Nearly 1 in 4 Canadian Households Face Unaffordable Housing Costs: StatCan

Nearly one-quarter of Canadian households lived in unaffordable housing in 2024, while a similar proportion reported financial difficulties due to increases in rent or mortgage payments, according to new Statistics Canada data. In 2024, 23.2 percent of Canadian households spent 30 percent or more of their income on shelter costs, up from 22 percent in 2022, according to results from the 2024 Canadian Housing Survey. Statistics Canada released the survey data on Sept. 21. The Canadian Housing Survey is conducted in partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The data showed that 33.7 percent of renters and 17.4 percent of homeowners lived in unaffordable housing, a gap that has remained stable since 2018, when the survey began.