The table below lists the 100 largest census subdivisions (municipalities or municipal equivalents) in Canada by population, using data from the 2021 Canadian census for census subdivisions. [1]
This list includes only the population within a census subdivision's boundaries as defined at the time of the census. Many census subdivisions are part of a larger census metropolitan area or census agglomeration. For their ranking, see the list of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada.
A city is displayed in bold and with a "†" if it is a provincial or federal capital (Ottawa), and in italics and with a "‡" if it is the most populous city in the province. The three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) and one province (Prince Edward Island) do not have municipalities among the 100 most populous in Canada.
Rank (2021) | Municipality | Province | Municipal status | Population (2021) | Population (2016) | Change | Land area (km2) | Population density (/km2) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Toronto †‡ | Ontario | City | 2,794,356 | 2,731,571 | +2.3% | 631.1 | 4,427.8 |
2 | Montreal ‡ | Quebec | Ville | 1,762,949 | 1,704,694 | +3.4% | 364.74 | 4,833.4 |
3 | Calgary ‡ | Alberta | City | 1,306,784 | 1,239,220 | +5.5% | 820.62 | 1,592.4 |
4 | Ottawa † | Ontario | City | 1,017,449 | 934,243 | +8.9% | 2788.2 | 364.9 |
5 | Edmonton † | Alberta | City | 1,010,899 | 933,088 | +8.3% | 765.61 | 1,320.4 |
6 | Winnipeg †‡ | Manitoba | City | 749,607 | 705,244 | +6.3% | 461.78 | 1,623.3 |
7 | Mississauga | Ontario | City | 717,961 | 721,599 | −0.5% | 292.74 | 2,452.6 |
8 | Vancouver ‡ | British Columbia | City | 662,248 | 631,486 | +4.9% | 115.18 | 5,749.7 |
9 | Brampton | Ontario | City | 656,480 | 593,638 | +10.6% | 265.89 | 2,469.0 |
10 | Hamilton | Ontario | City | 569,353 | 536,917 | +6.0% | 1118.31 | 509.1 |
11 | Surrey | British Columbia | City | 568,322 | 517,887 | +9.7% | 316.11 | 1,797.9 |
12 | Quebec City † | Quebec | Ville | 549,459 | 531,902 | +3.3% | 452.30 | 1,214.8 |
13 | Halifax †‡ | Nova Scotia | Regional municipality | 439,819 | 403,131 | +9.1% | 5475.57 | 80.3 |
14 | Laval | Quebec | Ville | 438,366 | 422,993 | +3.6% | 246.13 | 1,781.0 |
15 | London | Ontario | City | 422,324 | 383,822 | +10.0% | 420.5 | 1,004.3 |
16 | Markham | Ontario | City | 338,503 | 328,966 | +2.9% | 210.93 | 1,604.8 |
17 | Vaughan | Ontario | City | 323,103 | 306,233 | +5.5% | 272.44 | 1,186.0 |
18 | Gatineau | Quebec | Ville | 291,041 | 276,245 | +5.4% | 341.84 | 851.4 |
19 | Saskatoon ‡ | Saskatchewan | City | 266,141 | 247,201 | +7.7% | 226.56 | 1,174.7 |
20 | Kitchener | Ontario | City | 256,885 | 233,222 | +10.1% | 136.81 | 1,877.7 |
21 | Longueuil | Quebec | Ville | 254,483 | 239,897 | +6.1% | 115.77 | 2,198.2 |
22 | Burnaby | British Columbia | City | 249,125 | 232,755 | +7.0% | 90.57 | 2,750.6 |
23 | Windsor | Ontario | City | 229,660 | 217,188 | +5.7% | 146.02 | 1,572.8 |
24 | Regina † | Saskatchewan | City | 226,404 | 215,106 | +5.3% | 178.81 | 1,266.2 |
25 | Oakville | Ontario | Town | 213,759 | 193,832 | +10.3% | 138.94 | 1,538.5 |
26 | Richmond | British Columbia | City | 209,937 | 198,309 | +5.9% | 128.87 | 1,629.1 |
27 | Richmond Hill | Ontario | City | 202,022 | 195,022 | +3.6% | 100.79 | 2,004.4 |
28 | Burlington | Ontario | City | 186,948 | 183,314 | +2.0% | 186.12 | 1,004.4 |
29 | Oshawa | Ontario | City | 175,383 | 159,458 | +10.0% | 145.72 | 1,203.6 |
