Recent Immigrants in Metropolitan Areas: Canada—A Comparative Profile Based on the 2001 Census
Part C: Families and Households
Family and household affiliation of individuals
Older recent immigrants more likely to be living with relatives
| Canadian-born | Immigrants | Immigrated before 1986 | Immigrated 1986-1995 | Immigrated 1996-2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Ages (including 0-14 years) | |||||
| Living alone | 2,438,600 | 517,900 | 399,600 | 78,200 | 40,100 |
| Living with non-relatives only | 857,100 | 147,400 | 65,300 | 44,200 | 38,000 |
| Living with relatives | 20,604,200 | 4,771,900 | 2,485,700 | 1,403,500 | 882,700 |
| 15-24 years | |||||
| Living alone | 119,300 | 11,300 | 2,300 | 5,500 | 3,500 |
| Living with non-relatives only | 234,400 | 19,500 | 3,800 | 9,100 | 6,600 |
| Living with relatives | 3,098,100 | 438,200 | 52,300 | 248,800 | 137,000 |
| 25-44 years | |||||
| Living alone | 758,600 | 121,000 | 50,200 | 41,300 | 29,600 |
| Living with non-relatives only | 395,500 | 78,100 | 24,600 | 26,300 | 27,300 |
| Living with relatives | 5,966,400 | 1,609,300 | 582,600 | 635,900 | 390,700 |
| 45-64 years | |||||
| Living alone | 755,300 | 152,500 | 128,800 | 19,100 | 4,600 |
| Living with non-relatives only | 149,800 | 34,100 | 24,800 | 6,800 | 2,600 |
| Living with relatives | 4,471,900 | 1,630,900 | 1,198,200 | 309,800 | 122,900 |
| 65 years and over | |||||
| Living alone | 805,500 | 233,100 | 218,300 | 12,400 | 2,400 |
| Living with non-relatives only | 47,900 | 14,400 | 12,200 | 1,600 | 500 |
| Living with relatives | 1,716,500 | 778,600 | 652,500 | 96,800 | 29,200 |
| All Ages (including 0-14 years) | |||||
| Living alone | 10% | 10% | 14% | 5% | 4% |
| Living with non-relatives only | 4% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 4% |
| Living with relatives | 86% | 88% | 84% | 92% | 92% |
| 15-24 years | |||||
| Living alone | 3% | 2% | 4% | 2% | 2% |
| Living with non-relatives only | 7% | 4% | 6% | 3% | 4% |
| Living with relatives | 90% | 93% | 90% | 94% | 93% |
| 25-44 years | |||||
| Living alone | 11% | 7% | 8% | 6% | 7% |
| Living with non-relatives only | 6% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 6% |
| Living with relatives | 84% | 89% | 89% | 90% | 87% |
| 45-64 years | |||||
| Living alone | 14% | 8% | 10% | 6% | 4% |
| Living with non-relatives only | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Living with relatives | 83% | 90% | 89% | 92% | 94% |
| 65 years and over | |||||
| Living alone | 31% | 23% | 25% | 11% | 8% |
| Living with non-relatives only | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| Living with relatives | 67% | 76% | 74% | 87% | 91% |
Note: For definitions of extended and nuclear families, see the Glossary.
Very few recent immigrants live alone. Like the Canadian born population, a large majority of recent immigrants live in households with at least two people, and in most cases, these are people with whom they are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. In fact, recent immigrants are more likely than the Canadian-born population to be living with relatives. This difference is true for all age groups, but is most notable among people aged 65 years and over. Among Canadian-born seniors, two-thirds live with relatives, while almost one-third live alone. By comparison, nine out of ten very recent immigrants aged 65 years and over live with relatives, while only one in ten live alone. In part, these figures probably reflect a difference in the average age of recent-immigrant and Canadian-born seniors.
Recent immigrants more likely to live in extended families
Recent immigrants are similar to Canadian-born individuals in that most live in nuclear families, with no relatives other than the immediate members of the nuclear family. However, recent immigrants are more likely than the Canadian-born to live in extended family situations. Of the Canadian-born population living with one or more relatives, only 6% are part of an extended family compared to 12% of those who immigrated in the 1996 to 2001 period.
