What is the population of Canada?

According to Statistics Canada, the number of people living in Canada is estimated to have reached 41,288,599 people on July 1, 2024, up 3% or an increase of 1,205,115 people compared to the same period in the year prior. Statistics Canada defines population as the number of people whose primary residence is within Canada including non-permanent residents.

How has the Canadian population changed over the years?

Between 2002 and 2020, Canada’s population growth hovered around 1 percent. During this period, Canada added an average of 360,000 new residents per year. Canada’s population saw its greatest annual increase following 2021, a year in which its population grew by a half percent—well below its average of the past 18 years. The following years saw above-average growth. In 2022, Canada’s population increased by about 2 percent and reached around 3 percent in 2023 and 2024.

What are the key drivers of population growth, and how have they changed?

In Canada, the population grows in two main ways: natural increases (when more people are born than die) and immigration.

Since the mid-1990s, fewer babies have been born, so most of Canada’s population growth has come from immigration. Between 2002 and 2015, about two-thirds of new Canadians came from immigration, while natural increases made up the rest. In 2016, immigration became an even bigger part of population growth, making up 71% of the increase. This number kept growing, and by 2023, more than 98% of Canada’s population growth was due to immigration.

What is the age and gender distribution of Canada’s population?

On July 1, 2024, Canada had almost the same number of men (20,638,255) and women (20,650,344). Between 2002 and 2016, the number of men compared to women stayed fairly steady, ranging between 98.0 and 98.5 men for every 100 women. By 2024, this ratio reached 99.9, meaning there were nearly as many men as women. A number below 100 means there are more women than men, mainly because women tend to live longer.

The average age of Canadians on July 1, 2024, was 41.6 years. Alberta had the youngest average age at 39 years, while Newfoundland and Labrador had the oldest at 45.7 years.

Between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, Canada’s population grew by 77,411 children aged 0-14, 865,310 people aged 15-64, and 262,394 seniors aged 65 and older. According to Statistics Canada, the number of seniors is expected to grow the fastest almost every year until 2073.

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