Income

Canada Poverty Rate Statistics

Canada measures poverty using the Market Basket Measure (MBM), which defines the income needed to cover a modest, basic standard of living. Statistics Canada tracks poverty using both the MBM and the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), providing two complementary measures of economic hardship.

Canada has committed to reducing poverty by 50% from its 2015 baseline by 2030. While overall poverty rates declined significantly between 2015 and 2020, challenges remain for single-parent families, recent immigrants, and Indigenous Canadians. Explore detailed breakdowns in the analysis below.