8.7M Canadians reported food insecurity in 2022 as median incomes fell

A report released on Friday has found the median after-tax income of Canadian families and unattached individuals was $70,500 in 2022, a decrease from $73,000 in 2021.

The median income of Canadians dropped in 2022 as COVID-related benefits ended and inflation soared, a new Statistics Canada report has found.

Meanwhile, the number of Canadians reporting some form of food insecurity increased to 8.7 million.

The report released Friday found that the median after-tax income of Canadian families and unattached individuals was $70,500 in 2022, a decrease from $73,000 in 2021 ( a drop of 3.4 per cent), adjusted for inflation.

This was despite markets remaining relatively stable, the report said. At the same time, benefits related to the COVID-19 pandemic were discontinued and pandemic-related modifications to the Employment Insurance (EI) program were removed during the year.

It added that approximately 8.7 million people, or 22.9 per cent of the population, lived in households that reported some form of food insecurity. This is an increase of just under 1.8 million from the previous year, when the rate was 18.4 per cent, and marks the second consecutive year of increases since the beginning of the pandemic.

Richard Matern, research director at Food Banks Canada, told Global News that the data was upsetting, but not surprising.

“There’s a big disparity between those who are maybe officially considered in poverty and those who are experiencing food insecurity. And what this is saying is that more people above the official poverty line are experiencing food security,” he said.

Matern added, “Based on what we’re seeing on the ground, things seem to be getting worse and continue to get worse as inflation continues to outpace incomes.”