Figure C-1: Immigrants by period of immigration and Canadian-born—percentage living with relatives in an extended family, Canada, 2001 (percentage)
Note: For definitions of extended and nuclear families, see the Glossary. Whereas Table C-1 includes all persons, Figure C-1 and Table C-2 include only persons who are living with relatives. A small percentage of individuals living with relatives are in “non-family” households. An example might be two adult brothers living together. The percentage of individuals in these situations is not shown in the table and figure in this section.
Extended-family living arrangements are most common among older recent immigrants. Over one-third of very recent immigrants aged 65 years and over live in extended families, compared to less than one in ten Canadian-born seniors. Older recent immigrants living in extended families are most often related to someone within a nuclear family, and are not members of the nuclear family itself.
| Canadian-born | Immigrants | Immigrated before 1986 | Immigrated 1986-1995 | Immigrated 1996-2001 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | |||||
| Nuclear family | 19,100,000 | 4,073,300 | 2,164,100 | 1,147,800 | 761,500 |
| Extended family | 1,221,400 | 622,100 | 279,700 | 233,000 | 109,400 |
| Under 15 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 5,036,700 | 285,800 | – | – | – |
| Extended family | 304,300 | 28,500 | – | – | – |
| 15-24 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 2,837,800 | 365,300 | 44,400 | 208,100 | 112,800 |
| Extended family | 214,500 | 62,600 | 6,900 | 35,200 | 20,600 |
| 25-44 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 5,565,900 | 1,367,800 | 503,500 | 521,000 | 343,300 |
| Extended family | 316,300 | 215,500 | 70,400 | 103,800 | 41,300 |
| 45-64 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 4,148,800 | 1,425,300 | 1,066,100 | 256,800 | 102,500 |
| Extended family | 253,000 | 187,500 | 118,500 | 49,500 | 19,500 |
| 65 years and over | |||||
| Nuclear family | 1,510,800 | 629,200 | 550,200 | 62,000 | 17,000 |
| Extended family | 133,200 | 128,000 | 84,000 | 32,500 | 11,500 |
| All ages | |||||
| Nuclear family | 93% | 85% | 87% | 82% | 86% |
| Extended family | 6% | 13% | 11% | 17% | 12% |
| Under 15 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 94% | 91% | – | – | – |
| Extended family | 6% | 9% | – | – | – |
| 15-24 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 92% | 83% | 85% | 84% | 82% |
| Extended family | 7% | 14% | 13% | 14% | 15% |
| 25-44 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 93% | 85% | 86% | 82% | 88% |
| Extended family | 5% | 13% | 12% | 16% | 11% |
| 45-64 years | |||||
| Nuclear family | 93% | 87% | 89% | 83% | 83% |
| Extended family | 6% | 11% | 10% | 16% | 16% |
| 65 years and over | |||||
| Nuclear family | 88% | 81% | 84% | 64% | 58% |
| Extended family | 8% | 16% | 13% | 34% | 39% |
Note: For definitions of extended and nuclear families, see the Glossary. Whereas Table C-1 includes all persons, Figure C-1 and Table C-2 include only persons who are living with relatives. A small percentage of individuals living with relatives are in “non-family” households. An example might be two adult brothers living together. The percentage of individuals in these situations is not shown in the table and figure in this section. Consequently, the percentages in Table C-2 do not add to 100%.
Families
One in nine families is a recent immigrant family
In 2001, there were 2,492,000 recent immigrants living in Canada who had landed between 1986 and 2001. A large majority of these immigrants—2,156,000 or 87%—were members of a nuclear family. In other words, they were husbands, wives, common-law partners, lone parents, or children living with one or two parents. One in nine families in Canada is a recent immigrant family—that is, a family in which either or both spouses or the lone parent are recent immigrants.
Most of the recent immigrant families consist of a married or common-law couple, while 12% are lone-parent families. Among Canadian-born families, 16% are lone parent families, while 84% are married or common-law couples.
| Canadian-born families |
Recent immigrant families |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All families (including ages 15-24 years) | ||||
| Couples with or without children | 4,911,000 | 84% | 783,200 | 88% |
| Lone-parent families | 913,600 | 16% | 108,500 | 12% |
| Total number of families | 5,824,500 | 100% | 891,700 | 100% |
| 25-44 years | ||||
| Couples with or without children | 2,036,900 | 81% | 459,800 | 88% |
| Lone-parent families | 478,600 | 19% | 60,200 | 12% |
| Total number of families | 2,515,400 | 100% | 519,900 | 100% |
| 45-64 years | ||||
| Couples with or without children | 1,972,200 | 87% | 254,700 | 88% |
| Lone-parent families | 291,400 | 13% | 35,500 | 12% |
| Total number of families | 2,263,600 | 100% | 290,200 | 100% |
| 65 years and over | ||||
| Couples with or without children | 805,100 | 89% | 60,500 | 86% |
| Lone-parent families | 99,400 | 11% | 9,600 | 14% |
| Total number of families | 904,400 | 100% | 70,100 | 100% |
Note: For definitions of family and related concepts, see the Glossary. Since the 1996 Census there have been changes to the definition of family.
