Canada's largest metropolitan area is Toronto, in Ontario. In 2022. Over 6.6 million people were living in the Toronto metropolitan area. Montréal, in Quebec, followed with about 4.4 million inhabitants, while Vancouver, in Britsh Columbia, counted 2.8 million people as of 2022.

This table presents the 2021 population counts for census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, and their population centres and rural areas.

Contained within the 3rd Edition (1957) of the Atlas of Canada is a plate consisting of four condensed maps that show urban populations of the people living in Canada. The two maps at the top of this plate show the night-time distribution of population, circa 1956 for Metropolitan Toronto and part of Montreal Island. These two maps actually show the distribution of persons in their permanent homes, without adjustments for such persons that may be absent from their homes at night. Persons in short term, transient residence, such as those in hotels and hospitals are not represented. Another map shows the distribution of urban population across Canada, circa 1951. The definition of urban includes all persons residing in cities, towns and villages of 1000 population or more, whether incorporated or unincorporated, as well as the population of all parts of the census metropolitan areas. A smaller scale map of Canada shows urban areas. These are areas in which urban communities of 1000 or more population are 15 or fewer miles apart.

Canada's urban population now accounts for over 80 percent of it's total population. Canada's urbanization rate has increased steadily in recent years, as technological advancements have lowered the labor demand in the agriculture and energy sectors, while Canada's service industries have grown. The vast majority of Canada's population lives in the south, with over half the population found in the southeast between Quebec City and the Great Lakes region.

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

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.

Canada CA: Urban Population Growth data was reported at 3.067 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.933 % for 2022. Canada CA: Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.319 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.523 % in 1971 and a record low of 0.665 % in 2021. Canada CA: Urban Population Growth 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;

The Urban Area Boundary Files portray the urban area boundaries for which census data are disseminated. They are available for download in two types: cartographic and digital. Cartographic boundary files depict the geographic areas using only the shorelines of the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. Digital boundary files depict the full extent of the geographic areas, including the coastal water area. The files provide a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems (GIS) or other mapping software.

Vegetative cover of 30 large cities in Canada in percentage and number of hectares, by province, contiguously settled area and dissemination area, from 2019 to 2024. Annual data.

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.

As of July 1, 2022, there were approximately 13.87 million males and 14.13 million females living in metropolitan areas across Canada. This statistic breaks down this figure by metropolitan area. Toronto was the most populated city in the country, counting over 3.2 million males and 3.4 million females.

Population in the largest city (% of urban population) in Canada was reported at 19 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Population in the largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Canada CA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 19.375 % in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19.412 % for 2023. Canada CA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 18.225 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.227 % in 2016 and a record low of 15.854 % in 1976. Canada CA: Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population 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: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

The Urban Area Boundary Files portray the urban area boundaries for which census data are disseminated. They are available for download in two types: cartographic and digital. Cartographic boundary files depict the geographic areas using only the shorelines of the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. Digital boundary files depict the full extent of the geographic areas, including the coastal water area. The files provide a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems (GIS) or other mapping software.

Canada Land Cover: Artificial Surfaces: Urban Areas data was reported at 12.632 sq km th in 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 12.380 sq km th for 2018. Canada Land Cover: Artificial Surfaces: Urban Areas data is updated yearly, averaging 11.641 sq km th from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2019, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.632 sq km th in 2019 and a record low of 7.330 sq km th in 1992. Canada Land Cover: Artificial Surfaces: Urban Areas data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.OECD.ESG: Environmental: Land Cover: OECD Member: Annual.

This table is part of a series of tables that present a portrait of Canada based on the various census topics. The tables range in complexity and levels of geography. Content varies from a simple overview of the country to complex cross-tabulations; the tables may also cover several censuses.

