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.

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.

Actual value and historical data chart for Canada Urban Population Percent Of Total

Complete population data for Canada showing how many people live in Canada from 1960 to 2024

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.

Annual population estimates as of July 1st, by census metropolitan area and census agglomeration, single year of age, five-year age group and gender, based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021.

Actual value and historical data chart for Canada Population Ages 70 74 Male Percent Of Male Population

Canada Population: 100 Years & Over data was reported at 11.672 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 11.493 Person th for 2023. Canada Population: 100 Years & Over data is updated yearly, averaging 6.603 Person th from Jun 2000 (Median) to 2024, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.672 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 3.393 Person th in 2000. Canada Population: 100 Years & Over data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G001: Population.

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.

Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 4.400 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.500 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 6.500 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27.800 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 4.400 Ratio in 2023. Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

This map shows the population distribution in 1996 relative to the distribution of the forests. Even if forests are very important for Canadians from a cultural, spiritual and economical point of view, few people live in the forested areas. About 80% of the population live mainly in the urban areas and at the margin of the forests.

Number and percentage of live births, by month of birth, 1991 to most recent year.

Topic-based Tabulations paint a portrait of Canada based on various topics, that is on groups of variables on related subjects. They are available for various level of geography. Some tables provide a simple overview of the country; others consist of three or four cross-tabulated variables; and will others are of special or analytic interest. The topic-based tabulations are categorized into 3 data products listed below: Canadian Overview Tables (COT): A Profile of the Canadian Population, Where We Live Basic Cross-Tabulations (BCT), and Special Interest Tables (SIT). Some Topic-based Tabulations are accessible on the official day of release of the variables. Other tables are added to each topic through the course of the dissemination cycle. Users have access to progressively more detailed cross-tabulations and more detailed levels of geography. The Topic-based Tabulations replace the former series The Nation, Dimensions and Basic Summary Tables.

Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 4.700 Ratio in 2023. This stayed constant from the previous number of 4.700 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.600 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 4.700 Ratio in 2023. Canada CA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. This is a sex-disaggregated indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 3.2.1 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

This table contains 2394 series, with data for years 1991 - 1991 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (1 items: Canada ...), Population group (19 items: Entire cohort; Income adequacy quintile 1 (lowest);Income adequacy quintile 2;Income adequacy quintile 3 ...), Age (14 items: At 25 years; At 30 years; At 40 years; At 35 years ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...), Characteristics (3 items: Life expectancy; High 95% confidence interval; life expectancy; Low 95% confidence interval; life expectancy ...).

In Canada, the crude birth rate in 1860 was forty live births per thousand people, meaning that four percent of the population had been born in that year. From this point until the turn of the century, the crude birth rate decreases gradually, to just over thirty births per thousand. Over the next twenty years, this number hovers just below thirty, and thereafter it decreases much more rapidly than before, to 20.7 in 1940, before Canada's baby boom in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, where the birth rate increased to over 27. From the end of the baby boom until the late 1970s the population decreases rapidly again, before the rate of decline then slows. Since 1975, the crude birth rate of Canada will have dropped from 15.6, to it's lowest point in 2020, where it is expected to be just 10.5 births per thousand people.

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.

