Canadians counting down the days until they're empty-nesters may be waiting longer than they once anticipated.
A new Statistics Canada report shows the proportion of young adults aged 20 to 29 who live with their parents jumped from 27 per cent in 1981 to 42 per cent in 2011.
Young men are more likely than young women to live with their parents, something Statistics Canada attributes to women "forming unions" at a younger age than men.
The report also found that the vast majority of young adults who are living with their parents are not bogged down by costly living expenses.
Nine of out 10 young adults who live with their parents said they do not help with household expenses, such as rent, taxes or utilities.
According to the report, those who immigrated to Canada as children, members of a visible minority group and those who had a religious affiliation are all more likely, in their 20s, to live at home with their parents.
Key findings
- In 2011, close to two-thirds of immigrants aged 20 to 29 who arrived in Canada before the age of 15 were living with their parents. This compared with one-third of those who arrived as immigrants at age 15 or older.
- More than onehalf of young adults who belong to a visible minority group lived with their parents. The report found this was more common among Asian young adults. Among those who did not belong to a visible minority group, less than 40 per cent lived with their parents.
- Nearly half (48 per cent) of young adults whose mother tongue was a language other than English or French lived at home. The proportion was significantly higher among those whose mother tongue was Greek (72 per cent), Italian (68 per cent), Persian (57 per cent) and Urdu (56 per cent).
- Approximately 50 per cent of young adults who had a religious affiliation lived with their parents, compared to 30 per cent of those with no religious affiliation.
Proportion of young adults aged 20 to 29 living with their parents, by age group
