The demographic and economic forces associated with population
aging will challenge health and social services leaders and policy-makers
in the coming decades. In terms of health, some of the implications
of an aging population include:
- increases in diseases and disabilities associated with aging
and therefore the need to provide relevant care, especially in
terms of chronic physical and mental health problems
- changes in the skill sets of our health care providers (physicians,
nurses, etc.) that will be required to respond to the needs of
the elderly
- shifts in the delivery of formal health care services, particularly
increased long-term care
- an increase in the number of informal caregivers (unpaid family
and friends) of the elderly in community settings and the need
to provide supports for those caregivers
In a recent note in the newsletter of the Canadian Medical Association,
a rural physician states that "the people we serve tend to
be older, poorer and have more serious medical problems" (Vann,
2000). The focus of this section of the Rural Health issue is to
examine the first part of Vann's statement. Is the rural population
of Canada older? Is the demographic aging process faster in rural
areas compared with urban areas? Some of these questions can be
addressed by examining what is known as the "old-age dependency
ratio".
Old-age Dependency Ratio Defined
Age dependency ratios tell us how many young people (under 15 years
of age) or older people (over 64 years of age) depend on people
of working age (15 to 64 years). Various formulations of these ratios
are available but the old-age dependency ratio used in this discussion
is constructed using the following equation:
Old-Age Dependency Ratio = (P65+ / P15-64) * 100
where:
P65+ = population aged 65 years or more
P15-64 = population aged 15 to 64 years
In other words an old-age dependency ratio of 17.5 indicates that
there are 17.5 people 65 years or older for every 100 people 15
to 64 years old. Old-age dependency ratios have been computed for
CDs, provinces/territories and Canada for the years 1991 through
to 2000.
Old-Age Dependency Ratios, 1991
In 1991, 11.5% of the Canadian population was 65 years of age or
older. The provincial and territorial variations in this percentage
are shown in Figure 1. Nunavut had the lowest proportion (1.9%)
while Saskatchewan had the highest proportion (14.1%) of seniors.
[D] Click for larger version, 13 KB Figure 1. General Age Structure, 1991
These proportions are echoed using old-age dependency ratios (Table
1).
Table 1. Old-age Dependency Ratios by Province/Territory and for Canada, 1991
Old-age Dependency Ratios by Province/Territory and for Canada, 1991
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
9.6 |
14.1 |
Prince
Edward Island |
13.1 |
20.4 |
Nova Scotia |
12.5 |
18.6 |
New Brunswick |
12.0 |
17.8 |
Quebec |
11.1 |
16.0 |
Ontario |
11.6 |
16.9 |
Manitoba |
13.3 |
20.5 |
Saskatchewan |
14.1 |
22.7 |
Alberta |
9.0 |
13.3 |
British
Columbia |
12.7 |
18.9 |
Yukon
Territory |
3.9 |
5.4 |
Northwest
Territories |
3.1 |
4.6 |
Nunavut |
1.9 |
3.3 |
CANADA |
11.5 |
16.9 |
|
Data source: Statistics Canada.
Old-Age Dependency Ratios, 2000
In 2000, 12.5% of the Canadian population was 65 years of age or
older. The provincial and territorial variations in this percentage
are shown in Figure 2. As in 1991, Nunavut had the lowest proportion
(2.6%) while Saskatchewan had the highest proportion (14.5%) of
seniors.
[D] Click for larger version, 13 KB Figure 2. General Age Structure, 2000
These proportions are echoed using old-age dependency ratios (Table
2).
Table 2. Old-age Dependency Ratios by Province/Territory and for Canada, 2000
Old-age Dependency Ratios by Province/Territory and for Canada, 2000
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
11.6 |
16.4 |
Prince
Edward Island |
13.1 |
19.5 |
Nova Scotia |
13.2 |
19.2 |
New Brunswick |
12.9 |
18.7 |
Quebec |
12.8 |
18.5 |
Ontario |
12.6 |
18.5 |
Manitoba |
13.5 |
20.6 |
Saskatchewan |
14.5 |
22.6 |
Alberta |
10.1 |
14.6 |
British
Columbia |
13.0 |
18.8 |
Yukon
Territory |
5.4 |
7.4 |
Northwest
Territories |
4.1 |
5.9 |
Nunavut |
2.6 |
4.4 |
CANADA |
12.5 |
18.3 |
|
Data source: Statistics Canada.
1991 and 2000 Differences in Old-Age Dependency Ratios
Figure 3 shows the steady climb in the old-age dependency ratio
for the period from 1991 to 2000. Even during this relatively short
period of time the old-age dependency ratio has risen from 16.9
to 18.3.
[D] Click for larger version, 3 KB Figure 3. Old-Age Dependency Ratio, Canada 1991-2000
However, the change in the old-age dependency ratio has not been
uniform throughout all of the provinces and territories of Canada
(Table 3). In this table, provincial/territorial old-age dependency
ratios for the year 2000 have been divided by the respective ratios
from 1991. A value of 1.0 would indicate no change; a value greater
than 1.0 indicates that there has been an increase in the proportions
of seniors dependent on the working age population; and a value
less than 1.0 indicates that the proportion of dependent seniors
has decreased.
Table 3. Comparison of 1991 and 2000 Old-age Dependency Ratios
Comparison of 1991 and 2000 Old-age Dependency Ratios
Newfoundland
and Labrador |
1.16 |
Prince
Edward Island |
0.96 |
Nova Scotia |
1.03 |
New Brunswick |
1.05 |
Quebec |
1.16 |
Ontario |
1.09 |
Manitoba |
1.00 |
Saskatchewan |
0.99 |
Alberta |
1.09 |
British
Columbia |
0.99 |
Yukon
Territory |
1.37 |
Northwest
Territories |
1.28 |
Nunavut |
1.33 |
CANADA |
1.08 |
|
Data source: Statistics Canada.
These old-age dependency ratios provide an indication of the aging
of the Canadian population and should be read in conjunction with
the age and age structure maps and discussions found elsewhere in
the Atlas.
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