Introduction

• Canada is the second-largest country in the world

  • Population of 38.5 million

  • Population density of 4 people per km2

• The rate of natural increase for Canada is 2.42 per 1000

• The net population increase is mostly the result of immigration

Resources 

• Canada has vast resources:

  • fishing—it has the longest coastline in the world

  • largest producer of zinc and uranium

  • timber

  • gas, coal and oil 

  • gold, nickel, lead and aluminium

  • major exporter of wheat

Causes of under-population

• The main cause of underpopulation in Canada is the low birth and fertility rates. It has:

  • a low birth rate of 9 births per 1000

  • a fertility rate of 1.47 children per woman, which is below the fertility replacement rate of 2.1

• The reasons for these low rates include: 

  • the average age for a woman to have her first child is 31 years, which means that her childbearing years are reduced 

  • increased levels of family planning and access to contraceptives

  • higher levels of education mean that women have careers and delay having children

• It has many areas which are remote and difficult to access; building infrastructure for settlements and industry would be costly

Impacts of under-population

• There are many impacts of underpopulation, including:

  • Low rates of unemployment

  • Shortage of workers in several areas, including:

    • Construction

    • Engineering

    • Food services

    • Health care

  • An ageing population means more people of retirement age

  • Fewer workers to pay taxes

  • Healthcare and other social costs increase as the population ages

  • Resources are not exploited, fully reducing potential

  • Lack of services due to low demand, particularly in rural areas