The Social Assistance Summaries series tracks the number of recipients of social assistance (welfare payments) in each province and territory.
In this section you will find:
Nova Scotia’s social assistance program
Social assistance is the income program of last resort. It is intended for households who have exhausted all other means of financial support. Every province and territory has its own social assistance program(s), and no two are the same. For the total incomes available to social assistance recipients, visit the Welfare in Canada report.
In Nova Scotia, social assistance is called Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA), which replaced the Family Benefits Program and Municipal Social Assistance in 2001.
ESIA provides income and employment supports to Nova Scotians in financial need. Within the ESIA program, Income Assistance provides basic needs assistance in the form of an allowance called a Standard Household Rate (SHR). The amount provided is based on household size and living situation, and is for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, fuel, utilities, and personal items. All recipients receive the maximum SHR for which they are eligible.
Income Assistance also provides for special needs, such as pharmacare, child care, special diet, and transportation. Employment Support Services supports clients with information, opportunities, and services to build the skills and experience they need to work and become more self-sufficient.
In this section, a case that is assessed to include a person with a disability is described as in the “Disability” case category. Those with a disability can potentially receive SHR – Enhanced, which is a higher amount than the SHR Basic Needs. The SHR – Enhanced – Medical is provided to unattached singles who rent or own their home and who either:
- Have a disability; or
- Have a chronic mental, cognitive, or physical condition that limits participation in employment services.
Starting in May 2024, an applicant or recipient is also eligible for a Disability Supplement – an additional amount received monthly – if they have a disability or a chronic health condition that prevents (or will prevent) their participation in employment for at least 12 consecutive months. Multiple people in the same household can receive the Disability Supplement if they each meet the eligibility criteria, including the recipient’s spouse and any dependent children aged 18+. Receiving the Enhanced rate or the Disability Supplement does not impact eligibility for other special needs or Employment Support Services. The Disability Supplement expands access to disability-specific social assistance benefits in Nova Scotia.
Eligibility based on a disability or chronic medical condition is determined through an ESIA Medical Assessment form or by providing other related documentation from a health-care professional.
How many people claim social assistance?
In 2024-25, there were, on average, 25,255 cases (families and single adults) and 38,006 beneficiaries (individual claimants, their partners, and dependent children) receiving Nova Scotia’s Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program.
From the previous year, both cases and beneficiaries saw increases of 5 per cent. Previously, these numbers fell rapidly during the mid-2000s, then increased slightly after the 2008 financial crisis. After a gradual decline between 2011-12 and 2021-22, 2022-23 saw the first increase in about a decade, and 2024-25 continued the trend with an increase from the previous year.
Among ESIA recipients, 47 per cent of cases (11,968) and about 39 per cent of beneficiaries (14,666) were in the “Disability” case category. Like ESIA overall, cases and beneficiaries in the “Disability” case category also increased in 2024-25, at 3 per cent for cases and at around 5 per cent for beneficiaries.
The data for 1997 to 2001 cannot be validated, as it may include municipal assistance in addition to provincial family benefits. During this period, it was common for family benefits clients to access special needs benefits from their local municipal social assistance offices.
The average monthly number of cases and beneficiaries receiving the new Disability Supplement from May 2024 to March 2025 was 15,246 and 15,687, respectively. This was the first year of the program, so no comparative data is available. Disability Supplement figures will be included in future reporting starting next year.
To access data on cases and beneficiaries of social assistance in Nova Scotia, including disaggregated data, download the spreadsheet here.
Figure 1NS – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of ESIA in Nova Scotia, 1997 to 2024-25
Figure 2NS – Yearly cases and beneficiaries of ESIA in the “Disability” case category in Nova Scotia, 2017-18 to 2024-25
What proportion of the population receives social assistance?
In 2024-25, on average, 4.5 per cent of people in Nova Scotia under 65 received ESIA. The proportion decreased gradually from 2002, reaching 5.4 per cent in 2008-09, then slightly increased to 5.7 per cent in 2013-14. After a decade of gradual decline, reaching a low point of 4.1 per cent in 2021-22, it rose to 4.4 per cent in 2022-23 and remained close to that level in 2024-25.
