Census: Gay marriage highlights Wednesday, September 19, 2012

By Teresa Smith

In 2011, there were 64,575 same-sex couples in Canada, up 42 per cent from 2006.

When Canada legalized same-sex marriage in 2005, it became the third country in the world to do so, following the Netherlands and Belgium.

In 2011, there were 64,575 same-sex couples in Canada, up 42 per cent from 2006.

In 2011, 21,015 same-sex couples were married, compared with 7,500 in 2006.

Among both married and common-law couples, same-sex couples were more likely to be male (54.5 per cent) than female (45.5 per cent).

While only nine per cent of same-sex couples had children in 2011, lesbian couples were nearly five times more likely than male same-sex couples to be raising children.