The Story Behind Canada’s Collapsing Fertility Rate

Description

Canada’s fertility rate has fallen to just 1.25 children per woman, one of the lowest in the developed world. But what’s actually driving the decline? Are fewer Canadians having children, or are the ones having kids simply choosing to have fewer of them?

In this episode of DemograFix, ⁠Mike Moffatt and ⁠Cara Stern break down the data behind Canada’s collapsing birth rate. They explore why more women are remaining childless, why one-child families have become the norm, and how housing costs, delayed parenthood, childcare, culture, and changing lifestyles are reshaping family formation across the country.

Topics discussed:

Why Vancouver and Victoria have some of the world’s lowest fertility rates
The surprising link between housing affordability and birth rates
Why millennials and Gen Z still say they want kids
How family sizes changed from the 1980s to today
Whether education actually reduces fertility
Why cities are losing young families
The growing gap between the number of children Canadians want and the number they actually have

If Canada wants higher birth rates, what would it actually take to make raising children affordable again?

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Chapters:

00:00 Introduction: Canada’s Ultra-Low Fertility Rate

01:08 What Fertility Rates Measure — And Why Canada Is Different

01:59 Housing Costs, Cities, and Why Young Families Are Leaving

03:49 Are Fewer Women Having Children?

04:32 Delayed Parenthood and The Rise In Childlessness

06:01 Marriage, Religion, Immigration, and Fertility Trends

08:03 Does Higher Education Actually Reduce Birth Rates?

10:24 From Three-Child Families To One-Child Households

12:26 Housing Costs, Bedrooms, and Raising Kids In Canada

14:22 Canadians Still Want More Children

17:28 From Overpopulation Fears To Population Collapse