Overall Findings

In March 2025, there were nearly 2.2 million visits to food banks in Canada — the highest number in history.

Food bank visits in March 2025 surpassed even last year’s record-breaking number. This unprecedented level of usage is consistent with record-high rates of food insecurity.

Food bank usage has doubled since March 2019, and is 5.2% higher than it was in 2024.

The rate of growth in the last six years far surpasses anything ever experienced by the food bank network at a national level. Food bank usage rates have doubled nationally since 2019, including a 5.2% increase in the last year. This growth means food banks are finding it increasingly difficult to fully meet the demand.

19% of food bank clients report employment as their main source of income, compared to 12% in 2019.

The proportion of food bank clients whose main source of income is employment continues to grow. This group now makes up 19.4% of food bank clients, compared to 18.1% last year. Until 2022, when the impacts of rapid inflation took effect, they generally made up between 10% and 12% of all clients. This year, the cumulative impact of inflation has further eroded the purchasing power of people who are employed, even among those whose incomes are above the official poverty line.

Cumulative increases in the cost of essentials align with growth in food bank usage.

The cumulative increases in the cost of basic necessities such as shelter and food have created a sustained affordability crisis for many people in Canada. Since 2021, the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased by over 18%. Shelter, food, and transportation have increased by 26%, 25%, and nearly 20%, respectively. These costs have far exceeded average wage growth and align with the increase in food bank usage during this period.

Rent eats food for households with the lowest incomes.

Housing costs devour most of the disposable income of low-income households. People with the lowest incomes, which includes people receiving provincial social assistance, spend 66% of their disposable income on housing. In 2021, that figure was 49%. As non-negotiable housing costs take up a growing proportion of disposable income and savings decline, lower-income households face an increased risk of food insecurity and reliance on food banks.

One third of food bank clients are children.

The proportion of children under 18 accessing food banks continues to hold at 33% of food bank clients; however, given the growth of food bank usage since the pre-pandemic period, that 33% now represents nearly 712,000 visits — an increase of over 340,000 monthly visits compared to six years ago. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the proportion of two-parent households with children under 18 accessing food banks — from 18.8% in 2019 to 23% in 2025

70% of food bank clients live in market rent housing.

Market rentals are the most consistent housing type for households that access food banks, representing 70.4% of all housing tenure arrangements. Food bank clients who identify as belonging to a racialized group, or have been in Canada less than 10 years, or live in larger population centres of 100,000 people or more are more likely to be living in market rent housing.

Grossly inadequate provincial social assistance remains the most common source of income for food bank clients.

Provincial social assistance, which includes both the general welfare and provincial disability support income streams, is the primary source of income for nearly 40% of food bank clients. Although some provinces have implemented initiatives to increase the incomes of people who receive social assistance, such as adding one-time cost-of-living payments and indexing rates to inflation, social assistance incomes are still so low that all household types on this form of income live below the poverty line in almost every province and territory.

34% percent of food bank clients are newcomers to Canada who have been in the country for 10 years or less.

People who are recent newcomers to Canada — that is, they have been in the country for 10 years or less — accounted for 34% of food bank clients, which is stable compared to last year but significantly higher compared to 2019. Recent newcomers who are currently employed generally have precarious work arrangements and receive lower wages. These two factors drive the greater levels of food insecurity among this group. This group is also less likely to access two income supports of last resort — employment insurance or provincial social assistance — if they lose their job because they don’t meet eligibility requirements. The increase in need among recent newcomers makes the massive gaps in our safety net more visible and reinforces the urgent need for reform.