Canada vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1986
CanadaUnited States of America
Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.
Canada and United States of America compared
In 1986, Canada has a population of 26.1 million and the United States of America 242.8 million; the United States of America is about 9.3 times the size of Canada.
The share aged 65 and over is 10.3% in Canada and 11.8% in the United States of America, 1.4 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 31.1 years in Canada and 31.6 years in the United States of America.
The total fertility rate is 1.58 in Canada and 1.85 in the United States of America, both below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Canada and 74.7 years in the United States of America.
By 2050, the population of Canada is projected to grow by 74.6% and that of the United States of America to grow by 56.6% compared with 1986.
GDP per person is $56K in Canada (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).
Key figures (1986)
| Canada | United States of America | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 26.1 million | 242.8 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 21.2% | 21.4% |
| Aged 15–64 | 68.5% | 66.8% |
| Aged 65+ | 10.3% | 11.8% |
| Median age | 31.1 yrs | 31.6 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 15.1 | 17.6 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.58 | 1.85 |
| Life expectancy | 76.5 yrs | 74.7 yrs |
| Population growth | +1.17% | +0.90% |
| Net migration (per year) | +121,928 | +493,082 |
| GDP | $2.32T (2025) | $30.8T (2025) |
| GDP per person | $56K (2025) | $90K (2025) |
| Unemployment | 6.9% (2025) | 4.2% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.