30 | Sherbrooke | Quebec | Ville | 172,950 | 161,531 | +7.1% | 353.40 | 489.4 |
31 | Greater Sudbury | Ontario | City | 166,004 | 161,531 | +2.8% | 3186.26 | 52.1 |
32 | Abbotsford | British Columbia | City | 153,524 | 141,397 | +8.6% | 375.33 | 409.0 |
33 | Lévis | Quebec | Ville | 149,683 | 143,414 | +4.4% | 448.07 | 334.1 |
34 | Coquitlam | British Columbia | City | 148,625 | 139,284 | +6.7% | 122.15 | 1,216.7 |
35 | Barrie | Ontario | City | 147,829 | 141,434 | +4.5% | 99.01 | 1,493.1 |
36 | Saguenay | Quebec | Ville | 144,723 | 145,949 | −0.8% | 1124.63 | 128.7 |
37 | Kelowna | British Columbia | City | 144,576 | 127,390 | +13.5% | 211.85 | 682.4 |
38 | Guelph | Ontario | City | 143,740 | 131,794 | +9.1% | 87.43 | 1,644.1 |
39 | Trois-Rivières | Quebec | Ville | 139,163 | 134,413 | +3.5% | 288.65 | 482.1 |
40 | Whitby | Ontario | Town | 138,501 | 128,377 | +7.9% | 146.69 | 944.2 |
41 | Cambridge | Ontario | City | 138,479 | 129,920 | +6.6% | 112.99 | 1,225.6 |
42 | St. Catharines | Ontario | City | 136,803 | 133,113 | +2.8% | 96.20 | 1,422.1 |
43 | Milton | Ontario | Town | 132,979 | 110,128 | +20.7% | 363.83 | 365.5 |
44 | Langley | British Columbia | District municipality | 132,603 | 117,285 | +13.1% | 307.22 | 431.6 |
45 | Kingston | Ontario | City | 132,485 | 123,798 | +7.0% | 451.58 | 293.4 |
46 | Ajax | Ontario | Town | 126,666 | 119,677 | +5.8% | 66.64 | 1,900.8 |
47 | Waterloo | Ontario | City | 121,436 | 104,986 | +15.7% | 64.06 | 1,895.7 |
48 | Terrebonne | Quebec | Ville | 119,944 | 111,575 | +7.5% | 153.76 | 780.1 |
49 | Saanich | British Columbia | District municipality | 117,735 | 114,148 | +3.1% | 103.59 | 1,136.5 |
50 | St. John's †‡ | Newfoundland and Labrador | City | 110,525 | 108,860 | +1.5% | 446.02 | 247.8 |
51 | Thunder Bay | Ontario | City | 108,843 | 107,909 | +0.9% | 327.77 | 332.1 |
52 | Delta | British Columbia | City | 108,455 | 102,238 | +6.1% | 179.66 | 603.7 |
53 | Brantford | Ontario | City | 104,688 | 98,563 | +6.2% | 98.65 | 1,061.2 |
54 | Chatham-Kent | Ontario | Municipality | 103,988 | 101,647 | +2.3% | 2451.90 | 42.4 |
55 | Clarington | Ontario | Municipality | 101,427 | 92,013 | +10.2% | 610.84 | 166.0 |
56 | Red Deer | Alberta | City | 100,844 | 100,418 | +0.4% | 104.34 | 966.5 |
57 | Nanaimo | British Columbia | City | 99,863 | 90,504 | +10.3% | 90.45 | 1,104.1 |
58 | Strathcona County | Alberta | Specialized municipality | 99,225 | 98,024 | +1.2% | 1170.65 | 84.8 |
59 | Pickering | Ontario | City | 99,186 | 91,771 | +8.1% | 231.10 | 429.2 |
60 | Lethbridge | Alberta | City | 98,406 | 92,729 | +6.1% | 121.12 | 812.5 |
61 | Kamloops | British Columbia | City | 97,902 | 90,280 | +8.4% | 297.93 | 328.6 |
62 | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Quebec | Ville | 97,873 | 95,114 | +2.9% | 226.93 | 431.3 |
63 | Niagara Falls | Ontario | City | 94,415 | 88,071 | +7.2% | 210.25 | 449.1 |
64 | Cape Breton | Nova Scotia | Regional municipality | 93,694 | 94,285 | −0.6% | 2419.70 | 38.7 |
65 | Chilliwack | British Columbia | City | 93,203 | 83,788 | +11.2% | 261.34 | 356.6 |
66 | Victoria † | British Columbia | City | 91,867 | 85,792 | +7.1% | 19.45 | 4,723.2 |
67 | Brossard | Quebec | Ville | 91,525 | 85,721 | +6.8% | 45.19 | 2,025.3 |
68 | Maple Ridge | British Columbia | City | 90,990 | 82,256 | +10.6% | 267.82 | 339.7 |
69 | North Vancouver | British Columbia | District municipality | 88,168 | 85,649 | +2.9% | 160.66 | 548.8 |
70 | Newmarket | Ontario | Town | 87,942 | 84,224 | +4.4% | 38.50 | 2,284.2 |
