Nearly a third of Canadians lack money for food and housing

In October 2026, 29.7% of Canadians lived in households that lacked transportation, housing, food, clothing and other necessary expenses over the previous 4 weeks. These figures are cited by Statistics Canada in a new report. A year earlier, in October 2025, the indicator was 27.7%, that is, it grew by 2 percentage points.

Among the 15 largest census agglomerations in the country, the situation was worst in southern Ontario. The least reported shortage of money for priority needs in the metropolitan area of Quebec, there were 15.7%.

Incomplete families are the most vulnerable in terms of money. Among people of primary working age who live with one parent, 47.2 percent are unable to cover basic expenses. In couples with children, this figure is 33%, in couples without children - 27.3%.

These data reflect the proportion of people in families who reported financial difficulties in the preceding 4 weeks. This is a short-term indicator and should not be equated directly with poverty or annual household income. It shows how often residents of different types of families and large urban agglomerations talk about problems with necessary expenses.

The difference between October 2025 and October 2026 is expressed in percentage points, the share increased from 27.7 to 29.7%. When comparing groups, it is important to consider their composition and the number of family members to be supported.

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