Statistics Canada has released some more census data and this time it’s about families which shows more people in Canada living alone than ever before but the fastest growing household type involves those with roommates.

In 2021, 4.4 million people lived alone which is up from 1.7 million in 1981. This represented 15 per cent of all adults aged 15 and older in private households in 2021, the highest share on record.

While living solo is on the rise, as a household demographic it is still relatively low representing 3 in 10 households in 2021.

Living alone has increased for those in middle-adulthood in Canada with people aged 35 to 44 doubling from 1981 at 5 per cent to 10 per cent last year. However, women living alone over the age of 65 is dropping due to the life expectancies of men and women becoming more aligned so that older adults get to live as a part of a couple, longer.

Roommate based households are those which involve two or more people living together and none are part of a census family is the fastest growing household with a 54 per cent increase in 10 years.

The share of young adults aged 20 to 34 living in the same household as at least one of their parents was unchanged, at 35 per cent, from 2016 to 2021.  In 2021, an additional 15 per cent of individuals in their 20s and early 30s lived with roommates, that is, with extended relatives or other non-related people.

Statistics Canada says the diversification of living arrangements has implications for housing supply and demand, as well as individuals’ care and support networks, spending, and economies of scale.