Between 2015 and 2018, the proportion of Canadians identifying as gay or lesbian between the ages of ** and ** with a postsecondary degree was slightly higher among men (**** percent) than among women (**** percent). Regardless of gender, lesbian and gay people tend to have higher levels of educational attainment than heterosexual people, and especially than bisexual people.

Over the 2015-2018 period, nearly ******* people aged over ** defined themselves as something other than heterosexual in Canada: ******* identified as lesbian or gay, while ******* identified as bisexual. The provinces with the largest number of non-heterosexuals people were Ontario and Quebec, which are also the most populous provinces in the country. In addition, with the exception of Quebec, bisexual people outnumbered lesbian or gay people in all provinces.

Over the 2015-2018 period, more than ***** percent of the Canadian population over the age of ** did not define themselves as heterosexual: *** percent of Canadians identified themselves as bisexual, and *** percent of them as lesbian or gay. In terms of proportions, the province of Quebec had the largest share of non-heterosexuals. In terms of numbers, Ontario had the largest number of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.

This table presents a socio-demographic and socio-economic statistical profile of the population aged 15 and older by sexual orientation, geographic region, sex and age group. The characteristics included are: marital status, presence of children under 12 in the household, education, employment, household income, Indigenous identity, belonging to a population group designated as a visible minority, language(s) spoken at home, and place of residence (urban/rural). These estimates are obtained from Canadian Community Health Survey, 2015 to 2018 pooled data.

Socioeconomic characteristics of the population aged 15 and older that is Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or who use other terms related to gender or sexual diversity (2SLGBTQ+), by gender, age group and geographic region. Marital status, presence of children under age 12 in the household, education, employment, personal income, Indigenous identity, the visible minority population, immigrant status, language(s) spoken most often at home, place of residence (population centre/rural), self-rated general health, and self-rated mental health. Estimates are obtained from combined cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2019 to 2021.

Socioeconomic characteristics of the population aged 15 and older whose reported sexual orientation is lesbian or gay, bisexual or pansexual, or another sexual orientation that is not heterosexual (LGB+), by gender, age group and geographic region. Marital status, presence of children under age 12 in the household, education, employment, personal income, Indigenous identity, the visible minority population, immigrant status, language(s) spoken most often at home, place of residence (population centre/rural), self-rated general health, and self-rated mental health. Estimates are obtained from combined cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey, 2019 to 2021.

In 2023, four percent of the surveyed population in Canada identified as lesbian/gay/homosexual. A further four percent identified as bisexual, while *** percent each identified as pansexual/omnisexual and asexual.

While not being heterosexual tends to have a negative impact on the employment rate of Canadian men, the same does not apply to women. Over the 2015-2018 period, the proportion of men aged 25-64 who were employed was lower among gay or bisexual men than among heterosexual men, while the employment rate for lesbians was nearly ten points higher than that of heterosexual women of the same age. In addition, heterosexual and bisexual women were less likely to be employed than lesbian women, heterosexual men, and gay men.

In 2021, more than ********* of transgender couples in Canada had at least one child (** percent). This was also the case for just under a quarter of couples of cisgender women (whose gender matches their assigned sex at birth), and **** percent of non-binary couples (people who are not exclusively a man or a woman). In contrast, only *** percent of gay couples counted through the Canadian government census had a child. Furthermore, regardless of the type of couple, the proportion of queer couples with children was lowest in Prince Edwards Island.

While not being heterosexual tends to have a negative impact on the median employment income of Canadian men, the same is not true for women. Over the 2015-2018 period, gay men earned an average of 10,000 Canadian dollars less than straight men, and bisexual men earned 22,000 dollars less. Conversely, lesbian women earned more than straight women, but also more than bisexual men. Regardless of gender, bisexuals earned less than all other groups.

Police-reported hate crime, by type of motivation (race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, disability, sex, age), selected regions and Canada (selected police services), 2014 to 2024.

In 2021, the Canadian government's national population census recorded ******* LGBTQIA+ couples. A large portion of these couples lived in the country's two most populous provinces, Ontario and Quebec. The majority of queer couples were composed of two cisgender women or two cisgender men (people whose gender matches the sex they were assigned at birth), but a quarter were transgender couples (people whose gender does not match the sex they were assigned at birth), or non-binary couples (people who are not exclusively male or female).

In Canada, heterosexual men are more likely than others to work in trades, transport, equipment operators and related occupations. Over the 2015-2018 period, one-quarter of heterosexual Canadians aged 25 to 64 worked in this sector, compared to ** percent of bisexual men, and *** percent of gay men (according to StatCan).

In general, positions in trades, transportation, machinery and related fields are generally better paid than sales and service occupations, which may contribute to the disparities in employment income observed between heterosexual men and other groups.

This statistic presents information on the share of LGBT adults who would like to have children in the future in Canada as of July 2017, broken down by gender. The findings reveal that ** percent of lesbian and bisexual women expressed an interest in having children in the next three years, compared to just **** percent of gay and bisexual men.

Over the 2015-2018 period, the proportion of Canadians aged 25 to 64 with a post-secondary qualification was higher among gay and lesbian people than among straight and bisexual people. More than three-quarters (**** percent) of gay and lesbian Canadians had a post-secondary degree or diploma, compared to ** percent of heterosexuals, and **** percent of bisexuals. In addition, the proportion of heterosexual individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher was lower than among non-heterosexual individuals.

When surveyed ahead of the 2024 Pride Month, ** percent of Canadians believed that same-sex couples should have the right to marry legally, and *** percent believed that same-sex couples should have the right to some form of legal recognition. On the other hand, ** percent of the surveyed population believed that non-heterosexual couples should not have the right to marriage or any form of legal recognition.

Among the *** hate crimes related to the sexual orientation of victims reported to police in Canada in 2023, more than half occurred in the province of Ontario. There were also *** crimes of this type recorded in British Columbia.Furthermore, the number of hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation increased by almost ** percent in Canada between 2022 and 2023.

This statistic shows distribution of self-reported physical and sexual abuse victimization of children in Canada, 2014, by sexual orientation of victims. In 2014, eight percent of heterosexual children reported experiencing sexual abuse at some point in their childhood.

Between 2021 and 2023, support for same-sex marriage declined in ** out of 23 surveyed countries worldwide. The major drops were seen in Canada and Germany, where the share of respondents agreeing with same-sex marriage went down *** percentage points. Still, over ** percent of respondents in those two countries supported it.

The way to legalization

As of 2021, ** countries have legalized same-sex marriages, most of them located in Western Europe. Switzerland was the latest to do so after a referendum, while the second to last was Costa Rica, as the only Central American country. While most countries have legalized same-sex marriage through legislation, in South Africa and Taiwan, this was enacted via courts' mandates. Taiwan and South Africa are the first and so far only countries in their continent to have legalized same-sex marriage.

Hostility and criminalization

The support and legalization of same-sex marriages is growing, and the acceptance of homosexuality is slowly but steadily increasing in more hostile countries. In Nigeria, for instance, homosexuality is a crime punishable with the death penalty. Despite a small increase, only ***** percent of people believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are still the most dangerous world regions for homosexuals. In fact, ** countries still criminalize homosexuality, and most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Between 2015 and 2018, the proportion of Canadians over 65 with a post-secondary degree was much higher among lesbian or gay people (60.1 percent), than among straight people (52.9 percent), and especially than among bisexual people of the same age (47.2 percent). In addition, while younger Canadians tend to have higher educational attainment than older Canadians, the sexual orientation factor has a relatively similar impact among Canadians aged 25 to 64.