Canadian Parenting Statistics 2026

Canadian Parenting Statistics 2026

A sourced snapshot of births, parental leave, childcare costs and the cost of raising a child in Canada — with the primary government source behind every figure.

Last updated June 2026 · Figures from Statistics Canada, CIHI, PHAC and the Government of Canada. Free to cite with a link to this page.

On this page: Births & fertility · Birth & delivery · Breastfeeding · Parental leave · Childcare costs · Cost of raising a child

Births & Fertility

1.25 children per womanCanada’s total fertility rate hit a record low in 2024 — a third straight year of decline, placing Canada in “ultra-low fertility” territory alongside South Korea, Italy and Japan.

Source: Statistics Canada (2024)

Metric Figure Year
Live births in Canada 365,737 (up 3.7% from 2023) 2024
Average age of mother at first birth 31.8 years (record high; up from 26.7 in 1976) 2024
Total fertility rate 1.25 children per woman 2024
Multiple-birth rate ~3.1% (about 1 in 32 babies) 2022

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily (2024)

Birth & Delivery

33.4% of deliveriesOne in three Canadian births was by C-section in 2023–24, up from 29.9% in 2019–20 — more than double the 10–15% the World Health Organization suggests.

Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) (2023-24)

Breastfeeding

Metric Figure Year
Breastfeeding initiation 93.8% 2021
Exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months 40.7% (Yukon highest at 67.9%) 2021

More than 9 in 10 Canadian parents start breastfeeding, but fewer than half continue exclusively to six months — the WHO-recommended duration.

Source: Statistics Canada (CCHS) (2021)

Parental Leave: EI vs Quebec

92.9% vs 31.3%In Quebec, 92.9% of fathers/partners took or intended to take parental leave in 2022 — versus 31.3% in the rest of Canada. The gap is credited to Quebec’s own QPIP/RQAP plan with non-transferable, father-only leave.

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily (2022)

See our full parental leave: Canada vs the world comparison.

Childcare Costs & $10/Day

$435 / monthThe national average full-time childcare fee fell to about $435/month in 2025, down from $663 in 2022 — evidence the $10-a-day program is moving the number.

Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily (2025)

As of 2025, 8 of 13 provinces and territories had reached an average of $10/day or less, with the rest cutting fees by 50%+ versus 2019. Infant fees still vary widely — from about $192/month in Quebec to roughly $900/month in Toronto and Richmond, BC (infant-fee spread per the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a research institute).

Source: Government of Canada / PMO (2025)

Cost of Raising a Child

$293,000A middle-income, two-parent family spends about $293,000 (2017 dollars) to raise one child from birth to age 17 — roughly $17,235 a year. The biggest costs: housing (28.7%), transport (20.2%) and food (17.0%).

Source: Statistics Canada, Estimating Expenditures on Children by Families (2023)

There is no official Canadian figure for a baby’s first year specifically; estimates range from roughly $12,000 to $21,600 depending almost entirely on your childcare arrangement. Try our own baby cost calculator to estimate yours in CAD.

Planning for a baby in Canada? Use our free baby cost calculator and due date calculator, read the first-year cost breakdown, or browse registry must-haves — free shipping across Canada.

You may cite or quote these statistics with attribution and a link to this page. Figures are drawn from the primary sources listed; please verify against the original source before republishing.