Data quality: Hamilton, City (C) Total non-response (TNR) rate, short-form census questionnaire: 2.5% Total non-response (TNR) rate, long-form census questionnaire: 3.5%Notes: 76: 'Citizenship' refers to the country where the person has citizenship. A person may have more than one citizenship. A person may be stateless that is they may have no citizenship. Citizenship can be by birth or naturalization.For more information on citizenship variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 77: 'Canadian citizens' includes persons who are citizens of Canada only and persons who are citizens of Canada and at least one other country. 78: 'Not Canadian citizens' includes persons who are not citizens of Canada. They may be citizens of one or more other countries. Persons who are stateless are included in this category. 79: 'Immigrant status' refers to whether the person is a non-immigrant an immigrant or a non-permanent resident.'Period of immigration' refers to the period in which the immigrant first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status. For more information on immigration variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 80: 'Non-immigrants' includes persons who are Canadian citizens by birth. 81: 'Immigrants' includes persons who are or who have ever been landed immigrants or permanent residents. Such persons have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this category. In the 2021 Census of Population 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11 2021. 82: Includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11 2021. 83: 'Non-permanent residents' includes persons from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada and who have a work or study permit or who have claimed refugee status (asylum claimants). Family members living with work or study permit holders are also included unless these family members are already Canadian citizens landed immigrants or permanent residents. 84: 'Age at immigration' refers to the age at which an immigrant first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status.'Immigrants' includes persons who are or who have ever been landed immigrants or permanent residents. Such persons have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this category. In the 2021 Census of Population 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11 2021. For more information on immigration variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 85: 'Immigrant' refers to a person who is or who has ever been a landed immigrant or permanent resident. Such a person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group. In the 2021 Census of Population 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11 2021.The places of birth selected are the most frequently reported by immigrants at the Canada level. 'Place of birth' refers to the name of the geographic location where the person was born. The geographic location is specified according to geographic boundaries current at the time of data collection not the geographic boundaries at the time of birth. In the 2021 Census of Population the geographic location refers to a country or area of interest if the person was born outside Canada. For more information on the place of birth variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 86: Serbia excludes Kosovo. 87: The official name of United Kingdom is United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. United Kingdom includes Scotland Wales England and Northern Ireland (excludes Isle of Man the Channel Islands and British Overseas Territories). 88: The official name of Iran is Islamic Republic of Iran. 89: The official name of Syria is Syrian Arab Republic. 90: China excludes Hong Kong and Macao. 91: The full name of Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China. 92: The official name of South Korea is Republic of Korea. 93: The category 'Oceania and other' includes places of birth in Oceania and responses not included elsewhere such as 'born at sea.' 94: 'Recent immigrant' refers to an immigrant who first obtained his or her landed immigrant or permanent resident status between January 1 2016 and May 11 2021.'Immigrant' refers to a person who is or who has ever been a landed immigrant or permanent resident. Such a person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group. The places of birth selected are the most frequently reported by recent immigrants at the Canada level. 'Place of birth' refers to the name of the geographic location where the person was born. The geographic location is specified according to geographic boundaries current at the time of data collection not the geographic boundaries at the time of birth. In the 2021 Census of Population the geographic location refers to a country or area of interest if the person was born outside Canada. For more information on the place of birth variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 95: The official name of Venezuela is Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. 96: Ireland is also referred to as Republic of Ireland. 97: The full name of Sudan is the Republic of the Sudan. 98: The category 'Other places of birth' includes other places of birth in Oceania and responses not included elsewhere such as 'born at sea.' 99: 'Generation status' refers to whether or not the person or the person's parents were born in Canada.For more information on generation status variables including information on their classifications the questions from which they are derived data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 100: 'First generation' includes persons who were born outside Canada. For the most part these are people who are now or once were immigrants to Canada. 101: 'Second generation' includes persons who were born in Canada and had at least one parent born outside Canada. For the most part these are the children of immigrants. 102: 'Third generation or more' includes persons who were born in Canada with all parents born in Canada. 103: 'Admission category' refers to the name of the immigration program or group of programs under which an immigrant has been granted for the first time the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities.'Applicant type' refers to whether an immigrant was identified as the principal applicant the spouse or the dependant on their application for permanent residence. 'Immigrant' refers to a person who is or who has ever been a landed immigrant or permanent resident. Such a person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group. In the 2021 Census of Population data on admission category and applicant type are available for immigrants who were admitted to Canada between January 1 1980 and May 11 2021. For more information on immigration variables including information on their classifications data quality and their comparability with other sources of data please refer to the Place of Birth Generation Status Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide Census of Population 2021. 104: 'Economic immigrants' includes immigrants who have been selected for their ability to contribute to Canada's economy through their ability to meet labour market needs to own and manage or to build a business to make a substantial investment to create their own employment or to meet specific provincial or territorial labour market needs. 105: 'Principal applicants' includes immigrants who were identified as the principal applicant on their application for permanent residence. 106: 'Secondary applicants' includes immigrants who were identified as the married spouse the common-law or conjugal partner or the dependant of the principal applicant on their application for permanent residence. 107: 'Immigrants sponsored by family' includes immigrants who were sponsored by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and were granted permanent resident status on the basis of their