Statistics Canada has released results from the Canadian Income Survey, reporting on incomes for 2021.  This includes food security, median incomes as well as Canada's official poverty rate, as assessed against the Market Basket Measure threshold.

Note that there were significant government income supports during the COVID-19 pandemic which drove a large decline in the poverty rate in 2020.  Some of these income supports continued in 2021.   

Poverty Rates

The Market Basket Measure (MBM) estimates the share of the population that do not have sufficient income for a reference family to afford the cost of a basket of essential goods and services.  The MBM threshold is estimated for specific communities.  In Nova Scotia, there are separate thresholds for MBM in Halifax, Cape Breton, communities with populations between 30,000 and 100,000, communities with populations under 30,000 and rural areas.  The Market Basket has recently been updated to 2018, with historical estimates provided back to 2015.  These data are collected through the Canadian Income Survey.  Indicators of poverty and income for smaller sub-components of the population may be of limited data quality.

The poverty rate was 8.6% in Nova Scotia in 2021.  Nationally, 7.4% of the population had income below the MBM threshold.  The lowest poverty rate was in Quebec and the highest in Saskatchewan.

After withdrawal of much of the extraordinary government support payments from 2020, poverty rates increase in all provinces except New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.  Despite the latest increase, poverty rates remain below pre-pandemic (2019) levels in all provinces except Alberta.  

The number of Nova Scotians in poverty fell from 113,000 in 2019 to 74,000 in 2020 before rising to 83,000 in 2021.

The data for poverty rates for non-elderly couple families in Nova Scotia were constrained by data suppression for 2021. 

Persons in economic families (including both lone parents and the elderly) reported a poverty rate of 4.5% in Nova Scotia in 2021.  This was just above the national average of 4.4%.  Saskatchewan reported the highest poverty rate among economic families while Quebec reported the lowest. 

The poverty rate for economic families edged up in Nova Scotia in 2021, but remained well below pre-pandemic levels.  Poverty rates for economic families increased in all provinces except Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

Lone parent families have historically had higher poverty rates than for couple economic families.  In Nova Scotia, 19.2% of those in lone parent families lived in poverty, above the national average of 16.1% for these families.  Lone parent poverty was highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and lowest in Québec.

Poverty among Nova Scotia's lone parent families dropped sharply in 2019 and has been rising in each of the last two years.  Poverty rates for lone parent families increased from 2020 to 2021 in all provinces except Ontario (and New Brunswick, where 2020 data was suppressed).  

Persons not in economic families report the highest poverty rates.  In 2021, 27.3% of Nova Scotians who were not in an economic family lived in poverty.  This is above the national average.  Persons not in economic families reported the highest poverty rates in Saskatchewan and the lowest poverty rates in Québec.

Nova Scotia's poverty rates for persons not in economic families have declined in each of the last 6 years - the only province with consistent improvement across all 6 years. 

Non-elderly persons not in an economic family made up the largest number of persons in poverty in Nova Scotia, followed by persons in economic families (excluding lone parents).  

The average poverty gap reports the difference between the MBM threshold and family income, stated as a percentage of the threshold.  For all Nova Scotians living in poverty in 2021, the gap was one-third of the MBM threshold.  The poverty gap ratio was smaller for lone parent families (27.6%) and higher for persons not in economic families (47.1%).

Nova Scotia's average poverty gap ratios improved in 2020 (here improvement means a decline) before rebounding in 2021.  The gap ratio for lone parents actually improved in 2019 rather than in 2020.    

The majority of those living in poverty in Nova Scotia are between the ages of 18 and 64 years old.  This is the case across the country, where this age cohort is clearly the largest part of the population.  

The child poverty rate in Nova Scotia was 6.1% in 2021 - below the national average.  Only Prince Edward Island and Québec reported lower child poverty rates than Nova Scotia.  Child poverty was highest in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Despite increases in 2021, there have been marked improvements in child poverty rates across all provinces since 2015.  In 2015, 1 in 5 children in Nova Scotia lived in poverty.  By 2021, only 1 in 16 children in Nova Scotia lived in poverty.  Similar improvements were reported in many provinces over this time period.   

The poverty rate for those aged 18-64 was 9.1% in Nova Scotia, which was above the national average.  Poverty rates for those aged 18-64 were highest in Saskatchewan and lowest in Québec.

Poverty rates for those aged 18-64 improved in Nova Scotia in 2021.  Only Québec and New Brunswick reported similar improvements (British Columbia's poverty rate for those aged 18-64 was unchanged).

Nova Scotia's poverty rate among seniors was 9.1% - the highest such rate among the provinces.  Seniors' poverty rates were lowest in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as in Québec.

Seniors' poverty increased in Nova Scotia from 2020 to 2021 - the largest percentage change among provinces.  Nova Scotia's seniors' poverty rate is the highest it has been since 2015.

Among the population aged 65 and older, the number of Nova Scotians who live in poverty is highly concentrated among elderly persons not in an economic family.  Of the 19,000 seniors in poverty in Nova Scotia, 14,000 of them were not in economic families, and of these a disproportionate number were women (9,000).  

