Census 2011: Defining a generation

OTTAWA - The line where one generation ends and another begins is always fuzzy, but it often refers to a group of individuals who are around the same age and have experienced specific historical events together (i.e. World Wars, the Great Depression). Demographers on the other hand focus on the years when a person is born.

Statistics Canada has broken down Canada’s current population into seven generations. Where do you fall in?

1918 and before 93 years and over: Think today’s young people have it rough? This group of people was young children during the First World War and entered the work force during the Great Depression. (0.3 per cent of current population)

Parents of baby boomers (1919 to 1940): This frisky generation was born between the two world wars and is responsible for the baby boomers who have defined recent history. (9.2 per cent of current population)

World War II generation (1941 to 1945): These individuals snuck into the world just before the flood of babies, who would grow up to be the boomers. (4.3 per cent of current population)

Baby boomers (1946 to 1965): 46 to 65 years 9,564,210 (28.6 per cent of current population)

Baby busters (1966 to 1971): These people came onto the scene as fertility rates began a rapid decline. This group is often called Generation X – a generation that experienced difficulty breaking onto the labour scene thanks to a recession and the massive work force offered by the boomers ahead of them. (8.4 per cent of current population)

Children of baby boomers (1972 to 1992): Boom, bust and echo. The children of the baby boomers are known as Generation Y – a group of children who were outnumbered by their parents. Fertility dropped from 3.1 children per women during the baby boom to just 1.6 children per women during this time. These children were also defined by divorce rates, feminism, day care and the rise of the computer. (27.3 per cent of current population)

Generation Z (1993 to 2011): These are the hordes that keep Justin Bieber’s bank account full and can’t remember a world without computers. They are also called the Internet generation because they were born after its invention. (21.9 per cent of current population)