Shrinking ratio of Canadian workers to seniors will strain government finances in coming years; only 3 working age individuals for every senior by 202

VANCOUVER—As Canada’s population ages, the number of working-aged Canadians relative to the number of seniors has declined from 5.4 in 2000 to 3.4 in 2022, which means government spending related to demographics is increasing at the same time that the growth in tax revenues is declining, finds a new study by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. “Workers pay the bulk of taxes, which governments need to fund important services, including health care and income transfers to seniors. As the relative number of seniors grows, and the relative number of workers declines, government finances across Canada will be put under increasing strain,” said Ben Eisen, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Understanding the Changing Ratio of Working-Age Canadians to Seniors and Its Consequences.