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Metro Vancouver is caught-up in the same generational shift that has seniors outnumbering kids in Canada, according to the latest data released Wednesday from census 2016.

It’s a trend that has been visible for decades, but is becoming more visible in population statistics, which show that Metro’s population over age 65 soared by 24 per cent between 2011 and the 2016 census to hit 387,000 out of an overall population of 2.5 million. The number of children under 15, however, only grew by two per cent to reach 362,000.

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In Vancouver itself, the over-65 population rose a less-dramatic 19 per cent, hitting 97,570, but the under-15 population shrank by just over one per cent to fall to 70,530, which speaks to two diverging trends that are of concern, said demographer Andy Yan.

“It illustrates … the need to have a housing strategy for seniors,” Yan said.

The discussion about the un-affordability of housing in the city has tended to focus on “the missing middle” of young, working-age homeowners priced-out of the market, Yan said, but seniors also deserve more attention.