A man sleeps on the floor of a drop-in centre in Calgary. Canada's poverty rate among all age groups has risen in the last decade, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada. (CBC)

Canada's poverty rates — particularly for working-age Canadians and children — are among the worst in the developed world, the Conference Board of Canada reported Thursday.

Canada received an overall ranking of ninth among 17 countries for a collection of social measures of social cohesion, equity and self-sufficiency according to the report, conducted annually.

While the report commended Canada for its relative diversity, low homicide rate, and higher than average income for disabled citizens, it said the poverty rates were alarming.

"Considering how wealthy this country is, these rates of poverty are unacceptable," said Conference Board president and CEO Anne Golden in a statement.

More than 12 per cent of the working-age population was living in poverty in 2005, an increase from 9.4 per cent a decade earlier, the report found. That ranked 15th among the 17 countries surveys — ahead of only the United States and Japan.

The child poverty rate also increased from 12.8 per cent in 1995 to 15.1 per cent in 2005, ranking Canada 13th among the 17 countries.

While Canada's poverty rate among the elderly has been historically low compared to other countries, the report also found that elderly poverty rates are also on the rise, from 2.9 per cent in 1995 to 5.9 per cent in 2005.

Golden called this "disconcerting" and said when newer data becomes available, "we can expect this trend to persist."

The group said some of the reasons for the rise are more people living alone, an aging population and a drop in the real earnings of male middle-income wage earners.

Denmark had the highest societal ranking among the nations polled. Also receiving an 'A' grade were Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. The United States ranked last among the nations studied.