Sources' (e.g. annuities, civil service pensions, alimony, etc)
represented the second largest source at 18.3%; 'Wages & Salaries'
represented 4.5% for BC senior residents.
________________________________________________________________________________________