Age Profiles

Changing Age Profiles: 1986 to 2006

Age composition across the City of Vancouver provides an understanding of the distribution and change in age groups like youth and seniors. The graph below shows age compositions using single year age-group data - for example there were around 5,000 children aged 1 in the city in each of the census periods from 1986 to 2006 (in Canada, census data is collected every five years). Overall the city added over 145,000 people between 1986 and 2006.

Vancouver's Age Profile: 1986 to 2006

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Data

Since 1986 Vancouver's median age has increased as the number of city residents in older age groups has increased. The percentages of the population under 20 and over 65 have remained almost unchanged, but nevertheless in 2006 there were 13,600 more children under 15 than there were in 1986, and 11,300 more seniors aged over 65.

The age profile shows the “baby-boomers” (people born between 1946 and 1965) aged around 40 in 1986. There were just over 4,000 people aged over 40, and twice that number aged 35. This pattern has continued moving forward – every five-year census since 1986 shows the ‘leading edge’ of the boomers moving forward five years. In 2006 they were aged 60. But the city continues to grow as younger immigrants (many aged 20-25) arrive and ‘fill in’ the population gap.

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Vancouver's Youth: 1971 to 2006

Youth (aged under 15) represent a slightly smaller percentage of the population in every census period, but the numbers aged under 15 have increased in each census over the past 25 years, although there are still fewer than in the 1970s.

For more information on historical youth population of the city from 1961 onwards, view Youth: 1961-2006 (24kb).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Data

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Vancouver's Seniors: 1971 to 2006

Seniors (aged over 65) have increased in number every census, but not in percentage terms where they have remained relatively stable at around 13% of the population.

For more information on historical seniors population of the city from 1961 onwards, view Seniors: 1961-2006 (25kb).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Data

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Vancouver's Population: 1971 to 2006

This chart shows each 10-year age group of the population since 1971. While the number aged under 30 remains stable (with a slight dip in the 1980s), the number aged 30-39 has more than doubled since 1971, and those aged 40-49 nearly doubled over the same period. The numbers in each age group over 50 has also increased.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Data

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Comparing the City by Percentage: 2006

The structure of Vancouver's population is distinctly different from Metro Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada as a whole which have a very similar population structure. The city has fewer children and significantly more people aged 25 to 40, but the proportion of seniors is very similar.

Comparing Vancouver's Age Profile

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Data

Note: The chart shows the structure of the population by percentage, not the numbers of people in each single year age category

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