23% of Canadian people reported food insecurity in 2022

Approximately 8.7 million people, or 22.9 percent of Canada's population, lived in households that reported some form of food insecurity in 2022, Statistics Canada said Friday, according to Xinhua.

This is an increase of just under 1.8 million from the previous year, when the rate was 18.4 percent, the national statistical agency said.

The proportion of those who were marginally food insecure remained relatively stable, at 6 percent, while the proportions of those who were moderately and severely food insecure both increased to reach near 17 percent.

According to the agency, people in one-parent families and unattached non-seniors remained at a particularly high risk of food insecurity. People in non-senior couples and couples with children had somewhat lower rates, though all were higher than the rates for people in senior families or unattached seniors.

The food insecurity data were collected from January to June 2023. Food insecurity is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints, and refers to the 12-month period prior to the interview, the agency said.

Meanwhile, 9.9 percent of the population, approximately 3.8 million Canadians, lived below the poverty line in 2022, up from 7.4 percent in 2021, Statistics Canada said.