When families are grouped by the age of the oldest member, families of seniors are seen to have a composition different from the general pattern. Lone-parent families of seniors are more common among recent immigrant families, and less common among the families of Canadian-born.
Recent immigrant families more likely to have children in the home
A striking difference between recent immigrant and Canadian-born families is in the proportion of families with children at home. Almost eight in ten recent immigrant families have at least one child of any age living at home. By comparison, just over six in ten Canadian-born families have children at home.
This difference occurs mainly among families whose oldest member is 45 years of age or older. Among young families, the proportion of those with children living at home is similar for recent immigrant and Canadian-born families. However, nearly two in five recent-immigrant families of seniors have children in the home, compared to only one in five Canadian-born families.
The higher proportion of older recent immigrant families with children living at home could be due to a greater likelihood that older children stay longer in the parental home, as well as possible differences in the timing of childbirth and level of fertility. Some of the children in older immigrant families may be adults living with and possibly supporting one or two ageing parents.
Figure C-2: Recent immigrant and Canadian-born families— never-married children living at home, by age of older spouse or lone parent, Canada, 2001 (percentage)
Older recent immigrant families have more children living at home
Recent immigrant families with children are somewhat more likely to have more than two children in the home than Canadian-born families with children. Twenty-one percent of recent immigrant families with children have three or more children, compared to 17% of Canadian-born families.
The share of young families with three or more children is the same for Canadian-born families and recent immigrant families, one in five. However, 24% of recent immigrant families with an older spouse or lone parent 45 to 64 years of age have more than two children, compared to 14% of Canadian-born families. Amongst the oldest recent immigrant families, 10% have three or more children living at home, compared to only 2% of Canadian-born families.
| Canadian-born families | Recent immigrant families | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages (including ages 15-24 years) | ||||
| One child | 1,538,700 | 43% | 256,500 | 38% |
| Two children | 1,439,500 | 40% | 279,200 | 41% |
| Three or more children | 620,000 | 17% | 142,800 | 21% |
| 25-44 years | ||||
| One child | 667,200 | 33% | 154,200 | 37% |
| Two children | 908,600 | 45% | 174,000 | 42% |
| Three or more children | 423,800 | 21% | 83,700 | 20% |
| 45-64 years | ||||
| One child | 658,800 | 49% | 80,700 | 34% |
| Two children | 492,900 | 37% | 97,500 | 42% |
| Three or more children | 188,800 | 14% | 56,200 | 24% |
| 65 years and over | ||||
| One child | 159,200 | 86% | 17,100 | 66% |
| Two children | 21,000 | 11% | 6,200 | 24% |
| Three or more children | 4,100 | 2% | 2,700 | 10% |
Majority of recent immigrants married to other recent immigrants
The majority of the 892,000 recent immigrant families are comprised of a recently immigrated husband married to or living common-law with a recently immigrated wife, with or without children. An additional 12% of families have a recently immigrated spouse and a spouse who immigrated earlier, before 1986. One in seven recent immigrant families has a recent immigrant paired with a Canadian-born spouse.
Of the families of immigrants who landed before 1986, nearly four in ten consist of an immigrant paired with a Canadian-born spouse (not shown in Figure C-3). This proportion is nearly three times as large as that of recent immigrant families.
