2011 Census of Canada: Topic-based tabulations

Legal marital status

Part A - Short definition
Refers to the marital status of the person under the law, excluding common-law status.

Part B - Detailed definition
Refers to the marital status of the person under the law, excluding common-law status. Married spouses may be of opposite sex or of the same sex. The classification is as follows:
Single (never legally married): A person who has never married or a person whose marriage has been annulled and who has not remarried.
Married (and not separated): A person who is married and has neither separated nor divorced, and whose spouse is living.
Separated: A person who is married but who is no longer living with his/her spouse (for any reason other than illness, work or school) and who has not obtained a divorce.
Divorced: A person who has obtained a legal divorce and who has not remarried.
Widowed: A person who has lost his/her spouse through death and who has not remarried.