Most of B.C.’s population is located in the southwestern corner of the province. In 2008, the proportion of the population, by region, was:
- Mainland/Southwest – 60%
- Vancouver Island/Coast – 17%
- Thompson-Okanagan – 12%
- Cariboo – 4%
- Kootenay – 3%
- North Coast & Nechako – 2%
- Northeast – 2%
Population age distribution
The population is aging
B.C.’s population is aging. In 2006, for the first time since census-taking started in the province, the median age in B.C. was just over 40 years.
Between 1995 (the first year for which regional workforce data is available) and 2008, the number of seniors – people aged 65 and older – grew by 34%. That was more than double the increase in B.C.’s total population during the same period (16%).
In 2008, 15% of the population of the province was aged 65 and older. By comparison, 19% of the Thompson-Okanagan population was in this age category. Seniors accounted for the smallest percentage of the total population in Northeast (8%) and North Coast & Nechako (11%).
Changes in the size and age structure of the population are linked to changes in employment over time. For example, because many people 65 years or older are retired, a large senior population in a region will mean that a smaller share of its residents is likely to be available for work.
Northern regions of the province have a more youthful population than other regions
Between 1995 and 2008, the number of children (under 15 years) living in B.C. decreased by 8% while the province’s total population grew by 16%.
Mainland/Southwest, where the population grew by 23%, is the only region that saw an increase in children (3%) from 1995 to 2008.
Overall, the northern regions have a youthful population compared with other regions of the province, but even in the north the number of children is declining. In North Coast & Nechako, for example, children made up 20% of the population in 2008. Yet, between 1995 and 2008, the number of young people there declined by a greater proportion than in any other region (34%). North Coast & Nechako’s total population shrank by 14% in the same period.
In 2008, Cariboo also had a relatively large number of children (18%), as did Mainland/Southwest (16%). Thompson-Okanagan (15%) and Vancouver Island/Coast (14%) had proportionally fewer children.
In every region, at least two-thirds of the population is between 15 and 64 years of age
The largest share of the population in every region is of working age – that is, between 15 and 64 years. In 2008, the largest percentages of working-aged residents were in Mainland/Southwest (71%) and Cariboo (70%). Proportionally smaller working-aged populations were in Thompson-Okanagan (66%) and Kootenay (67%), both having large senior populations.
Courtesy Work BC http://www.workbc.ca/Statistics/Regional-Profiles/Pages/Regional-Profiles.aspx