Québec, October 23, 2024. – The Institut de la statistique du Québec published today the 16th edition of the Panorama des régions du Québec, a reference work that provides a set of statistics on Québec’s administrative regions and regional county municipalities (RCMs).
The publication offers a social, economic and cultural overview of the province by covering close to a dozen themes, some of which also address the changes observed in the past 25 years. An additional section is dedicated to statistics by RCM, followed by a statistical portrait of each region.
Substantial increase in the rate of postsecondary graduates
Between 1999 and 2023, the proportion of people aged 25 to 64 in Québec with a postsecondary degree or diploma rose from 52% to 76%, up by 24 percentage points. In the regions of Laval, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec, this increase exceeded 30 points. Over that period, the proportion of people without any degree, certificate or diploma fell, particularly in Chaudière-Appalaches.
The value of single-family homes and condominiums increased fivefold in 25 years
According to the 1999 and 2024 fiscal years of municipalities, the average value of properties in Québec has grown steadily, in current dollars, from $92,608 to $464,561 for single-family homes, and from $86,081 to $439,620 for condominiums.
This growth, which accelerated after the start of the pandemic, was observed in all Québec regions, but particularly in Montréal and Laval. The value of single-family homes increased sharply in Montérégie, Laurentides and Lanaudière, while the value of condominiums grew substantially in Mauricie and Outaouais.
Several factors contributed to this growth, including increases in full-time work, household disposable income and construction costs, as well as a greater number of households combined with a reduction in household size.
Employment increased considerably in 25 years, boosted by women’s strong participation in the labour market
The number of jobs increased by about one million in Québec among those aged 15–64 between 1998 and 2023, up by more than 30%. This increase is mostly due to an advance in women’s labour force participation, as men’s participation increased more moderately.
At the regional level, there were substantial increases in the number of jobs over the same period in Lanaudière, Laurentides, Laval, Outaouais, and Montréal.
The unemployment rate among people aged 15–64 decreased in all Québec regions between 1998 and 2023. In Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, it shrank from 22.2% in 1998 to 7.8% in 2023.
Job vacancies down in most regions from 2022 to 2023
After an increase in 2022, the number of job vacancies declined in the province in 2023. A statistically significant decrease was observed in 13 regions, with a drop ranging between 25% and 30% in 6 of them: Bas-Saint-Laurent, Chaudière-Appalaches, Centre-du-Québec, Montréal, Laval, and Montérégie. Estrie is the only region where the number of vacancies increased significantly (+5.9%).
Large regional disparities in terms of GDP per capita
According to preliminary data for 2022, five regions had a GDP per capita above the provincial average. These include the three regions in Québec whose economy depends largely on mining, namely Nord-du-Québec ($126,049) Côte-Nord ($100,252), and Abitibi-Témiscamingue ($71,527). In contrast, the region of Lanaudière ranked last with a GDP per capita under $34,584—just over a quarter of Nord-du-Québec’s GDP per capita.
Slight increase in median family after-tax income in constant dollars
In 2022, median inflation-adjusted family after-tax income started climbing again in the province among couple families (+0.9% to $97,120) and single-parent families (+0.9% to $60,620).
Increases were also observed in a large majority of regions for both couple families and single-parent families, with higher-than-average increases in Montréal and Laval. However, median after-tax income decreased among all types of families in Nord-du-Québec.
More than 1 in 5 families are in a low-income situation in Nord-du-Québec
The low-income rate of families, which shows the percentage of families whose income falls below half the median of after-tax income, continued to rise in most administrative regions, although more slowly than in 2021.
Nord-du-Québec has by far the highest proportion of families in low income, at 20.5%. Montréal is second with more than 10% of families in a low-income situation. In contrast, the low-income rate does not exceed 6% in the regions of Capitale-Nationale, Chaudière-Appalaches and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
Nearly three quarters of Québec households are highly satisfied with their dwelling
Slightly more than 7 out of 10 Québec households had a high level of satisfaction with their dwelling in 2021. Households in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Chaudière-Appalaches and Centre-du-Québec were more likely to be highly satisfied than those in the rest of Québec. Conversely, the Montréal region had by far the lowest proportion of households that were satisfied with their dwelling.
Strong sense of belonging to local community in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine
Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ranks first in terms of the population’s sense of belonging to their local community. However, in Montréal and Laval, households were less likely to have a strong sense of belonging to their local community than households in other regions.
A statistical look at RCMs
This publication also features an additional section dedicated to statistics by RCM, which includes an analysis showing that the area covered by artificial surfaces increased in all RCMs between the 1990s and the 2010s. Land artificialization was more concentrated in the RCMs of Gatineau and Québec and on the outskirts of Montréal. While around urban centres, artificialization mostly happened at the expense of agricultural land, farmland turning into forests explains most of the loss of agricultural land in the province overall.
À consulter aussi
Read the full publication (PDF, 1.8 MB)
Read the regional statistical portraits
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and all those who wish to know more about Québec.