Housing Assessment Resource Tools (HART) This dataset contains 2 tables and 5 files which draw upon data from the 2021 Census of Canada. The tables are a custom order and contain data pertaining to older adults and housing need. The 2 tables have 6 dimensions in common and 1 dimension that is unique to each table. Table 1's unique dimension is the "Ethnicity / Indigeneity status" dimension which contains data fields related to visible minority and Indigenous identity within the population in private households. Table 2's unique dimension is "Structural type of dwelling and Period of Construction" which contains data fields relating to the structural type and period of construction of the dwelling. Each of the two tables is then split into multiple files based on geography. Table 1 has two files: Table 1.1 includes Canada, Provinces and Territories (14 geographies), CDs of NWT (6), CDs of Yukon (1) and CDs of Nunavut (3); and Table 1.2 includes Canada and the CMAs of Canada (44). Table 2 has three files: Table 2.1 includes Canada, Provinces and Territories (14), CDs of NWT (6), CDs of Yukon (1) and CDs of Nunavut (3); Table 2.2 includes Canada and the CMAs of Canada excluding Ontario and Quebec (20 geographies); and Table 2.3 includes Canada and the CMAs of Canada that are in Ontario and Quebec (25 geographies). The dataset is in Beyond 20/20 (.ivt) format. The Beyond 20/20 browser is required in order to open it. This software can be freely downloaded from the Statistics Canada website: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/public/beyond20-20 (Windows only). For information on how to use Beyond 20/20, please see: http://odesi2.scholarsportal.info/documentation/Beyond2020/beyond20-quickstart.pdf https://wiki.ubc.ca/Library:Beyond_20/20_Guide Custom order from Statistics Canada includes the following dimensions and data fields: Geography: - Country of Canada as a whole - All 10 Provinces (Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia) as a whole - All 3 Territories (Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon), as a whole as well as all census divisions (CDs) within the 3 territories - All 43 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in Canada Data Quality and Suppression: - The global non-response rate (GNR) is an important measure of census data quality. It combines total non-response (households) and partial non-response (questions). A lower GNR indicates a lower risk of non-response bias and, as a result, a lower risk of inaccuracy. The counts and estimates for geographic areas with a GNR equal to or greater than 50% are not published in the standard products. The counts and estimates for these areas have a high risk of non-response bias, and in most cases, should not be released. - Area suppression is used to replace all income characteristic data with an 'x' for geographic areas with populations and/or number of households below a specific threshold. If a tabulation contains quantitative income data (e.g., total income, wages), qualitative data based on income concepts (e.g., low income before tax status) or derived data based on quantitative income variables (e.g., indexes) for individuals, families or households, then the following rule applies: income characteristic data are replaced with an 'x' for areas where the population is less than 250 or where the number of private households is less than 40. Source: Statistics Canada - When showing count data, Statistics Canada employs random rounding in order to reduce the possibility of identifying individuals within the tabulations. Random rounding transforms all raw counts to random rounded counts. Reducing the possibility of identifying individuals within the tabulations becomes pertinent for very small (sub)populations. All counts are rounded to a base of 5, meaning they will end in either 0 or 5. The random rounding algorithm controls the results and rounds the unit value of the count according to a predetermined frequency. Counts ending in 0 or 5 are not changed. Universe: Full Universe: Population aged 55 years and over in owner and tenant households with household total income greater than zero in non-reserve non-farm private dwellings. Definition of Households examined for Core Housing Need: Private, non-farm, non-reserve, owner- or renter-households with incomes greater than zero and shelter-cost-to-income ratios less than 100% are assessed for 'Core Housing Need.' Non-family Households with at least one household maintainer aged 15 to 29 attending school are considered not to be in Core Housing Need, regardless of their housing circumstances. Data Fields: Table 1: Age / Gender (12) 1. Total – Population 55 years and over 2. Men+ 3. Women+ 4. 55 to 64 years 5. Men+ 6. Women+ 7. 65+ years 8. Men+ 9. Women+ 10. 85+ 11. Men+ 12. Women+ Housing indicators (13) 1. Total – Private Households by core housing need status 2. Households below one standard only...

The PCCF is a digital file which provides a correspondence between the CPC six-character postal code and Statistics Canada’s standard geographic areas for which census data and other statistics are produced. Through the link between postal codes and standard geographic areas, the PCCF permits the integration of data from various sources. The Single Link Indicator provides one best link for every postal code, as there are multiple records for many postal codes. To obtain the postal code conversion file or for questions, consult the DLI contact at your educational institution. New to the June 2022 version, a separate data file is available for retired postal codes. The retired file uses the same record layout as the PCCF file. The same syntax file can be used for both the PCCF data file and the retired data file. The geographic coordinates, which represent the standard geostatistical areas linked to each postal code on the PCCF, are commonly used to map the distribution of data for spatial analysis (e.g., clients, activities). The location information is a powerful tool for marketing, planning, or research purposes. In April 1983, the Statistical Geomatics Centre released the first version of the PCCF, which linked postal codes to 1981 Census geographic areas and included geographic coordinates. Since then, the file has been updated on a regular basis to reflect changes. For this release of the PCCF, the postal codes are directly geocoded to 2021 Census geographic areas. A quality indicator for the confidence of this linkage is available in the PCCF.

This dataset represents all 827,933 block-faces in Canada for the 1996 census. The dataset was designed for geocoding and census data extraction and it covers 43 urban centres in Canada.

A block-face represents one side of a street between two consecutive features intersecting that street. The dataset includes attribute information for street names (including street types and direction), address ranges, geographic codes for linkages with other census boundaries, geographic coordinates, and population and dwelling counts from the 1996 Census. They are displayed on a map via their representative point, which is the geographic coordinate located at the mid-point of the block-face, set back a perpendicular distance of 22, 11, 5, or 1 metre from the street centre line.

The original dataset is available from Statistics Canada as a text file (.txt). For viewing in Scholars GeoPortal, the dataset was converted from this original format into a Shapefile using the point coordinates available for each record. Each point is the population centre of an Enumeration Area.

The original data, and other supporting files and documentation, are available as additional downloads from Scholars GeoPortal.

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.