The total population in Canada was estimated at 41.5 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Canada Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Estimated number of persons by quarter of a year and by year, Canada, provinces and territories.

The statistic shows the total population in Canada from 2020 to 2024, with projections up until 2030. In 2024, the total population in Canada amounted to about 41.14 million inhabitants. Population of Canada Canada ranks second among the largest countries in the world in terms of area size, right behind Russia, despite having a relatively low total population. The reason for this is that most of Canada remains uninhabited due to inhospitable conditions. Approximately 90 percent of all Canadians live within about 160 km of the U.S. border because of better living conditions and larger cities. On a year to year basis, Canada’s total population has continued to increase, although not dramatically. Population growth as of 2012 has amounted to its highest values in the past decade, reaching a peak in 2009, but was unstable and constantly fluctuating. Simultaneously, Canada’s fertility rate dropped slightly between 2009 and 2011, after experiencing a decade high birth rate in 2008. Standard of living in Canada has remained stable and has kept the country as one of the top 20 countries with the highest Human Development Index rating. The Human Development Index (HDI) measures quality of life based on several indicators, such as life expectancy at birth, literacy rate, education levels and gross national income per capita. Canada has a relatively high life expectancy compared to many other international countries, earning a spot in the top 20 countries and beating out countries such as the United States and the UK. From an economic standpoint, Canada has been slowly recovering from the 2008 financial crisis. Unemployment has gradually decreased, after reaching a decade high in 2009. Additionally, GDP has dramatically increased since 2009 and is expected to continue to increase for the next several years.

Canada population growth rate for 2023 was 2.93%, a 1.12% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Canada population growth rate for 2022 was <strong>1.81%</strong>, a <strong>1.26% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Canada population growth rate for 2021 was <strong>0.55%</strong>, a <strong>0.53% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Canada population growth rate for 2020 was <strong>1.08%</strong>, a <strong>0.38% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

Estimated number of persons on July 1, by 5-year age groups and gender, and median age, for Canada, provinces and territories.

It is presumed that the first humans migrated from Siberia to North America approximately twelve thousand years ago, where they then moved southwards to warmer lands. It was not until many centuries later that humans returned to the north and began to settle regions that are now part of Canada. Despite a few short-lived Viking settlements on Newfoundland around the turn of the first millennium CE, the Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), became the first European to explore the coast of North America in the late 1400s. The French and British crowns both made claims to areas of Canada throughout the sixteenth century, but real colonization and settlement did not begin until the early seventeenth century. Over the next 150 years, France and Britain competed to take control of the booming fur and fishing trade, and to expand their overseas empires. In the Seven Year's War, Britain eventually defeated the French colonists in North America, through superior numbers and a stronger agriculture resources in the southern colonies, and the outcome of the war saw France cede practically all of it's colonies in North America to the British.

Increased migration and declining native populations

The early 1800s saw a large influx of migrants into Canada, with the Irish Potato Famine bringing the first wave of mass-migration to the country, with further migration coming from Scandinavia and Northern Europe. It is estimated that the region received just shy of one million migrants from the British Isles alone, between 1815 and 1850, which helped the population grow to 2.5 million in the mid-1800s and 5.5 million in 1900. It is also estimated that infectious diseases killed around 25 to 33 percent of all Europeans who migrated to Canada before 1891, and around a third of the Canadian population is estimated to have emigrated southwards to the United States in the 1871-1896 period. From the time of European colonization until the mid-nineteenth century, the native population of Canada dropped from roughly 500,000 (some estimates put it as high as two million) to just over 100,000; this was due to a mixture of disease, starvation and warfare, instigated by European migration to the region. The native population was generally segregated and oppressed until the second half of the 1900s; Native Canadians were given the vote in 1960, and, despite their complicated and difficult history, the Canadian government has made significant progress in trying to include indigenous cultures in the country's national identity in recent years. As of 2020, Indigenous Canadians make up more than five percent of the total Canadian population, and a higher birth rate means that this share of the population is expected to grow in the coming decades.

