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Canada Has One of The Lowest Birth Rates In the World

Rising costs and climate change are driving a one child mentality

Kim Fedyk
CanadEH

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a b/w photo of a newborn baby being cradled in two pairs of hands
Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

I have one child. A son, who quite honestly is my entire world.

I can’t imagine my life without him. He enriches my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe.

But I refuse to have another child. I am quite solidly, and happily, one-and-done.

As a Canadian, I am in great company.

In 2023, for the second year in a row, Canada recorded its lowest-ever fertility rate, at 1.26 children born per woman. It now joins the ranks of “lowest-low” fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Why are myself, and the rest of my country choosing to have less, or no children?

The answers are complicated, but shouldn’t be surprising.

The economics of more children don’t add up

According to Statistics Canada, the average Canadian family, spends about $293,000 to raise one child from birth to age 17.

That is an average of $17,235 per year.

As the mother of a six-year-old boy, these numbers don’t shock me.

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