--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing/" title: "Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T13:17:20+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T13:37:07+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "Canadian Index of Wellbeing" - "CIW" - "economic security" - "income" - "inequality" - "living standards" - "poverty" - "wealth distribution" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing/ # Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2009-04.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew, and Jean-François Arsenault. 2009. “Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing.” CSLS Research Report 2009-04. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing/ ## Authors: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) - Jean-François Arsenault Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2009-04 June 2009 127 pages ## Related research [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2023 | Report 2023-01 | 101 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/) [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [The Canada-U.S. Income Gap Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2000 | Report 2000-01 | 6 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-canada-u-s-income-gap/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn This report, which constitutes the living standards domain of the new Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW), provides a comprehensive overview of trends in a number of indicators of living standards over the 1981-2008 period in Canada. Part one examines trends in average and median income and wealth indicators in Canada. Part two looks at the distribution of the income and wealth of Canadians over time, including trends in poverty. Part three discusses trends in income fluctuations or volatility. Part four analyzes trends in the economic security of Canadians, including labour market security, food security, housing security, and the security provided by the social safety net. The report also presents a synthesis of overall trends in living standards, discusses living standard measurement issues, and puts forward a set of headline indicators to capture the essentials of what has been happening to the living standards of Canadians. Finally, the report comments on the sustainability of current levels of living standards. Looking at the nine headline indicators for which time series are available, one can immediately see that living standards of Canadians have not unambiguously improved between 1981 and 2008. Indeed, Canadians experienced a widening of income and wealth inequalities. There have been large poverty reductions. There have been large increases in wealth inequality. The unemployment rate is down to a record low for the 1981-2008 period, and yet the incidence of longterm unemployment was higher in 2008 than in 1981. Economic security measured by the CSLS index has also fallen, spurred by a significant decrease in economic security caused by the financial risk associated with illness. Since 1981, many dimensions of living standards in Canada have not improved, and that in spite of a 52.6 per cent surge in gross domestic product per capita. The bottom line is that Canada has become a much richer country, but the top quintile has received the lion’s share of rising income and wealth. Looking forward, the challenges for Canada’s policymakers are significant, but need to be tackled if Canada is to become a fairer and richer country. Ce rapport, qui constitue le domaine du niveau de vie du nouvel Indice canadien du mieux-être (ICM), présente un aperçu complet des tendances de plusieurs indicateurs du niveau de vie au Canada au cours de la période 1981-2008. La première partie examine les tendances des indicateurs de revenu moyen et médian ainsi que de richesse au Canada. La deuxième partie porte sur la répartition du revenu et de la richesse des Canadiens au fil du temps, y compris les tendances de la pauvreté. La troisième partie traite des tendances des fluctuations ou de la volatilité du revenu. La quatrième partie analyse les tendances de la sécurité économique des Canadiens, notamment la sécurité du marché du travail, la sécurité alimentaire, la sécurité du logement et la sécurité offerte par le filet social. Le rapport présente également une synthèse des tendances globales du niveau de vie, examine les enjeux de mesure du niveau de vie, et propose une série d’indicateurs phares pour saisir l’essentiel de l’évolution du niveau de vie des Canadiens. Enfin, le rapport commente la durabilité des niveaux actuels de niveau de vie. En examinant les neuf indicateurs phares pour lesquels des séries chronologiques sont disponibles, on constate immédiatement que le niveau de vie des Canadiens ne s’est pas amélioré de façon non équivoque entre 1981 et 2008. En effet, les Canadiens ont connu un élargissement des inégalités de revenu et de richesse. D’importantes réductions de la pauvreté ont été observées. D’importantes hausses de l’inégalité de la richesse ont également été observées. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2009-04.pdf)