Canadian Small-Space Living Statistics 2026

In Ontario, the typical condo has shrunk by about a third since the 1970s.

Source: Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), From spacious homes to compact condos: MPAC data reveals shifting housing trends across Ontario (2024-12-05)

A Toronto condo built after 2016 is about 300 sq ft smaller than one built in the 1990s.

Source: Statistics Canada, Investors in the condominium apartment market, 2022 (The Daily) (2024-10-03)

Vancouver condos are shrinking too, from a median of 912 sq ft for 1990s builds to 790 sq ft for post-2016 builds.

Source: Statistics Canada, Investors in the condominium apartment market, 2022 (The Daily) (2024-10-03)

Almost two in three small new Toronto condos (under 600 sq ft) are owned as investments, and StatCan says investor demand may be one reason new condos are shrinking.

Source: Statistics Canada, Investors in the condominium apartment market, 2022 (The Daily) (2024-10-03)

In Kelowna, three out of four new condo units with size data in late 2024 had between 500 and 1,000 sq ft of living space.

Source: Statistics Canada, New Housing Market Report, 2024: Experimental estimates (Kelowna housing market section) (2025-07-07)

Nearly three quarters of all new homes started in Kelowna in 2024 were condo apartments.

Source: Statistics Canada, New Housing Market Report, 2024: Experimental estimates (Kelowna housing market section) (2025-07-07)

Rental homes were just over half of all homes started in Canada's cities in 2025, the second record year in a row for rental starts.

Source: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Housing starts up 5.6% in 2025 from 2024 (2026-01-16)

Living alone is now the most common household type in Canada: about 3 in 10 households are one person.

Source: Statistics Canada, Home alone: More persons living solo than ever before, but roomies the fastest growing household type (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-07-13)

4.4 million Canadians lived alone in 2021, up from 1.7 million in 1981.

Source: Statistics Canada, Home alone: More persons living solo than ever before, but roomies the fastest growing household type (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-07-13)

Most people who live alone in Canada live in an apartment, not a house.

Source: Statistics Canada, Home alone: More persons living solo than ever before, but roomies the fastest growing household type (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-07-13)

The average Canadian household is down to 2.4 people, from 2.6 in 2001.

Source: Statistics Canada, Number of occupied private dwellings and average household size, Canada, 2001 to 2021 (Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census) (2021 Census (page modified 2022-12-16))

2.4 million Canadians live in a home with three or more generations of the same family.

Source: Statistics Canada, Unpacking Canada's multigenerational households: A look at the people who call them home (2025-08-14)

About 1 in 6 working Canadians still mostly work from home (May 2025).

Source: Statistics Canada, Number of Canadian commuters increases for fourth straight year in 2025 (The Daily) (2025-08-26)

In Toronto, about 1 in 4 workers (24.7%) mostly worked from home in May 2024. In Vancouver it was 22.4%.

Source: Statistics Canada, More Canadians commuting in 2024 (The Daily) (2024-08-26)

Short-term rental listings in Canada grew by more than 60% from 2017 to 2023, from 214,808 to 355,070.

Source: Statistics Canada, Short-term rentals in the Canadian housing market, 2024 (Economic and Social Reports series) (2024-07-30)

The short-term rentals that could instead be long-term housing grew from 58,441 to 107,266 units between 2017 and 2023, more than the 60% growth in short-term listings overall.

Source: Statistics Canada, Short-term rentals in the Canadian housing market, 2024 (Economic and Social Reports series) (2024-07-30)

Condos now make up 15% of all occupied homes in Canada, up from 13.3% in 2016.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)

About 1 in 4 Calgary households (23.8%) and 1 in 5 Edmonton households (20.5%) live in a condo.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)

Nearly 1 in 3 Vancouver households (32.5%) and almost 1 in 4 Kelowna households (23.4%) live in a condo.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)

Renter households grew more than twice as fast as owner households in Canada from 2011 to 2021.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)

Among BC's metro areas, Kelowna had the fastest growth in renter households from 2011 to 2021, up more than half.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)

Two in five dwellings in Canada's primary downtown cores are condos (287,665 units), compared with one in six dwellings nationally.

Source: Statistics Canada, To buy or to rent: The housing market continues to be reshaped by several factors as Canadians search for an affordable place to call home (The Daily, 2021 Census) (2022-09-21)