Percentage of low income individuals

The percentage of low-income individuals has steadily increased over the past two decades. In 2009, the percentage of low-income individuals increased 2.2% during the depth of the recession. Since then, the figure continued to climb for the most part amid sluggish economic growth stemming primarily from the decline in commodity prices, which is a primary driver of the Canadian economy. Indeed, in 2015, the same year Canada briefly entered a recession related to the commodity bust, the percentage of low-income individuals increased at its quickest rate since 1990 and reached its highest level since data has been collected. In the ensuing years, the economy returned to growth and helped lift some Canadians out of poverty; by 2019, the percentage of low-income individuals is estimated to have declined to 10.1%, the lowest level since before 1980. Although, 2020 was a rough year for many due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, Canada's poverty rate fell during the year. Between 2019 and 2020 the poverty rate fell from 12.1% to 9.3%. This is largely due to federal emergency and recovery programs introduced to assist lower income families with the negative affect of the pandemic. The 9.3% poverty rate represents the lowest rate in Canada in 45 years. As inflation and interest rates have risen since the pandemic however, the country's poverty rate has risen during 2021, 2022 and 2023. As of 2025, the poverty rate sits at 12.2%