This table presents the 2021 and 2016 population and dwelling counts, land area and population density for Canada, the provinces and the territories. It also shows the percentage change in the population and dwelling counts between 2016 and 2021.

In 2022, Canada had a population density of about 4.43 people per square kilometer. The country has one of the lowest population densities in the world, as the total population is very small in relation to the dimensions of the land. Canada has a relatively stable population size, consistently with a growth of around one percent compared to the previous year. A small population in a large territory In terms of total area, Canada is the second largest country in the world. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Pacific to the Atlantic and northward to the Arctic Ocean, and this in total covers about 9.9 million square miles. The most densely populated area of Canada is what’s known as the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Canada has a degree of urbanization of around 81 percent, because most Canadians prefer to live in cities where opportunities for work and leisure are in close proximity to each other and conditions are less rough.

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

This table contains 173 series, with data for years 1996 - 1996 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and is no longer being released. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (173 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services St. John's Region, Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services Eastern Region, Newfoundland and Labrador; ...).

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows the distribution of population in what is now Canada circa 1851, 1871, 1901, 1921 and 1941. The five maps display the boundaries of the various colonies, provinces and territories for each date. Also shown on these five maps are the locations of principal cities and settlements. These places are shown on all of the maps for reference purposes even though they may not have been in existence in the earlier years. Each map is accompanied by a pie chart providing the percentage distribution of Canadian population by province and territory corresponding to the date the map is based on. It should be noted that the pie chart entitled Percentage Distribution of Total Population, 1851, refers to the whole of what was then British North America. The name Canada in this chart refers to the province of Canada which entered confederation in 1867 as Ontario and Quebec. The other pie charts, however, show only percentage distribution of population in what was Canada at the date indicated. Three additional graphs are included on this plate and show changes in the distribution of the population of Canada from 1867 to 1951, changes in the percentage distribution of the population of Canada by provinces and territories from 1867 to 1951 and elements in the growth of the population of Canada for each ten-year period from 1891 to 1951.

This table presents the 2021 population and dwelling counts, land area and population density for dissemination areas by a selected province or territory.

This table contains 13 series, with data for years 1926 - 1960 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2000-02-18. 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 ...).

Contained within the 2nd Edition (1915) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows two maps. The first map shows the density of population per square mile for every township in the Maritime Provinces and Quebec, circa 1911. The second map shows the density of population per square mile for every township in Quebec and Ontario, circa 1911. Communities with a population greater than 5000 people are shown as proportional dots on the map. In addition, major railway systems displayed.

This statistic shows the male and female population of Canada's provinces and territories in 2023. In 2023, around 2.74 million men inhabitants were living in British Columbia.

This table presents the 2021 and 2016 population and dwelling counts, land area, population density and population ranking for census metropolitan areas or census agglomerations. It also shows the percentage change in the population and dwelling counts between 2016 and 2021.

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the distribution of the Canadian population, circa 1951. Population sizes are indicated on the map by representative units of 50 or 1000. In southern Canada, the population of the 15 metropolitan areas and urban centres of 25 000 inhabitants and over is shown by a disc, the area of which is proportional to its population. The scale ranges from metropolitan Montreal (1 395 400 inhabitants) to Glace Bay (25 586 inhabitants). There are still very small populations in northern Canada, but there are clusters within Capital cities, and a even larger concentration south, near the U.S. border, in particular along ocean or inland coastlines. The congregation near or on the coastline of water indicate the influence of industry, natural resources and trade. Two graphs accompany this map. The first graph shows the numerical distribution of population for 1951 by Canada, the provinces and the territories. The second graph shows the percentage distribution of population for 1951 by province and territory.

This table presents the 2021 and 2016 population counts and the 2021 dwelling counts, land area and population density at the designated place level and at all the higher geographic levels in which the designated place is located, including census subdivision, census division, province or territory, and Canada. It also shows the percentage change in the population counts between 2016 and 2021.

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the density of the Canadian population for 1951. The first map display Western provinces, while the second map concentrates on southern Ontario and the Maritimes. Only the most populous areas are covered. Population density is illustrated by denoting the number of inhabitants per square mile. It shows a significant difference in the population distribution across Canada, mainly in urban and metropolitan areas. The cities with greater inhabitants are clusters within Capital cities, and a even larger concentration south, near the U.S. border, in particular along ocean or inland coastlines.

This table contains 195 series, with data for years 1971 - 2006 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (15 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia; ...);  Population characteristics (13 items: Total population; Urban population; Rural population; Total population density; ...).

Contained within the 1st Edition (1906) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate that shows two maps. The maps show the density of population per square mile for every township the Maritime Provinces, Quebec and Ontario, circa 1901. Cities and towns of 5000 inhabitants or more are shown as black dots. The size of the circle is proportionate to the population. The map uses eight classes, seven of which are shades of brown, more densely populated portions are shown in the darker tints. Numbers make it clear which class is being shown in any one township.

There were over one million registered Indians in Canada as of December 2020. The region with the largest Indian population was Ontario, with 222 thousand, followed by Manitoba, which counted 164 thousand Indians. The regions with the smallest Indian populations were Yukon, and Northwest Territories.

This table presents the 2021 and 2016 population counts and the 2021 dwelling counts, land area and population density for economic regions. It also shows the percentage change in the population counts between 2016 and 2021.

This statistic shows the number of CT units per million population in Canada in 2019/2020, by province. In that year, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador had **** CT units per every million of its population, which was the highest figure amongst all provinces.

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.

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