Differences in living arrangements of older seniors by mother tongue

This article provides an overview of the living arrangements of Canadians aged 75 and older across mother tongue groups. Analysis is based on the 2016 Census of Population short-form questionnaire and includes older seniors in both private and collective residences. Among the 2.5 million Canadians aged 75 and older in 2016, 15% lived in collective dwellings, 43% lived with a spouse but not in a multigenerational household, 6% lived in a multigenerational household, 8% lived with other family or non-family individuals, and 28% lived alone. This pattern of living arrangements varied considerably across mother tongue groups. In particular, the share of seniors aged 75 and older living in a multigenerational household ranged from 2% to 68%, while the share living in collective dwellings ranged from 3% to 22%. Among older seniors living in collective dwellings (nursing homes and seniors’ residences), there were large group differences in official language ability and income.