Canada today
of Canadians lived below Canada’s Official Poverty Line in 2024, using the 2023-base Market Basket Measure.
people lived in households reporting some form of food insecurity in 2024—about 24.0% of Canadians.
was the comparable official poverty rate in 2023, versus 11.0% in 2024.
Source: Statistics Canada — Dimensions of Poverty Hub and Canadian Income Survey, 2024.
Economic pressure across decades
Long-run unemployment data provide one consistent way to see periods of economic pressure. These figures are annual Canadian unemployment rates from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey; they are not poverty rates.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey — unemployment rates, 1976–2016.
Why poverty history needs careful labels
Canada’s Official Poverty Line is based on the Market Basket Measure. The current 2023-base methodology is not a single unchanged series reaching back to 1980. For that reason, SEPAND will not splice older low-income measures together and call the result one continuous poverty trend. Historical articles will identify the measure used, the period covered and the source.
What SEPAND will report
Program activity
Verified initiatives, communities reached, partner organizations and resources distributed.
Financial transparency
Verified funding, program allocation, operating costs and appropriate public filings as they become available.
Community outcomes
Program-specific results reported with context, consent and respect for participant privacy.