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Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Retirement pp 160–186Cite as

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Self-Employment among Canadian Seniors: Trends and Financial Well-Being

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Abstract

Life expectancy has been increasing over time in Canada and other developed countries. In 1979, life expectancy at birth in Canada was 71.4 years for men, 78.8 for women.1 By 2011, it had increased to 79.3 and 83.6 years, respectively, for men and women (Statistics Canada 2013). Life expectancy at age 65 has also gone up and now stands at 18.8 years for men and 21.7 for women. On the other hand, the fertility rate has been declining over time. It decreased from a high of 3.9 in 1959 to 1.6 in 2011.2 The increase in life expectancy and a below-replacement fertility rate coupled with the ageing of the baby boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1965) are accelerating population ageing. In 1971, the median age in Canada was 26.2 years, meaning that half of the population was older than that and half younger.3 By 2011, it had increased to 39.9 years. In 2011, approximately five million Canadians were 65 or older. It is projected that this number will double over the next 25 years, such that by 2036, approximately 24 per cent of the population will be 65 or older (Statistics Canada 2010).

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Authors
  1. Sharanjit Uppal
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

    Natalie Sappleton

  2. Institute for Tourism Studies, China

    Fernando Lourenço

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© 2015 Sharanjit Uppal

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Uppal, S. (2015). Self-Employment among Canadian Seniors: Trends and Financial Well-Being. In: Sappleton, N., Lourenço, F. (eds) Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Retirement. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137398390_8

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