Social conditions: Food insecurity
How many Canadians can’t reliably afford food?
In 2024, 24.0% of people in Canada, about 9.8 million, lived in a household that worried about or went without food because of a lack of money. It is the first decline after three years of increases, and the level is still far above 2020.
- People in food-insecure households, 2024
- 24.0%
- 15.8% in 2020
- Children under 18
- 30.8%
- About 2.4 million children
- One-parent families led by a woman+
- 47.4%
- Highest of any family type
- Severe food insecurity
- 6.5%
- Skipping meals or going days without food
A sharp rise after 2020, and a first decline in 2024
Food insecurity by family type, 2020–2024
Share of people living in a household that was food insecure (%). Choose a family type to bring it forward.
Where it is highest
Nunavut has by far the highest rate at 56.4%. Among provinces, Quebec is lowest at 18.0%.
Food insecurity by province and territory
% of persons living in food-insecure households. Click a province for its change.
The Northwest Territories estimate is less precise; treat its large drop with caution.
- 2024
- 2023
Who is affected
Severity and who is affected, 2024
% of persons. Severity levels add up to the total of 24.0%; group rates are each compared with the rest of the population.
Exercises
Which family type had the largest increase in food insecurity between 2020 and 2023, in percentage points?
Show a hint
Use the table view and subtract the 2020 column from the 2023 column.
Check your reasoning
One-parent families led by a woman+ rose from 37.0% to 52.7%, an increase of 15.7 points.
Senior families have a food insecurity rate of 9.9%, while unattached people under 65 have 30.4%. Use the Poverty module’s income table to explain the gap.
Check your reasoning
Seniors receive large, stable public transfers (about $23,500 median for unattached seniors) indexed to inflation. Unattached non-seniors receive almost no transfers ($1,200 median) and depend on earnings, so job loss or low wages translate directly into food insecurity.
Why might food insecurity and the poverty rate move differently from year to year?
Check your reasoning
Poverty compares annual income to a basket cost; food insecurity asks about experiences over the past 12 months. Food prices can rise faster than the basket, people above the poverty line can still face shocks (rent increases, debt), and the two refer to slightly different periods.
Design a policy to cut child food insecurity by a third. Who would it target, how would you fund it, and how would you measure success with this data?
Check your reasoning
A strong answer targets income (for example, a top-up to the Canada Child Benefit for low-income one-parent families), estimates cost from the number of children affected, and proposes tracking the children’s food insecurity rate by family type in the Canadian Income Survey each year.