Figure C-3: Recent immigrant families—family structure showing immigrant status of spouses, Canada, 2001 (percentage distribution)
When recent immigrants enter into conjugal unions, they are very likely to do so as a legally married couple. Just 3% of recent-immigrant couples live common-law, compared with 20% of Canadian-born couples. Even among young couples, where common-law is the clear preference of the Canadian born, relatively few recent immigrant couples have chosen this option.
| Canadian-born families | Recent immigrant families | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | 975,800 | 20% | 15,100 | 3% |
| 15-24 years | 76,600 | 79% | 900 | 24% |
| 25-44 years | 594,400 | 29% | 10,800 | 4% |
| 45-64 years | 268,300 | 14% | 3,100 | 2% |
| 65 years and over | 36,500 | 5% | 300 | 1% |
The low incidence of common-law relationships among recent immigrants is in part a result of immigration law which, prior to the introduction of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in June 2002, did not recognize common-law relationships.
Households
One in eleven households is a recent immigrant household
In 2001, there were 1,056,000 recent-immigrant households—households in which at least one member 15 years of age or older was a recent immigrant. These households made up 9% of the total number of households in Canada.
Nearly two out of five recent immigrant households, 416,000, have at least one member who immigrated after 1996. In over one-half of these households, all members 15 years of age and over are very recent immigrants. The remaining 198,900 households comprise very recent immigrants living together with other persons. In 67% of these households, the other persons were immigrants who landed before 1996; in 26%, they were Canadian-born; and in the remaining 7%, they were both immigrants who landed before 1996 and Canadian-born.
| Number of households |
Share of all households |
|
|---|---|---|
| Canadian-born | 8,578,100 | 74% |
| Earlier immigrants | 1,876,300 | 16% |
| Recent immigrants | 1,056,300 | 9% |
| 1986-1995 immigrants | 640,300 | 6% |
| 1996-2001 immigrants with others | 198,900 | 2% |
| 1996-2001 immigrants only | 217,100 | 2% |
| All households | 11,563,000 | 100% |
Note: The total “All households” includes households of non-permanent residents not shown in the table. For definitions of household and related concepts, see the Glossary.
Three out of four households in Canada are comprised only of Canadian-born persons. Sixteen percent of all households include one or more earlier immigrants but no recent immigrants.
Recent immigrant households more likely to be larger than a nuclear family
A recent immigrant household is much more likely than a Canadian-born household to consist of one or more families. Five in six recent immigrant households are family households, compared to just four in six Canadian-born households.
One in three Canadian-born households is a non-family household, and most of these consist of a person living alone. Among recent immigrant households, only one in ten consists of a single person.
Most households consist of a nuclear family—that is, a couple with or without children, or a lone parent with one or more children living together. Immigrant households, except for households of very recent immigrants with others, are somewhat more likely to consist of just a nuclear family than Canadian-born households.
| Family households | Non-family households | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households | All family households | Nuclear families | Expanded families | Multiple families | Single person | Multiple persons |
| Canadian-born | 5,737,600 | 5,336,600 | 350,800 | 50,200 | 2,438,100 | 402,400 |
| Earlier immigrants | 1,415,600 | 1,264,300 | 119,300 | 32,000 | 399,500 | 61,300 |
| Recent immigrants | 883,200 | 688,200 | 123,500 | 71,500 | 118,400 | 54,800 |
| 1986-1995 immigrants | 531,300 | 427,400 | 71,200 | 32,700 | 78,200 | 30,700 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants with others | 183,200 | 104,800 | 42,700 | 35,800 | 0 | 15,700 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants only | 168,700 | 156,000 | 9,600 | 3,100 | 40,100 | 8,300 |
| All households | 8,060,200 | 7,311,400 | 594,800 | 154,000 | 2,976,900 | 526,000 |
| Canadian-born | 67% | 62% | 4% | 1% | 28% | 5% |
| Earlier immigrants | 75% | 67% | 6% | 2% | 21% | 3% |
| Recent immigrants | 84% | 65% | 12% | 7% | 11% | 5% |
| 1986-1995 immigrants | 83% | 67% | 11% | 5% | 12% | 5% |
| 1996-2001 immigrants with others | 92% | 53% | 21% | 18% | 0% | 8% |
| 1996-2001 immigrants only | 78% | 72% | 4% | 1% | 18% | 4% |
| All households | 70% | 63% | 5% | 1% | 26% | 5% |
Note: The total “All households” includes households of non-permanent residents not shown in the table. For definitions of household and related concepts, see the Glossary.
A significant proportion of recent immigrant households consist of a nuclear family living with other persons. In most of these “expanded-family” households, the non-family person or persons are related to the family. Expanded-family households are not unknown among Canadian-born but they occur much less frequently.
