SHORT TERM

LONG TERM

• The overall proportion of persons living in poverty has been improving.
• The largest decline in the poverty rate took place between the years 2000 and 2006, in which the poverty rate dropped by 3.8 percentage points. Since then, the poverty rate has fluctuated slightly over the years.
• In 2020, income measures introduced to protect Canadians from the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a steep decline in the poverty rate.  By 2021, poverty rates have returned to normal.

Poverty is a complex issue. It is the result of multiple social systems failing to protect individuals and families from material deprivation. Some of the consequences of poverty include poor nutrition and physical health, social isolation, and limited financial stability.

For many, poverty is the inability to maintain a standard of daily living that will ensure an individual or family’s overall health and well-being. The effects of poverty, however, are not limited to those who are poor—poverty and social inequality decrease the overall health of a society. When a segment of the population faces barriers to economic opportunity, access to health care, and education (among other factors associated with the social determinates of health), a community cannot reach its full potential.

This data has been collected from external sources and should not always be attributed to ESPC. We would be happy to provide you with a specific reference for the data that you have used. Please click on the text to the right to request sourcing information, report an error or omission, or provide your comments