This statistic shows the number of Aboriginal peoples in Canada in 2021, by identity and sex. There were 541,890 female First Nations people in Canada in 2021.

This statistic shows the number of Aboriginal peoples in Canada in 2016, by province or territory. There were 236,680 Aboriginal people in Ontario, Canada in 2016.

The Indigenous Populations of Canada map is derived from the CanEcumene 2.0 Geodatabase using custom tabulations of census-based population data. Indigenous communities within the level of the census sub-division (CSD) were identified using a combination of sources from census field data (see Eddy et. al. 2020 for more details). This map shows the percent of Indigenous population in CanEcumene 2.0 communities using graduated symbols, overlaid upon a population density raster. The larger the symbol, the higher the percentage of Indigenous population in that area. The darker the colour in the underlying raster, the denser is the general population. This map illustrates how the majority of Indigenous populations reside in locations outside of the denser populated areas of Canada.

Indigenous identity by gender and age for the population in private households which includes counts, percentage distribution and percentage change from the 2011 National Household Survey, and the 2016 and 2021 censuses.

Canada's most populous province, Ontario, had 188 315 Aboriginal people in 2001, the highest absolute number. However, they accounted for less than 2% of its total population. Second was British Columbia with 170 025, or 4.4% of its population. As in previous censuses, the highest concentrations of Aboriginal population in 2001 were in the North and on the Prairies.

The projected population of the Indigenous population by projection scenario.

This spatial data set contains Statistics Canada 2021 Census information for Indigenous Population by census tract. For more information please visit the Statistics Canada Census Dictionary: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/ref/dict/index-eng.cfm

It is recommended to use the Field Dictionary in conjunction with this data: Click Here

Canada's Indigenous populations (First Nations or Métis) had a median total income of 34,300 Canadian dollars, 6,400 dollars less than non-Indigenous populations in 2021. This gap in median income has fluctuated since 2012. The year in which it was the smallest was 2021, and the most unequal year in terms of median total income was 2015, with a gap of 11,500 Canadian dollars.

This statistic shows the marital status among the Aboriginal peoples of Canada in 2011. Over 400,000 Aboriginal people in Canada were single in 2011.

Overview of educational characteristics of Indigenous populations in Canada, provinces, territories and cities, with percent distribution of highest certificate, diploma or degree.

This statistic shows the median age of the First Nations and non-Aboriginal populations in Canada in 2011, by province or territory. The median age of the First Nations population in Ontario, Canada in 2011 was 30 years old.

Income statistics by Indigenous identity, Registered or Treaty Indian status, residence by Indigenous geography, age and gender for the population aged 15 years and over in private households.

In 2021, Canada's Indigenous populations (First Nations or Métis) had an average total income of 44,300 Canadian dollars, 9,000 dollars less than non-Indigenous populations. This gap in average income has fluctuated since 2012, but remains relatively stable overall. The year in which it was the smallest was 2016, when non-indigenous populations earned 7,700 dollars more than indigenous populations. The most unequal year in terms of average total income was 2015.

This service shows the percentage of the population who reported an Aboriginal identity by census subdivision. The data is from the Census Profile, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Aboriginal identity refers to whether the person identified with the Aboriginal peoples of Canada. This includes those who are First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit) and/or those who are Registered or Treaty Indians (that is, registered under the Indian Act of Canada) and/or those who have membership in a First Nation or Indian band. Aboriginal peoples of Canada are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, section 35 (2) as including the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. Users should be aware that the estimates associated with this variable are more affected than most by the incomplete enumeration of certain Indian reserves and Indian settlements in the 2016 Census of Population. For additional information refer to the 2016 Census Dictionary for 'Aboriginal identity'. To have a cartographic representation of the ecumene with this socio-economic indicator, it is recommended to add as the first layer, the “NRCan - 2016 population ecumene by census subdivision” web service, accessible in the data resources section below.

The Dimension Series provides a more in-depth analysis of census data. The publications employ large numbers of variables and address topics of special interest. They apply to Canada, the provinces and territories, with smaller sets of variables being used for smaller geographic units. Census variables are grouped into the following categories: counts and demographic data, ethnic origin, population group, place of birth, citizenship and immigration, language, Aboriginal peoples, schooling, household activities, labour force, income, families and households, housing, institutions and other collectives, as well as disability. The aggregate data tables are presented in Beyond 20/20 Format (.ivt).

In 2020, there were 1,021,356 registered Indians in Canada. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of registered Indians in Canada experienced an increase, going from some 670 thousand to over one million.

Registered Indians Registered Indians in Canada are all First Nations people who are, as the name suggests, registered as an officially recognized Indian by the Canadian government. No Inuit or Métis is a Registered Indian under Canadian law, leaving only certain First Nations peoples as qualifiers. The word “Indian” is a legal term in this case and has otherwise fallen out of favor. It has been replaced by First Nations, a term used to describe all Canadian aboriginal people who are neither Métis nor Inuit.

Registered Indian status affords benefits and rights not granted to non-Registered Indians including access to reserves and self-governance within them, exemption of federal and provincial taxes to those living on reserve, and postsecondary education financial assistance. The Indian Act of 1951 established the current Indian Register and was revised in 1985 to include people that had been wrongly excluded by the original law.

The number of Registered Indians has grown significantly since 2000 and currently the largest population resides in Ontario, which also has the largest overall population of aboriginal peoples in Canada. British Columbia is home to the largest number of Indian bands, at 199 in 2020.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and not in the labour force, unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by province, Atlantic region, Indigenous and Non-Indigenous population, sex, and age group, last 5 years.

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.

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.

A survey from April 24 to May 11, 2020 found that around 64 percent of indigenous women reported that their mental health got somewhat worse or much worse since physical distancing began during the COVID-19 pandemic. This statistic illustrates the percentage of indigenous population in Canada who reported their mental health as somewhat or much worse since physical distancing began as of May 2020.