More than half of Saskatchewan's population is now under 40: 2021 census

More than half of Saskatchewan's population is below the age of 40, according to data from the 2021 census.

Three generations generation alpha, generation Z and millenials now make up 53 per cent of Saskatchewan's 1.13 million people.

The information is part of the demographic data collected as part of the 2021 census which was released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday.

Generational divide

The growth among Saskatchewan's younger population is part of a broader trend that is occurring across Canada.

The 2021 census was the first time that baby boomers, people between the ages of 56 and75,made up less than a quarter of the nation's population.

That's mostly due to the aging generation, with death becoming a factor. Baby boomers are also now at the age where immigration is less likely to play a major role in boosting its figures.

In Saskatchewan, that trend has been apparent since the 2016 census whenbaby boomers madeup 24 per cent of the province's population.

The data from 2021 shows thatgeneration has continued to shrink, with baby boomers now making up 23 per cent of the province's population.

Millennials, people between the age of 25 and 40, are 21 per cent of the population.

That means Saskatchewan could soon follow another trend that is going to develop acrossCanada.

Statistics Canada says millennials could overtake baby boomers as the largest generation in Canada as early as 2029.

Generation Z, people between 9 and 24, will starttooutnumber baby boomers in 2032 before eventually outnumbering millennialsin 2045.

Aging generations

Generation X, or those between the ages of 41 and 55, will never hold the position of the largest generation due its relatively small size.

In Saskatchewan, that group totals just 198,715 people.

The interwar generation, those aged 76 to 93, and the greatest generation, those 94-year-old and older, have continued to shrink since the 2016 census.

In Saskatchewan, the greatest generation now numbers just 4,005 people. That's a decline of more than 10,000 since 2016.

The average and median ages of Saskatchewan's population havecontinued to grow.

The average age has risen to 39.8 in 2021 from 39.1 years old in 2016, while the median age has gone to 38.8 from 37.8.

Growth in housing

The newest data released by Statistics Canada shows growth across the board in housing figures.

That includes increasesin the number of people living in semi-detached homes, apartments androw houses between 2016 and 2021.

The number of total occupied private dwellings defined as a living space with a private entrance that doesn't require someone to pass through another's living quarters has increased by16,960.

The average household size has remained at 2.5 people in Saskatchewan.

Other census information including data on families,education, income, linguistic diversity andinformation about First Nations, Metis andIndigenous peoples will be released throughout 2022. .