Impacts of rising prices on the well-being of Indigenous people, 2024
January 17, 2025
In 2024, close to half of First Nations people living off reserve (45%) and Métis (44%), and more than half of Inuit (54%) (all aged 15 years and older) reported that it was “difficult” or “very difficult” in the 12 months preceding the survey to meet their financial needs in terms of transportation, housing, food, clothing, and other necessary expenses.
Released today, new data from the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit, collected from August 30 to September 22, 2024, sheds light on the well-being of, and impacts of rising prices on, Indigenous people aged 15 and older. The purpose of this survey series is to improve the visibility of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit in national statistics and to fill key data gaps with timely and culturally relevant data.
Most First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit report that rising prices are impacting their ability to cover day-to-day expenses
In 2022, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached a 40-year high of 6.8% on an annual average basis. This was followed by a 3.9% increase in 2023, the next largest increase since 1991. Although the rate of price growth has slowed since 2023, the effects of price increases over the past few years have placed further strain on household budgets for many day-to-day essentials, such as food, housing and transportation.
In 2024, most Indigenous people reported that rising prices were affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses (Chart 1). Roughly half of First Nations people living off reserve (49%), and just under half of Métis (44%) and Inuit (44%) reported that rising prices were affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses “a lot”.
Similar to trends among Canadians overall, the share of younger Indigenous adults aged 25 to 44 reporting in 2024 that rising prices greatly affected their ability to meet day-to-day living expenses was about twice that of their senior counterparts aged 65 and older (First Nations people living off reserve: 58% versus 25%; Métis: 51% versus 26%) (Chart 2). Young adults are disproportionately impacted by rising prices because they face increased living costs compared to older households, such as housing and child care.
Most Inuit live in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland, where the costs of living are generally higher than in other parts of Canada, and where there is greater food insecurity. Nearly half (49%) of Inuit living inside Inuit Nunangat reported that rising prices were greatly affecting their ability to meet day-to-day expenses compared to 39% of Inuit living outside Inuit Nunangat.
Rising prices are limiting Indigenous families’ capacity to buy healthy and nutritious food
In 2024, about 4 in 10 First Nations people living off reserve (41%) and Métis (39%) and nearly half of Inuit (48%) reported being most impacted by the rising price of food (groceries, dining out, food delivery, take-out) in the past six months (Chart 3). Similar proportions of Inuit living inside (49%) and outside (47%) Inuit Nunangat reported being most affected by the rising price of food.
In 2024, about 6 in 10 First Nations people living off reserve (61%) and Métis (59%), and close to two-thirds of Inuit (64%) reported that rising prices had limited the amount of healthy and nutritious food they could buy during the past six months (Table 1). Furthermore, 22% of First Nations people living off reserve reported that rising prices caused them to not have enough food to last the week, as did 23% of Métis and 33% of Inuit.
Rising food prices likely to drive many Indigenous people to community organizations to obtain food
Many Canadians expected to use food banks in 2024. Reliance on food banks or community services to achieve food security is a reality for many Indigenous people. In 2024, about one-fifth of First Nations people living off reserve (18%), Métis (18%) and Inuit (22%) reported that their household was “very likely” to rely on community organizations for food, meals or grocery vouchers in the next six months (Chart 4), compared with 8% of households among the overall Canadian population.
As well, in 2024, Inuit living inside Inuit Nunangat (27%) were more likely to report being “very likely” to obtain food or meals from a community organization over the next six months compared to Inuit living outside Inuit Nunangat (17%).
Rising prices adding stress to households and relationships
Rising prices have also impacted Indigenous people by contributing to stress in their household and relationships. In 2024, about 6 in 10 First Nations people living off reserve (59%), Métis (58%) and Inuit (62%) reported rising prices added to the amount of stress in their household and relationships during the past six months (Table 1).
Overall, about half of First Nations people living off reserve (50%), Métis (52%) and Inuit (54%) reported having a hopeful view of the future. However, hopefulness varied based on whether one expected their household to rely on community organizations for food. First Nations people living off reserve who did not think it was likely that their household would rely on community organizations for food in the next six months had a more hopeful view of the future than those who believed it was “very” or “somewhat” likely they would need such services (60% versus 37%). The same trend was observed among Métis (58% versus 42%).
Overall, in 2024, more than one-third of First Nations people living off reserve (36%), and nearly two in five Métis (38%) and Inuit (39%) aged 15 and older reported being satisfied with their life. Individuals who did not think it was likely that their household would rely on community organizations for food in the next six months were more likely to report high life satisfaction than those who believed it was “very” or “somewhat” likely they would need such services. Among First Nations people living off reserve, less than one-quarter (22%) of those who believed their household would need to rely on community organizations for food in the next six months reported having high life satisfaction compared with 47% among those who believed they would not need such services. A similar trend was observed among Métis (22% versus 47%).
For Inuit, no significant differences in future outlook or life satisfaction were observed between those who expected their household to use community organizations for food and those who did not. This may reflect the different food system within the North where the use of community organizations, such as sharing country food through community freezers, is more common.
Rising prices limiting ability to hunt, fish or trap
Regarding traditional Indigenous harvesting activities, in 2024, 17% of First Nations people living off reserve, 14% of Métis, and 32% of Inuit reported that rising prices limited their ability to hunt, fish or trap during the past six months due to reasons such as the cost of gasoline, ammunition, or equipment. Land-based food gathering activities as a means of subsistence in the North have also been impacted by the high cost of equipment and fuel for shipping and hunting. Inuit living in Inuit Nunangat (52%) were more than four times as likely to report that rising prices limited their ability to hunt, trap and fish compared to Inuit living outside Inuit Nunangat (12%). These findings reflect the unique way of life in Inuit Nunangat where harvesting activities are more common (table 41-10-0072-01).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
NT5


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