Independence and modern Canada

Canadian independence was finally acknowledged in 1931 by the Statute of Westminster, putting it on equal terms with the United Kingdom within the Commonwealth; virtually granting independence and sovereignty until the Canada Act of 1982 formalized it. Over the past century, Canada has had a relatively stable political system and economy (although it was hit particularly badly by the Wall Street Crash of 1929). Canada entered the First World War with Britain, and as an independent Allied Power in the Second World War; Canadian forces played pivotal roles in a number of campaigns, notably Canada's Hundred Days in WWI, and the country lost more than 100,000 men across both conflicts. The economy boomed in the aftermath of the Second World War, and a stream of socially democratic programs such as universal health care and the Canadian pension plan were introduced, which contributed to a rise in the standard of living. The post war period also saw various territories deciding to join Canada, with Newfoundland joining in 1949, and Nunavut in 1999. Today Canada is among the most highly ranked in countries in terms of civil liberties, quality of life and economic growth. It promotes and welcomes immigrants from all over the world and, as a result, it has one of the most ethnically diverse and multicultural populations of any country in the world. As of 2020, Canada's population stands at around 38 million people, and continues to grow due to high migration levels and life expectancy, and a steady birth rate.

This table contains 22 series, with data for years 1871 - 1971 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2012-02-16. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Unit of measure (1 items: Persons ...) Geography (1 items: Canada ...) Birthplace (4 items: Total; all birthplaces; Canadian-born; Foreign-born; Other British-born ...) Type of area (3 items: Total urban and rural; Rural; Urban ...) Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Males; Females ...).

Population growth (annual %) in Canada was reported at 2.9622 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Key information about Canada population

• The Canada population reached 41.3 million people in Jun 2024, compared with the previously reported figure of 40.1 million people in Jun 2023
• The data reached an all-time high of 41.3 million people in Jun 2024 and a record low of 14.0 million people in Jun 1950

CEIC extends history for annual Population. Statistics Canada provides Mid-year Population. Postcensal estimates, which are based on the latest Census counts adjusted for Census Net Undercoverage (CNU), including adjustment for Incompletely Enumerated Indian Reserves (IEIR) and the components of demographic growth that occurred since that census. Intercensal estimates are produced using counts from two consecutive censuses adjusted for CNU (including (IEIR) and postcensal estimates) Population prior to 1971 is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. Population is in annual frequency, ending in June of each year.


Further information about Canada population data

• In the latest reports, Canada Unemployment Rate increased to 6.6 % in Aug 2024
• Monthly earnings of the Canada population was 3,656.6 USD in Jun 2024
• Canada Labour Force Participation Rate increased to 66.2 % in Aug 2024

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Canada (POPTOTCAA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Canada and population.

The annual population growth in Canada increased by 1.1 percentage points (+60.77 percent) in 2023. With 2.93 percent, the population growth thereby reached its highest value in the observed period. Annual population growth refers to the change in the population over time, and is affected by factors such as fertility, mortality, and migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like Mexico and United States.

In 2048, the population in Manitoba is projected to reach about 1.84 million people. This is compared to a population of 1.46 million people in 2024.

Canada: Population growth, percent: The latest value from 2023 is 2.93 percent, an increase from 1.81 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 1.15 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for Canada from 1961 to 2023 is 1.28 percent. The minimum value, 0.55 percent, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 2.95 percent was recorded in 1971.

Population, female (% of total population) in Canada was reported at 50.34 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

This table contains 4095 series, with data for years 1921 - 1971 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (13 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia ...) Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...) Age group (105 items: All ages; 1 year; 2 years; 0 years ...).

Population ages 65 and above (% of total population) in Canada was reported at 19.8 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Population ages 65 and above (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Canada was reported at 4.4306 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

This statistic shows the resident population of Canada in 2023, distinguished by age. In 2023, about 2.12 million Canadian children were aged between 5 and 9 years.

This statistic shows the population of Canada in 2022 and projects the population for 2068, by age group. In 2068, the population in the age group from 20 to 24 years is projected to reach about 3.44 million.

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Canada (SPPOPGROWCAN) from 1961 to 2024 about Canada, population, and rate.