Poverty and living standards in Nunavut, Canada: official figures
31.7% of people in Nunavut lived below the Market Basket Measure poverty line, Canada's official poverty line, in 2024; the highest of 13 provinces and territories. The Canadian rate was 11.0%. In 2023 the rate in Nunavut was 30.3%.
How Nunavut compares with other territories
Poverty rate (Market Basket Measure, 2023 base), all persons, 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 1 of 13, highest first. Estimates for smaller provinces and the territories have wide margins of error; Statistics Canada flags several of them for use with caution.
| Rank | Region | Poverty rate (Market Basket Measure, 2023 base), all persons, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | 31.7% |
| 2 | British Columbia | 13.0% |
| 3 | Ontario | 12.5% |
| 4 | Manitoba | 12.3% |
| 5 | Yukon | 11.8% |
| 6 | Saskatchewan | 11.6% |
| 7 | Alberta | 11.0% |
Child poverty rate (under 18, Market Basket Measure), 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 1 of 12, highest first. Estimates for smaller provinces and the territories have wide margins of error; Statistics Canada flags several of them for use with caution.
| Rank | Region | Child poverty rate (under 18, Market Basket Measure), 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | 37.7% |
| 2 | Saskatchewan | 15.1% |
| 3 | Manitoba | 14.8% |
| 4 | Ontario | 13.2% |
| 5 | Alberta | 12.8% |
| 6 | British Columbia | 12.6% |
| 7 | New Brunswick | 11.7% |
Poverty rate, persons 65 and over (Market Basket Measure), 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 1 of 12, highest first. Estimates for smaller provinces and the territories have wide margins of error; Statistics Canada flags several of them for use with caution.
| Rank | Region | Poverty rate, persons 65 and over (Market Basket Measure), 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | 31.5% |
| 2 | Yukon | 9.6% |
| 3 | British Columbia | 7.5% |
| 4 | Ontario | 6.3% |
| 5 | Manitoba | 5.6% |
| 6 | Nova Scotia | 5.1% |
| 7 | New Brunswick | 4.8% |
Low income rate (low income measure after tax), 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 4 of 13, highest first. Estimates for smaller provinces and the territories have wide margins of error; Statistics Canada flags several of them for use with caution.
| Rank | Region | Low income rate (low income measure after tax), 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nova Scotia | 16.0% |
| 2 | New Brunswick | 15.6% |
| 3 | Manitoba | 15.3% |
| 4 | Nunavut | 15.2% |
| 5 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 15.1% |
| 6 | Prince Edward Island | 14.7% |
| 7 | Saskatchewan | 14.3% |
Share of people in food-insecure households, 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 1 of 13, highest first. Canadian Income Survey; marginal, moderate and severe food insecurity combined.
| Rank | Region | Share of people in food-insecure households, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | 56.4% |
| 2 | Alberta | 28.4% |
| 3 | New Brunswick | 28.2% |
| 4 | Manitoba | 27.9% |
| 5 | Saskatchewan | 26.7% |
| 6 | Nova Scotia | 26.2% |
| 7 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 25.5% |
Share of people in moderately or severely food-insecure households, 2024 (2024)
Nunavut ranks 1 of 13, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people in moderately or severely food-insecure households, 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nunavut | 53.2% |
| 2 | Alberta | 22.8% |
| 3 | Manitoba | 22.3% |
| 4 | New Brunswick | 20.9% |
| 5 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 20.4% |
| 6 | Ontario | 20.2% |
| 7 | Saskatchewan | 19.7% |
More on Nunavut: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Canada
Sources
- Statistics Canada: Table 13-10-0834-01: Food insecurity by economic family type (Web Data Service extract), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 50afb8936fa7…)
- Statistics Canada: Table 11-10-0135-01: Low income statistics by age, gender and economic family type (Web Data Service extract), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 078bc29ff3ff…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.