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Childcare in Canada, by the numbers
Official figures from Statistics Canada and provincial open data. They describe the whole country, not the centres listed on this site, and are shown exactly as published.
56.1%
Children 0–5 in childcare
26.5%
Children 0–5 who need care but have none
2,271,150
Children aged 0–5 in Canada
By province
| Province | Children 0–5 | In childcare | Need met | Need care, have none | Centres in $10-a-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 22,075 | 52.2% | 29.4% | 30.1% | 76.6% |
| Prince Edward Island | 8,820 | 59.7% | 45.8% | 21.6% | 57.5% |
| Nova Scotia | 50,364 | 56.1% | 34.0% | 31.9% | 95.6% |
| New Brunswick | 41,821 | 60.7% | 37.1% | 25.0% | 63.7% |
| Quebec | 494,693 | 75.0% | 54.0% | 14.6% | not published |
| Ontario | 877,471 | 47.8% | 28.9% | 31.9% | 89.5% |
| Manitoba | 96,770 | 52.1% | 26.1% | 26.3% | 80.7% |
| Saskatchewan | 82,439 | 53.8% | 32.7% | 25.3% | 76.0% |
| Alberta | 321,359 | 52.0% | 33.2% | 26.0% | 74.7% |
| British Columbia | 264,792 | 54.5% | 25.5% | 31.2% | 24.9% |
| Yukon | 2,804 | 65.6% | 32.0% | 25.1% | not published |
| Northwest Territories | 2,883 | 49.0% | 29.5% | 30.6% | not published |
| Nunavut | 4,859 | 32.2% | 16.2% | 36.8% | not published |
Statistics Canada does not publish the $10-a-day figure for Québec or the territories.
British Columbia: childcare spaces over time
Spaces in BC's operating-funding and $10-a-Day programs, monthly.
Sources
- Demand to use or change child care arrangements, children 0–5 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0109) · 2025 · Yearly
- Use of early learning and child care arrangements, children 0–5 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0004) · 2023 · Yearly
- Child care providers receiving CWELCC funding Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0081) · 2024 · Yearly
- Centre-based child care providers by daily fees charged, April 2024 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0071) · April 2024 · Occasional survey
- Population estimates on July 1, by age Statistics Canada (Table 17-10-0005) · 2026 · Yearly
- BC Child Care Facilities and Spaces Over Time Government of British Columbia · April 2018 – June 2026 · Monthly
- BC Early Childhood Educators and Facilities under Wage Enhancement Government of British Columbia · September 2018 – May 2026 · Monthly
- Centre-based providers: hires, departures and vacant positions, 2023–April 2024 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0080) · 2024 · Occasional survey
- Parents' reasons for choosing their main childcare arrangement, 2019–2025 Statistics Canada (Table 42-10-0006) · 2025 · Survey, roughly every 1–2 years
- Employee wages by occupation, annual (occupation group 422, which includes early childhood educators) Statistics Canada (Table 14-10-0417) · 2025 · Annual
- Prevailing wages for early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202, formerly 4214) Employment and Social Development Canada — Job Bank wages open data · 2023-2024 · Annual (each November)
- 2021 Census: age in single years by census subdivision Statistics Canada (Table 98-10-0023) · 2021 · Every 5 years
- Population estimates by census division and single year of age, July 1 Statistics Canada (Table 17-10-0152) · 2025 · Annual
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