Households of recent immigrants are also much more likely than Canadian-born households to consist of two or more families. These families may be related to each other, as for example a married couple living with the family of one of their children. Multiple family households are most common among households combining very recent immigrants with others (persons who immigrated before 1996 and/or Canadian-born). Many recent immigrants clearly live in households that are different from the standard nuclear family.
Recent immigrant households tend to be large
Recent immigrant households are more likely to be large in size than Canadian-born and earlier immigrant households. One of every two recent immigrant households has one to three members, compared to three out of four Canadian-born households. The proportion of households with four or more members is twice as large among recent immigrant households as among Canadian-born households.
| Number of persons in household | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households | 1 to 3 | 4 or 5 | 6 or more | |
| Canadian-born | 6,640,200 | 1,759,700 | 178,200 | 8,578,100 |
| Earlier immigrants | 1,376,300 | 436,700 | 63,300 | 1,876,300 |
| Recent immigrants | 565,900 | 380,100 | 110,300 | 1,056,300 |
| 1986-1995 immigrants | 336,100 | 243,000 | 61,200 | 640,300 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants with others | 97,600 | 63,900 | 37,500 | 198,900 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants only | 132,300 | 73,200 | 11,600 | 217,100 |
| All households | 8,624,500 | 2,585,300 | 353,100 | 11,563,000 |
| Number of persons in household | Estimated average size | |||
| Households | 1 to 3 | 4 or 5 | 6 or more | |
| Canadian-born | 77% | 21% | 2% | 2.5 |
| Earlier immigrants | 73% | 23% | 3% | 2.7 |
| Recent immigrants | 54% | 36% | 10% | 3.5 |
| 1986-1995 immigrants | 52% | 38% | 10% | 3.5 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants with others | 49% | 32% | 19% | 4.0 |
| 1996-2001 immigrants only | 61% | 34% | 5% | 3.2 |
| All households | 75% | 22% | 3% | 2.6 |
Note: The total “All households” includes households of non-permanent residents not shown in the table. For definitions of household and related concepts, see the Glossary. Average size of household is estimated assuming an average of 4.5 for households with four or five members and an average of 7 for households with six or more members. For households with one, two or three members, the actual size of household was used in the calculation.
Most of the larger recent immigrant households have four or five members. Households where very recent immigrants live together with others are most likely of all households to be large, with one in five of such households having six or more members. Only 2% of Canadian-born households are so large.
More care of children
The proportion of recent immigrants 15 years of age or over reporting time spent on unpaid care of children is higher than the proportion of Canadian-born persons. On the other hand, the share of recent immigrants spending time on a regular basis to look after elder persons is somewhat smaller than the share of Canadian-born persons.
The difference in time spent on care of children may reflect the fact that recent immigrants are more likely to have children and on average have more children than the Canadian-born. On the other hand, the incidence of care of elders is lower among very recent immigrants, even though extended families and multiple families, which may consist of several generations living together, are more common than for Canadian-born. This suggests that very recent immigrants have other reasons than care of elders for living in households larger than a nuclear family.
| Care of | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Children | Elders | |||
| Women | ||||
| Canadian-born | 3,924,100 | 32% | 2,053,100 | 17% |
| Immigrants | 1,147,100 | 41% | 508,900 | 18% |
| Immigrated before 1986 | 553,100 | 36% | 318,600 | 21% |
| Immigrated 1986-1995 | 382,300 | 48% | 131,200 | 16% |
| Immigrated 1996-2001 | 211,700 | 42% | 59,100 | 12% |
| Men | ||||
| Canadian-born | 3,077,400 | 32% | 1,394,700 | 12% |
| Immigrants | 901,000 | 41% | 372,800 | 14% |
| Immigrated before 1986 | 455,800 | 36% | 231,000 | 16% |
| Immigrated 1986-1995 | 286,300 | 48% | 96,600 | 13% |
| Immigrated 1996-2001 | 158,900 | 42% | 45,100 | 10% |
| Total | ||||
| Canadian-born | 7,001,500 | 28% | 3,447,900 | 14% |
| Immigrants | 2,048,100 | 40% | 881,700 | 16% |
| Immigrated before 1986 | 1,008,900 | 38% | 549,600 | 19% |
| Immigrated 1986-1995 | 668,600 | 44% | 227,800 | 15% |
| Immigrated 1996-2001 | 370,600 | 39% | 104,200 | 11% |
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