Poverty rates among elderly Nova Scotians not in an economic family were notably higher than for similar cohorts in other provinces, a phenomenon that has emerged particularly in 2021.

There were more females than males in poverty in Nova Scotia in 2021.  In most provinces (Saskatchewan excepted), females make up a larger portion of those living in poverty.  

The male poverty rate was 7.5% in Nova Scotia in 2021 - above the national average.  Male poverty rates were highest in Saskatchewan and lowest in Québec.

Male poverty rates increased for most provinces in 2021 (exceptions: Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick).  Nova Scotia had experienced a steady decline in male poverty rates from 2015-2020 before their rise in 2021.

The female poverty rate was 9.6% in Nova Scotia in 2021, just behind British Columbia for the highest rate among provinces.  Québec reported the lowest female poverty rate in 2021.

Female poverty rates have generally been in decline for most provinces from 2015-2020.  Female poverty rates rose in all provinces except New Brunswick in 2021.

After several years of improvement, poverty rates for both males and females in economic families are substantially lower as of 2021. Nova Scotia's poverty rate for males in economic families was 4.1% in 2021 and for females not in economic families was 4.9% in 2021.   Both were similar to the national average poverty rates for these groups.  

Nova Scotia's poverty rate for males not in an economic family was substantially higher at 23.5%, though this is an improvement from substantially higher poverty rates in 2016 and 2017.  

The poverty rate for females not in an economic family was higher than for males not in an economic family at 28.2% in 2021.   There has been less improvement in poverty rates among females not in economic families.  

Statistics Canada's reported poverty rates now include categories for racialized persons (defined as identifying with 'visible minority' populations). 

Poverty rates among those who identify with a visible minority category were substantially higher in Nova Scotia (17.4%) than for those who identified neither as Indigenous nor as a visible minority (7.5%).  Visible minority populations reported higher poverty rates in all provinces except Alberta.  The largest gaps between poverty rates for visible minority populations and those who identified neither as Indigenous nor as a visible minority were in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan.

Threshold

The threshold for the poverty rate varies by province and community size.  In Nova Scotia, the income required for a reference family (2 adults, 2 children) to afford a basic standard of living ranged from $47,735 in Cape Breton RM to $51,786 in Halifax.  The highest thresholds were reported in larger cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa.  The lowest thresholds were in smaller communities of Quebec.

Food security

Statistics Canada reports on food security and insecurity as part of the Canadian Income Survey.  Food insecurity refers to households that have inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.

In Nova Scotia, 78.0% of the population was classified as 'food secure' in 2021.  This was below the national average.  Food security was highest in Québec and lowest in Prince Edward Island.  

Food insecurity in Nova Scotia was 22.0%.  Food insecurity is categorized as: marginal, moderate or severe.  Nova Scotia's marginal food insecurity was below the national average while moderate and severe food insecurity in Nova Scotia were above the national average.

Food security was strongest for elderly persons (whether in economic families or not) as well as for non-elderly couples without children.

Food insecurity was highest for Nova Scotia's lone parent families (40.9%) as well as for couple families with children (26.8%) and non-elderly persons not in an economic family (26.6%).

Although the portion of couple families with children that experience food insecurity was lower than for lone-parent families, this is a much larger cohort of the population and accounts for the largest cohort of persons living with food insecurity.

Food insecurity in Nova Scotia is highest for those under 18 years old as well as for those aged 25-34.  Persons aged 18-24 report improved food security.  Beyond age 34, food insecurity diminished with age.

The gap in food insecurity between visible minority populations (25.7%) and those who identify neither as Indigenous nor a visible minority (21.3%) is smaller than the national gap.  This gap is also smaller than Nova Scotia's gap in poverty rates for these populations.  Quebec reported the largest gap in food insecurity between visible minority populations and those who identified neither as Indigenous nor a visible minority.  New Brunswick reported the smallest gap in food insecurity.    

Median incomes

Median incomes are the level of income at which half the population had higher income and half had lower income.  Median incomes are frequently used in making income comparisons because, unlike averages, they are not influenced by outliers with very high values. 

The median market income for all Nova Scotians (whether in an economic family or not) in 2021 was $50,700.  However with more than one potential earner, median market incomes are substantially higher for couple families: $86,000 for couple families without children and $107,600 for couple families with children.  Median market incomes for Nova Scotia's lone parents ($48,500) were higher than for non-elderly persons not in an economic family ($35,100).  As many elderly persons are retired, their dependence on market sources of income is lower.   

Households don't just rely on market sources for income.  Government transfers such as Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance and Canada Child Benefit also make up a substantial part of household total income.  

Median government transfers for Nova Scotians were $13,700 in 2021.  Elderly families ($31,200) and elderly persons not in economic families ($19,600) reported the highest median government transfers, followed by lone parents ($13,600) and couple families with children ($12,300).  Couple families without children and non-elderly persons not in economic families reported much lower median government transfers.  

Total income includes market income and government transfers.

