Comparisons of 1991 and 2000 Old-Age Dependency Ratios

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 Census Divisions (CDs), provinces/territories and Canada for the years 1991 through to 2000.

The figures for this map were computed for each census division by dividing the year 2000 old-age dependency ratio by the year 1991 old-age dependency ratio. These values were then mapped using the following mapping classes: 0.86 to 0.99, 1.00 to 1.09, 1.10 to 1.19, 1.20 to 1.29, 1.30 to 2.54. Thus, the old-age dependency ratio for CDs in the first class (less than 1.00) will have fallen over the decade indicating the presence of fewer seniors (65 years of age) or more relative to the working class population (15 to 64 years of age). Values greater than 1.00 indicate an increase in the relative proportion of seniors.

This map shows the fascinatingly complex spatial pattern of population aging in Canada. Both rural and urban areas of the country are experiencing significant shifts to a "greyer" population. Indeed, in general terms urban areas are greying faster (Figure 1a) with an average 2000/1991 ratio of 1.18. That is, on average the old-age dependency ratio in urban areas of Canada has increased by 18%. In comparison, the 2000/1991 ratio of old-age dependency ratios is 1.14 for intermediate areas and 1.10 for predominantly rural areas. Thus, while the actual old-age dependency ratio is still higher in rural areas, the relative increase in the ratio has been more rapid in predominantly urban areas of the country.

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Figure 1a. Dependency Ratios Divided by 1991 Dependency Ratios (based on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) urban-rural classifications), 2000

However, when the rural areas are separated out by adjacency to metropolitan locations, the change in northern areas is striking (Figure 1b). On average, old-age dependency ratios in these areas have increased by nearly 30% in this short 1991 to 2000 period. While this percentage change must be treated cautiously because of the relatively smaller numbers that are used in the calculations (i.e. smaller total populations), the north-south trend is once again evident in this map.

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Figure 1b. Dependency Ratios Divided by 1991 Dependency Ratios (based on metro adjacency categories), 2000

• Old-age Dependency Ratios, 1991 Map | Read about this map
• Old-age Dependency Ratios, 2000 Map | Read about this map

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