In 2022, 9.9 percent of all Canadians were living in low income. Between 2000 and 2022, the percentage of population with low income experienced a decrease, reaching the lowest value in 2020. The highest share of Canadians with low income was recorded in 2015, with 14.5 percent of the total population.

Low Income Measures

The low income measures (LIMs) were developed by Statistics Canada in the 1990s. They, along with the low income cut-offs (LICOs) and the market basket measure (MBM), were created in order to measure and track the low income population of Canada. With low income measures, individuals are classified as being in low income if their income falls below fifty percent of the median adjusted household income. The median income is adjusted in order to reflect the differing financial needs of households based on the number of its members. The low income measures are a useful tool to compare low income populations between countries as they do not rely on an arbitrary standard of what constitutes the threshold for poverty. Statistics Canada insists that the low income measures are not meant to be representative of a poverty rate. The department has no measure which they define as a measurement of poverty in Canada. Latest data and trends In 2022, around 2.1 million people were living in low income families in Canada. This figure has been fluctuating over the years, both in absolute numbers and in proportion over the total population. More women than men were living in low income families in 2022, though the number of men in low income has risen at twice the rate as that of women. One of the more drastic changes has been the rise in the number of single individuals living in low income, increasing by more than 60 percent since 2000.

Number of persons in low income, low income rate and average gap ratio by economic family type, annual.

Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK was 8.60% in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK reached a record high of 8.60 in January of 2023 and a record low of 7.00 in January of 2013. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Percent of Population Below the Poverty Level (5-year estimate) in Canadian County, OK - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Canada Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 12.500 % in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13.500 % for 2018. Canada Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 14.700 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2019, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.000 % in 1971 and a record low of 12.500 % in 2019. Canada Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Poverty and low-income statistics by visible minority group, Indigenous group and immigration status, Canada and provinces.

Poverty and low-income statistics by disability status, age group, sex and economic family type, Canada, annual.

Poverty rate at $1.9 a day of Canada remained stable at 0.20 % over the last 2 years. Population below $1.9 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $1.9 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Out of all OECD countries, Cost Rica had the highest poverty rate as of 2022, at over 20 percent. The country with the second highest poverty rate was the United States, with 18 percent. On the other end of the scale, Czechia had the lowest poverty rate at 6.4 percent, followed by Denmark.

The significance of the OECD

The OECD, or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, was founded in 1948 and is made up of 38 member countries. It seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of countries and their populations. The OECD looks at issues that impact people’s everyday lives and proposes policies that can help to improve the quality of life.

Poverty in the United States

In 2022, there were nearly 38 million people living below the poverty line in the U.S.. About one fourth of the Native American population lived in poverty in 2022, the most out of any ethnicity. In addition, the rate was higher among young women than young men. It is clear that poverty in the United States is a complex, multi-faceted issue that affects millions of people and is even more complex to solve.

Canada CA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 0.700 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.700 % for 2016. Canada CA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.700 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2017, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.500 % in 1971 and a record low of 0.500 % in 2010. Canada CA: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from around 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Historical dataset showing Canada poverty rate by year from 1971 to 2020.

Canada: Poverty, percent of population: The latest value from is percent, unavailable from percent in . In comparison, the world average is 0.00 percent, based on data from countries. Historically, the average for Canada from to is percent. The minimum value, percent, was reached in while the maximum of percent was recorded in .

In 2021, around 0.9 million people were living in low income families in Ontario. Ontario had the largest number of individuals living in low income households. Quebec and British Columbia followed with 504 thousand and 287 thousand, respectively.

Individual poverty status using Market Basket Measure (MBM) by family characteristics, age, and gender for Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions.

Data on individual low-income and poverty status by occupation broad category (1-digit code) from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021, industry sector (2-digit code) from the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2017, and work activity during the reference year for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, provinces and territories, and census divisions.

CA: Number of People Pushed Below the $3.10: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data was reported at 10,000.000 Person in 2010. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12,000.000 Person for 2007. CA: Number of People Pushed Below the $3.10: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 12,000.000 Person from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2010, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,000.000 Person in 1994 and a record low of 10,000.000 Person in 2010. CA: Number of People Pushed Below the $3.10: Poverty Line by Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure: 2011 PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Number of people pushed below the $3.10 ($ 2011 PPP) poverty line by out-of-pocket health care expenditure; ; Wagstaff et al. Progress on Impoverishing Health Spending: Results for 122 Countries. A Retrospective Observational Study, Lancet Global Health 2017.; Sum;

Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type, annual.

Poverty and low-income statistics by disability status, age group, sex and economic family type, Canada, annual.

In 2022, around 2.1 million people were living in low income families in Canada. In the last years, the number of people living in low income households has decreased, reaching in 2020 the lowest figure recorded between 2000 and 2020. However, between 2020 and 2022 the number of low income families increased again.

This dataset provides numbers of Canadian households in conditions of energy poverty at the 2021 Census sub-division level in Canada, cross-tabulated by demographic, income, and tenure/housing characteristics. It was developed by Abhilash Kantamneni and team at Efficiency Canada, using custom calculations of Statistics Canada household income and demographic data.

CA: Income Share Held by Lowest 20% data was reported at 7.600 % in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.400 % for 2018. CA: Income Share Held by Lowest 20% data is updated yearly, averaging 7.100 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2019, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.600 % in 2019 and a record low of 5.600 % in 1971. CA: Income Share Held by Lowest 20% data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. Percentage share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Percentage shares by quintile may not sum to 100 because of rounding.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).