Median total income for all persons (whether in economic families or not) was $69,100 in 2021.  Couple families without children ($96,400) and with children ($123,100) reported the highest median total incomes owing to their higher median market incomes.  Elderly families ($72,300) and lone parent families ($66,300) reported the next highest median total incomes reflecting combined effects of market incomes and government transfers.  Persons not in economic families reported the lowest median total incomes ($40,200 for non-elderly persons not in economic families and $30,600 for elderly persons not in economic families).  

Government income taxes reduce disposable income available for household spending.

Median income taxes were $8,600 for all Nova Scotians.  This was higher for those in couple families (with or without children).

Median after-tax income was $60,200 in Nova Scotia.  Couple families with children ($101,700) reported the highest median after tax incomes, followed by couple families without children ($79,900), elderly families ($65,200) and lone parent families ($60,500).  Median after tax incomes were substantially lower for persons not in economic families ($35,500 for non-elderly persons not in economic families and $28,800 for elderly persons not in economic families).

Income distribution

Among economic families, 48.8% of Nova Scotian families had income above $100,000 in 2021 (56.3% nationally).  A further 30.7% reported incomes between $60,000 and $100,000 (26.3% nationally) while 12.5% reported incomes between $40,000 and $60,000 (11.0% nationally).  A total of 7.9% of Nova Scotia economic families reported income under $40,000 (6.3% nationally).

The distribution of income is notably different among persons not in an economic family.  Just 5.3% of Nova Scotians not in an economic family reported income over $100,000 (8.1% nationally).  Another 14.7% reported income between $60,000 and $100,000 (23.0% nationally) along with 24.1% that reported income between $40,000 and $60,000 (21.6% nationally).  Among Nova Scotians not in an economic family, 39.5% reported incomes between $20,000 and $40,000 (34.1% nationally) while 16.5% (also 15.3% nationally) reported income under $20,000 in 2021. 

Gini coefficient of income distribution

The Canadian Income Survey also reports the Gini coefficient measure of income distribution.  Gini coefficients range between zero (representing perfect equality in which all individuals have the same income) and one (representing perfect inequality in which only one person has all the income while others have none).  A higher Gini coefficient means greater income inequality. 

Gini coefficients can be measured for market income, total income (market income plus transfers) and after tax income (total income less taxes).

By any income measure, Nova Scotia's Gini coefficient was below the national Gini coefficient, reflecting a more equal distribution of income (whether market, total or after-tax income). 

For market income, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest Gini coefficient (most inequality) while Prince Edward Island had the lowest Gini coefficient (most equality).  

For both total income and after-tax income, Ontario had the highest Gini coefficients (most inequality, though Alberta's after-tax Gini coefficient was almost as high) while Prince Edward Island had the lowest Gini coefficients (most equality).

Income inequality has been decreasing since 2017 at both the national and Nova Scotia levels.  This has been mainly caused by greater income equality in market sources. However, in 2020, Gini coefficients increased for market income (both provincially and at the national level) while total and after-tax inequality measures declined. This is due to the role of employment loss in low-wage occupations and extraordinary government transfers during the pandemic in 2020. 

In 2021, market Gini coefficients fell again while total and after-tax Gini coefficients rose. 

Notes and definitions

The Canadian Income Survey estimates are based on probability samples and are therefore subject to sampling variability. As a result, estimates will show more variability than trends observed over longer time periods.

The market basket measure (MBM) of poverty is based on the cost of a specific basket of goods and services representing a modest, basic standard of living. It includes the costs of food, clothing, footwear, transportation, shelter and other expenses for a reference family. These costs are compared with the disposable income of families to determine whether or not they fall below the poverty line.

An economic family refers to a group of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling and are related to each other by blood, marriage, common-law union, adoption or a foster relationship. This concept differs from the census family concept used for subprovincial data in the Annual Income Estimates for Census Families and Individuals.

The median is the level of income at which half the population had higher income and half had lower. Income estimates are expressed in 2018 constant dollars to factor in inflation and enable comparisons across time in real terms.

After-tax income is the total of market income and government transfers, less income tax.

Market income consists of employment income and private pensions, as well as income from investments and other market sources.

Government transfers include benefits such as Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Canada Pension Plan and the Quebec Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, social assistance, the goods and services tax credit, provincial tax credits, and various types of child benefits.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Canadian Income Survey. Table  11-10-0134-01   Gini coefficients of adjusted market, total and after-tax income; Table  11-10-0135-01   Low income statistics by age, sex and economic family type; Table  11-10-0136-01   Low income statistics by economic family type; Table  11-10-0190-01   Market income, government transfers, total income, income tax and after-tax income by economic family type; Table 11-10-0237-01  Distribution of market, total and after-tax income by economic family type, Canada, provinces and selected census metropolitan areas (CMAs); Table 11-10-0093-01  Poverty and low-income statistics by selected demographic characteristics; Table 13-10-0835-01  Food insecurity by selected demographic characteristics; Table 13-10-0834-01  Food insecurity by economic family type