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.

Contained within the Atlas of Canada Poster Map Series, is a poster showing population density across Canada. There is a relief base to the map on top of which is shown all populated areas of Canada where the population density is great than 0.4 persons per square kilometer. This area is then divided into five colour classes of population density based on Statistics Canada's census divisions.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada is a map that shows urban and rural population distribution for the Canada of 1871. An inset map (at 1: 2 000 000) shows the area from Windsor to Moncton.

Contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the density of population in continuously settled area of Canada using ten density classes based on 1976 Census data.

According to the 2006 census, the population of Canada was 31 612 897 on May 16, 2006. This map shows the population distribution, based on the population density and the population counts of census dissemination blocks. A dissemination block is generally an area the size of a city block bounded by intersecting streets. There are 478 831 blocks across Canada. In order to define the three population-distribution classes, the blocks for all of Canada were ordered by their population density, from highest to lowest. The population counts for each block were then used to determine where 75 per cent of the population lived, where 24 per cent of the population lived, and where less than 1 percent of the population lived.

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 ...).

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.

Contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada is a map that shows urban and rural population distribution for the Canada of 1871. An inset map (at 1: 2 000 000) shows the area from Windsor to Moncton.

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a map that shows the distribution of population for Northern Canada in 1961. Rural populations are denoted by population and settlement types. For this map, settlements with populations of 1,000 to 5,000 and 5,000 to 10,000 are depicted as urban areas.

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.

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.

In 2023, there were about 5.81 million males and 5.56 million females between the ages of 25 and 44 living in Canada, which was the most out of any age group. The next largest age group was between the ages of 45 and 64, with 5.01 million males and 5.11 million females.

Canadian demographics

The average age of the Canadian resident population was about 40.6 years in 2023, with Newfoundland and Labrador having the oldest average population, and Nunavut having the youngest average population. Additionally, the majority of Canadians in 2022, both males and females, are single. The next largest group of Canadians are married, and not separated.

Immigration to Canada

Much like the United States, Canada is an immigrant nation, and many of its residents have immigrant backgrounds. Additionally, immigration to Canada has been steadily increasing since 2000, making the country a diverse melting pot for people of all backgrounds.

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.

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.

Contained within the 4th Edition (1974) of the Atlas of Canada is a collection of four maps showing the distribution of population for 1851 (Newfoundland 1857), 1871 (Newfoundland 1869), 1901 and 1921 by historical region. A supplementary chart for each map shows the percentage of population by province and territory. As well, for each map, a text listing urban centres with historical populations of 10 000 or more is provided.