Posted September 4, 2026 11:10 am.
The changing face of Quebec is showing up in an unexpected place: the diaper aisle.
Major pharmacy chains in Quebec are now selling more adult incontinence products than diapers for children, according to information obtained by Radio-Canada.
A shift on pharmacy shelves
The comparison was documented using sales information from pharmacy chains Jean Coutu and Brunet. The chains did not disclose the exact amounts of sales.
Benoît Laplante, a professor at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, said the comparison is a striking illustration of Quebec’s demographic changes.
“It’s a strong image. Basically, it’s related more or less directly to the fact that in Quebec, since one or two years, we’ve got more deaths than births. So basically, we get more people reaching very old age than new kids,” Laplante said.
“People live longer, which is a good thing, but we don’t have as many kids as we did a long time ago.”
Laplante said the trend is not unique to Quebec, noting that similar demographic changes are occurring throughout much of the Western world.
Births remain near a historic low
The shift comes as Quebec continues to grapple with declining birth rates and population aging.
Quebec recorded an estimated 78,200 births in 2025, about 800 more than in 2024, according to the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).
Despite the slight increase, the province’s fertility rate remained near its historic low. It was estimated at 1.36 children per woman in 2025, compared with 1.35 in 2024, the lowest rate ever recorded in Quebec.
The ISQ says fertility in Quebec has been on a general downward trend for about 15 years.
Women are also having their first children later. In 2025, the average age of mothers at the birth of their first child reached 30.2 years.
Laplante said the decline is also reflected in what younger Canadians say they want for their families.
His research, published last week, examined fertility intentions in Canada using data collected over nearly 30 years by Statistics Canada.
“What is not as easy to study is fertility intentions, which is a prerequisite to fertility. If you don’t want kids, there won’t be many births,” he said.
“Especially since 2011, on average, people don’t want at least two kids, which was common before. People almost all said that they wanted to. It was normal, common, almost a mental consensus. Now it’s not.”
Deaths surpass births
Quebec recorded an estimated 80,450 deaths in 2025, 1,650 more than the previous year.
The ISQ says an increase in deaths is expected in the context of an aging population. However, the number of deaths in 2025 was also four per cent higher than what would have been expected based on the pre-pandemic trend, largely because of two periods of excess deaths linked to influenza.
Life expectancy was estimated at 84.4 years for women and 81.1 years for men.
Population declines slightly
The ISQ estimates Quebec’s population at 9.03 million people as of Jan. 1, 2026.
Following exceptionally strong population growth between 2022 and 2024, the province’s population is estimated to have declined by about 9,600 people, or 0.1 per cent, in 2025.
The ISQ cautions that population data are updated regularly as new information becomes available, meaning some results — particularly those involving temporary immigration — may be revised.
Why aren’t Quebecers having more children?
The decline in births has also become an issue in Quebec’s current political debate, with parties proposing different approaches to support families and address the province’s demographic challenges.
For Laplante, however, the lower birth rate should prompt a broader conversation rather than immediate alarm.
“We’re not facing economic or whatever, catastrophe, disaster, because of our low level of birth,” he said.
“The health system will continue to function as bad as it is right now, but I mean it won’t crash. Same for education. Public pensions are safe.”
He said Quebec should instead consider why having children appears to be becoming less common.
“We have to think about what’s going on. We have to think about why people don’t want to have children, why having children is not a normal part, a common part of what it is to become an adult,” Laplante said.
“This is a strong question. We should think about it as a public conversation about that, but there is no disaster in the next week.”
A reflection of a changing Quebec
The diaper comparison may sound unusual, but Laplante said it captures a larger demographic transformation.
The province is becoming an older society, while the number of newborns continues to fall.
“It’s just a funny way to draw attention,” he said.
The shift on pharmacy shelves is therefore more than a change in consumer purchasing habits. It offers a visible reminder of how Quebec’s population is changing — and raises questions about what that change could mean for the province in the years ahead.
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