For the first time in Canada's history, there are more senior citizens than children.

The government's Statistics Canada agency says new census figures show there are now 5.9 million Canadians aged 65 and older.

They outnumber the 5.8 million children aged 14 and under.

The first of the post-World War II baby boomers born from 1946 to 1965 began turning 65 in 2011. Many have now retired.

The number of Canadians who are 65 or older grew by 20% between 2011 and 2016.

And 8,230 Canadians reached the age of 100 last year, making them the fastest growing segment.

The agency said that despite the recent acceleration in ageing, Canada has a lower proportion of seniors than any other Group of Seven country except the United States.