Toronto has more one-person households than ever before: Census

The latest census has shown a 4.5 percent population growth in the city of Toronto, but it has more one-person households than ever before highlighting the loneliness in the megacity. 

Md Asiuzzaman Torontobdnews24.com
Published : 12 May 2017, 06:42 PM
Updated : 12 May 2017, 07:04 PM

The 2016 Census revealed an 8.7 percent growth in one-person households compared to the previous census five years ago.

The city planning officials said the trend is consistent for the past decades.

“A lot of these one-person households are in the down-town core and city centres,” Michael Wright of Toronto City Planning division told the Metro News.

The census showed that the households with two people grew by 8.3 percent, but the dwelling with four or more people only by 1.5 percent – significantly lower than the 4.5 percent population growth for the city as a whole.

However, statistics show that the average household size in Toronto shrunk from 5.22 people in 1986 to 3.85 in 2001.

Single and two-person dwellings accounted for almost two-third of the city’s population growth since the last census five years ago.

Toronto is one of the most popular destinations for immigrants from all over the world to Canada.

The Bangladeshi diaspora is concentrated in the city's Danforth area where over 30 percent voters are of Bangladeshi origin.

The growth in the city’s population is considered one of the reasons of exorbitant price hike in recent years, but a new study by the Ryerson University said that “there is no housing shortage in Toronto.”

The draft report, called ‘Protecting the Vibrancy of Residential Neighbourhoods, showed that Toronto is over-housed, with a majority of 140 city neighbourhoods suffering from a stagnant or declining population for the past 30 years.

The study matched the city’s zoning boundaries with latest census information and found that population in 30 neighbourhoods actually declined and in another 65 frozen.

As the one-person households grow, the psychologists expressed concern over loneliness which is a serious health issue.

One poll conducted in 2012 showed that 60 percent of 18 to 34-year-old resident in Vancouver often felt isolated.

Keeping the new trend and scenario in mind, the city planners are working on how people can get engaged in parks, public spaces and other programmes like block parties, so that they can avoid loneliness.