Canada – Underpopulation

Location:

  • Canada is a very large country, in North America, with a population of 38.5 million people.

  • It has a very low population density of only 4 people per km², meaning much of the country is sparsely populated.

Causes (pick 2 main ones):

  1. Canada has low birth and fertility rates, with an average of 1.47 children per woman, which is below the replacement level of 2.1.

  2. Women also tend to have their first child at around age 31, which reduces the number of children each woman can have.

  3. Much of Canada is remote and sparsely populated, making it expensive to build infrastructure, settlements, and industry in these areas.

(Other contributing factors include high access to family planning, education, and more women focusing on careers before having children.)

Impacts (pick 2 main ones):

  1. There are labour shortages in many areas of the country, especially in sectors such as construction, engineering, healthcare, and food services, because there are fewer working-age people to fill jobs.

  2. Canada has an ageing population, with a growing number of retirees.

  3. This puts pressure on healthcare and social services, while many resources remain underused in areas with very low population density.

Response / Solution:
The Canadian government encourages immigration to increase the population and fill labour shortages in key industries.