Marital Status, 2006

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Abstract

In 2006, for the first time in Canadian history, there were more unmarried persons aged 15 years and over than legally married people. Just over one-half of Canada’s population aged 15 years and over (51.5%) was unmarried; that is, they had never been legally married (34.9%), or they were divorced (8.0%), widowed (6.2%) or separated (3.0%). Legally married people formed slightly less than half (47.9%) of the population. Twenty years earlier, 61.4% of the population aged 15 years and over was legally married, while 38.6% were unmarried. Although the proportions of widowed and separated persons have remained relatively stable over the past two decades, increases have occurred largely among the divorced and, even more so, among the single (never legally married) population.

The marital status composition of a geographic region is closely linked to its age and sex structure, although its marriage patterns as well as fertility and mortality patterns also play important roles. For example, a region with a sizable number of elderly people will have a relatively large proportion who are widowed, while an area with a large young population or with delayed marriage patterns will have a relatively large proportion who are single (never married). Or, a place with a higher life expectancy among women compared to that among men will result in a large proportion of the population of widows.

Marital status distribution of the Canadian population varies markedly from one geographic region to another. In 2006, legally married people were in the majority—more than half of the population 15 years and over—in every province except for Nova Scotia (49.5%) and Quebec (37.5%). Compared with other provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest proportion of people legally married (54.3%) with a number of census divisions (CDs) having percentages as high as 60%. Legal marriages were much lower in Quebec (37.5%), the Yukon (38.9%), Northwest Territories (36.3%) and Nunavut (31.0%) but were offset by a larger proportion of common-law unions than in other provinces and territories.

There are also wide geographic variations in Canada in terms of its unmarried population. In 2006, the proportion of the population that was single (never legally married) was the highest in Nunavut (61.4%), followed by the Northwest Territories (52.0%). Given that the two territories are demographically the youngest regions in Canada (with their median ages being 23.1 years and 31.2 years respectively, as compared with the national average of 39.5 years), it does not come as a surprise that they also have a large proportion of the population which is single (never legally married). The lowest percentage of single men and women can be seen in the Atlantic Provinces (31%-32%)—the oldest region (the median age being around 41-42 years). The proportions of single people in Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia varied between 32% and 34%. Quebec was somewhat unique in that it had a relatively large proportion (43.2%) of singles, once again a reflection of the higher prevalence of common-law unions in the province.

In 2006, over one-third (34.6%) of couples in Quebec lived in a common-law relationship, a level much higher than any other province or territory (13.4%). There was little variation among smaller geographic regions of the province, with the proportion of single (never married) people in almost all CDs being higher than the national average of 34.9%. In CDs such as Sept-Rivières—Caniapiscau (50.1%) and Nord-du-Québec (52.2%), almost half of the population was never married.

Quebec had the largest proportion of its population (10.6%) that was divorced. This phenomenon was generally widespread across the province—almost 60% of Quebec’s CDs were above the provincial average. This was followed by Yukon and British Columbia, which also had higher-than-average percentages of divorced people, at 9.6% and 8.3%, respectively. Other provinces had lower percentages of those in the divorced category, ranging from a low of 5.6% in Newfoundland and Labrador to a high of 7.7% in Alberta. Nunavut had the smallest proportion of divorced people (2.4%) of any province or territory.

There was a small spatial variation of persons with separated (but still legally married) status, from a low of 2.1% in the province of Quebec to 4.0% in New Brunswick.

Consistent with its large elderly population (15.4% in the age group 65 years and over), Saskatchewan had the largest proportion of widowed people (7.3%). In 2006, widows and widowers in this province comprised almost one-tenth of the population in a number of cities (for example, Melville: 13.9%; Melfort: 13.0%; Humboldt: 12.2%; Yorkton: 11.5%; Weyburn: 11.1%; Moose Jaw: 10.2%; and Swift Current: 9.6%), although most of them were concentrated in smaller towns and villages. There were almost thirty towns and villages in Saskatchewan, where one in every five persons was a widow/widower. At the other end of the spectrum were Alberta and the three territories, demographically the youngest regions in the country, where widowed people represented 4.8% and 3.3% of their respective populations.

The Daily is Statistics Canada's official release bulletin. The Daily for September 12, 2007, marked the public release of this census variable. Technical notes for this variable can be found at Families Reference Guide, 2006 Census.

The text was adapted from Statistics Canada, Family Portrait: Continuity and Change in Canadian Families and Households in 2006, Catalogue number 97-553-XWE2006001 and Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada: 2005 and 2006, Catalogue number 91-209-X. Statistics Canada information is used with the permission of Statistics Canada. Information on the availability of the wide range of data from Statistics Canada can be obtained from the Statistics Canada's Regional Offices, its World Wide Web site at www.statcan.gc.ca, or its toll-free access number 1-800-263-1136.