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       Why are Canadians no longer having kids? Share your reasons
        
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       Are fewer Canadians having children?
        
       There were more babies than 20-something-year-olds in 1915, according
       to Statistics Canada, where they made up 2.6 per cent of the
       population. While the number of Canadians under the age of one wavered
       in the years that followed, the country saw the same numbers during
       the peak of the baby boomer years, before again tapering off in the
       1970s.
        
       In recent years, it apperars the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the number
       of births in Canada. There were a total of 374,617 reported in 2018,
       and that number dwindled in 2022, dropping to a total of 351,679
       births. Statistics Canada estimates newborns will make up about one
       per cent of Canada's population and projects it will hover around that
       number for nearly the next twenty years.
        
       According to a September Statistics Canada report, those between 20
       and 29 years old have cited affordability concerns as a contributing
       factor to holding off on family planning.
        
       General costs of living, like unaffordable housing and pricier
       groceries, coupled with a jump in Canada's unemployment rate, could
       also be contributing factors, especially as StatCan noted the
       country's youth are spending more on housing than all previous
       generations.
        
       "The affordability concerns facing youth are influencing the choices
       young adults are making, such as where to live, and whether to have
       children, in ways that are expected to influence Canada's long-term
       demographic and geographic composition," the report reads.
        
       Data released in March by the Canadian Institute for Health
       Information revealed economic stressors are taking a toll on
       Canadians' mental health, too, with 29 per cent aged 18 and older
       suffering from depression, anxiety or another mental health issue last
       year. In 2016, 20 per cent reported living with mental illness.
        
       If you want to have children but are now changing your mind, what are
       your reasons for doing so? What would need to change so you can start
       a family? Please share with CTVNews.ca your age and general location
       when contacting us.
        
       Share your story by emailing us at dotcom@bellmedia.ca with your name,
       general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your
       comments may be used in a CTVNews.ca story.
        
       _With files from CTVNews.ca and The Canadian Press_
        
        
        
        
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