Figure 3NS – Yearly beneficiaries of ESIA as a proportion of the under-65 population in Nova Scotia, 1997 to 2024-25
Who is receiving social assistance?
This section examines disaggregated data on cases by household type and adult beneficiaries by age group.
Household type
In 2024-25, on average, the majority of cases of ESIA were unattached single households, representing 18,832 cases (about 75 per cent). Single parent households were second, representing 4,543 cases (18 per cent).
On average in 2024-25, the majority of cases of ESIA in the “Disability” case category were unattached single households, representing 10,316 cases (86 per cent). Single parent households were second, representing 943 cases (8 per cent).
On average between May 2024 and March 2025, most cases receiving the Disability Supplement were unattached single households, representing 12,774 (82 per cent). Single parent households were second, representing 1,542 (around 10 per cent).
Additional disaggregated data on the number of beneficiaries by household type for each program is available for download here.
Figure 4NS – Cases of ESIA by household in Nova Scotia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 5NS – Cases of ESIA in the “Disability” case category by household in Nova Scotia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Age of adult beneficiaries
Overall, from 2021 to 2024-25, the most common age group among adult beneficiaries receiving ESIA and in the “Disability” case category was 30-54, followed in order by 55-65, 18-29, and over 65.
The share of those aged 30-54 was increasing among adult beneficiaries of ESIA, while the share in the “Disability” case category was gradually decreasing.
Meantime, the share of those aged 55-65 on ESIA was slightly declining; the share of this age group for those in the “Disability” case category was steady and then fell in 2024-25.
The share of the 18-29 had been steady for both adult beneficiaries of ESIA and in the “Disability” case category. While the share of those over 65 receiving ESIA was growing slightly, it was steady for those in the “Disability” case category and then rose in 2024-25.
Regarding the new Disability Supplement, the largest age groups among recipients were 30-54 and 55-65, followed by over 18-29 and over 65.
Figure 6NS: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of ESIA by age group in Nova Scotia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Figure 7NS: Percentage of adult beneficiaries of ESIA in the “Disability” case category by age group in Nova Scotia, 2020-21 to 2024-25
Access to data
The data on social assistance recipients in Nova Scotia is available for download, including:
- Total number of cases and beneficiaries;
- Percentage of beneficiaries relative to the total under-65 population;
- Cases and beneficiaries by household type;
- Beneficiaries by gender;
- Single households by gender;
- Adults by age group; and
- Percentage of cases receiving employment income.
Data notes
- 2006 and prior, the data reflects the number of cases and beneficiaries on March 31 of each year. In 2007, the data reflects the numbers in January.
- 2007-08 onward, the data reflects the number of cases and beneficiaries over the fiscal year (April 1 to March 31).
- Figures for 1997 to 2001 may include municipal assistance caseload and beneficiary figures in addition to provincial family benefits. During this period, it was common for family benefits clients to access special needs benefits from their local municipal social assistance offices. As a result, caseload figures for these years cannot be validated.
- Subcategories are rounded individually, while totals are rounded separately. As a result, small discrepancies can occur between the summed subcategories and the reported totals.
- While the gender distribution of ESIA and ESIA “Disability” is typically balanced between males and females, the gender of single households reveals a more pronounced gender pattern. Typically, unattached singles are predominantly male, while single parents are primarily female.
- From 2024-25 onward, age groups were redefined as 18-29, 30-54, 55-65, and over 65. Previous data on adult beneficiaries by age group was revised to maintain consistency across reporting years. For the “Disability” case category, users should treat historical counts with caution, as category recoding in the source system may have resulted in undercounts.
- The Disability Supplement was introduced in May 2024. Note that in the data for some household categories, beneficiary counts are lower than case counts because, in 93 of the cases, there were challenges identifying individual recipients and so these cases were excluded from the beneficiary count.
- Employment income is referred to as “earned income,” which is defined as the income generated from any of the following: net wages from an employer, tips, gratuities, net commissions, and net business income, rental income, boarder income, roomer income, and training allowances.
- The numbers do not include First Nations living on reserves.
- Information about how the data is gathered.