Population

Senior Population

Key Messages
Simcoe County
District of Muskoka
Gender Differences
Population Projections
Technical Notes

Key Messages

In 2021, there were 124,765 seniors—ages 65 years and older—living in Simcoe Muskoka, up from 101,660 seniors in 2016.
In 2021, Simcoe Muskoka’s seniors made up 21% of Simcoe Muskoka’s total population, which is higher than the proportion of seniors in Ontario (19%).
Simcoe Muskoka’s senior population increased by 23% from 2016 to 2021, making it the fastest growing age group in Simcoe Muskoka compared to children aged 0-14 years (10%) and the working age population (15 to 64 years) (8%).

Simcoe County

There were 105,915 seniors living in Simcoe County, making up 20% of the total population in 2021. This is a 23% increase from the 86,220 seniors in 2016.
In Simcoe County, Wasaga Beach (35% or 8,610 people) had the highest proportion of their population composed of seniors, followed by Collingwood (30% or 7,435 people) and Penetanguishene (30% or 2,975 people).
Beausoleil First Nation (8% or 60 people) had the lowest proportion of their population composed of seniors.

SeniorsPopulationSimcoe1

SeniorPopulationSimcoe2

District of Muskoka

There are 18,850 seniors living in the District of Muskoka, making up 28% of the total population in 2021. This is a 22% increase from the 15,440 seniors in 2016.
All Census subdivisions in the District of Muskoka, except for Moose Deer Point, had more than 20% of their population composed of seniors in 2021.
In the District of Muskoka, Lake of Bays (35% or 1,295 people) had the highest proportion of their population composed of seniors, followed by Georgian Bay (33% or 1,135) and Muskoka Lakes (31% or 2,405 people).

SeniorPopulationMuskoka

Gender Differences

In 2021, the senior population aged 65 and over was made up of 54% women+ and 46% men+. At ages 85 and over, the percentage of women+ increased to 62%, and men+ decreased to 38%. This is similar to what was found in 2016, as there were 54% women+ and 46% men+ aged 65 and over and 64% women+ and 36% men+ aged 85 and over.
When we break up the senior age category into two age groups: 65 to 84 and 85 years and older, the percentage of women+ to men+ is higher for seniors ages 85 years, indicating women+ are living longer than men+.
The gender ratio gap has narrowed in Simcoe Muskoka since 2011, with the percentage of women+ aged 85 and older decreasing in Simcoe County from 67% in 2011 to 64% in 2016 to 62% in 2021; likewise in the District of Muskoka, decreasing from 70% in 2011 to 62% in 2016 and 2021.

Population Projections

The chart below is a depiction of senior population growth from 2021 through to 2046:

By 2046, the population of seniors 65 years and older in Simcoe Muskoka is projected to be 222,364, which is more than double the number of seniors from 2016.
The largest increase will occur among the 90+ age group, which will increase by 291% from 5,233 in 2021 to 20,445 in 2046. However, all senior age groups will increase in population between 2021 to 2046.
The 65 to 69 year age group population is projected to decline starting around the year 2030 and by 2033, the population of the 70 to 74 year age group will surpass the 65 to 69 year age group population.

SeniorsPopulationProjections

Technical Notes

In 2021, the Census included a question on gender for the first time, rather than solely sex. The sex variable in census years prior to 2021 and the two-category gender variable in the 2021 Census are included together in this analysis. Although sex and gender refer to two different concepts, the introduction of gender is not expected to have a significant impact on data analysis and historical comparability, given the small size of the transgender and non-binary populations (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, people in the category “non-binary persons” are distributed in the other two gender categories and are denoted by the “+” symbol as women+ or men+ (Statistics Canada, 2022).

Census subdivision (CSD) generally refers to municipalities (e.g. Clearview Township) as well as areas considered equivalent to municipalities for reporting census data, such as First Nations reserves (e.g. Chippewas of Rama First Nation).

Statistics Canada uses the names Moose Point 79 and Christian Island 30 and 30A to describe the geographic area of two local First Nation communities, however, we will refer to these communities by their commonly known names, Moose Deer Point and Beausoleil First Nation, respectively. These names are what most local Indigenous groups or individuals use and what we expect our readers will understand while accessing HealthSTATS.

Census data for Wahta Mohawk Territory is not available.