71 | Repentigny | Quebec | Ville | 86,100 | 84,285 | +2.2% | 61.52 | 1,399.5 |
72 | Peterborough | Ontario | City | 83,651 | 81,032 | +3.2% | 64.76 | 1,291.7 |
73 | Saint-Jérôme | Quebec | Ville | 80,213 | 74,346 | +7.9% | 90.18 | 889.5 |
74 | Moncton ‡ | New Brunswick | City | 79,470 | 71,889 | +10.5% | 140.67 | 564.9 |
75 | Drummondville | Quebec | Ville | 79,258 | 75,423 | +5.1% | 247.11 | 320.7 |
76 | Kawartha Lakes | Ontario | City | 79,247 | 75,423 | +5.1% | 3033.66 | 26.1 |
77 | New Westminster | British Columbia | City | 78,916 | 70,996 | +11.2% | 15.62 | 5,052.2 |
78 | Prince George | British Columbia | City | 76,708 | 74,003 | +3.7% | 316.74 | 242.2 |
79 | Caledon | Ontario | Town | 76,581 | 66,502 | +15.2% | 688.82 | 111.2 |
80 | Airdrie | Alberta | City | 74,100 | 61,581 | +20.3% | 84.39 | 878.1 |
81 | Wood Buffalo | Alberta | Specialized municipality | 72,326 | 71,594 | +1.0% | 60843.88 | 1.2 |
82 | Sault Ste. Marie | Ontario | City | 72,051 | 73,368 | −1.8% | 221.99 | 324.6 |
83 | Sarnia | Ontario | City | 72,047 | 71,594 | +0.6% | 163.90 | 439.6 |
84 | Saint John | New Brunswick | City | 69,895 | 67,575 | +3.4% | 315.59 | 221.5 |
85 | Granby | Quebec | Ville | 69,025 | 66,222 | +4.2% | 152.69 | 452.1 |
86 | St. Albert | Alberta | City | 68,232 | 65,589 | +4.0% | 47.84 | 1,426.3 |
87 | Norfolk County | Ontario | City | 67,490 | 64,044 | +5.4% | 1597.68 | 42.2 |
88 | Grande Prairie | Alberta | City | 64,141 | 63,166 | +1.5% | 132.71 | 483.3 |
89 | Medicine Hat | Alberta | City | 63,271 | 63,260 | 0.0% | 111.97 | 565.1 |
90 | Fredericton † | New Brunswick | City | 63,116 | 58,721 | +7.5% | 133.93 | 471.3 |
91 | Halton Hills | Ontario | Town | 62,951 | 61,161 | +2.9% | 276.81 | 227.4 |
92 | Aurora | Ontario | Town | 62,057 | 55,445 | +11.9% | 50.00 | 1,241.1 |
93 | Port Coquitlam | British Columbia | City | 61,498 | 58,612 | +4.9% | 29.16 | 2,109.0 |
94 | Mirabel | Quebec | City | 61,108 | 50,513 | +21.0% | 484.09 | 126.2 |
95 | Blainville | Quebec | Ville | 59,819 | 56,863 | +5.2% | 54.97 | 1,088.2 |
96 | North Vancouver | British Columbia | City | 58,120 | 52,898 | +9.9% | 11.83 | 4,912.9 |
97 | Saint-Hyacinthe | Quebec | Ville | 57,239 | 55,648 | +2.9% | 188.85 | 303.1 |
98 | Welland | Ontario | City | 55,750 | 52,293 | +6.6% | 81.16 | 686.9 |
99 | Belleville | Ontario | City | 55,071 | 50,716 | +8.6% | 247.15 | 222.8 |
100 | North Bay | Ontario | City | 52,662 | 51,553 | +2.2% | 315.53 | 166.9 |
Central Canada is a Canadian region consisting of Ontario and Quebec, the largest and most populous provinces of the country. Geographically, they are not at the centre of Canada but instead overlap with Eastern Canada toward the east. Because of their large populations, Ontario and Quebec have traditionally held a significant amount of political power in Canada, leading to some amount of resentment from other regions of the country. Before Confederation, the term "Canada" specifically referred to Central Canada. Today, the term "Central Canada" is less often used than the names of the individual provinces.
The census geographic units of Canada are the census subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada to conduct the country's quinquennial census. These areas exist solely for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government of their own. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's provinces and territories; these are divided into second-level census divisions, which in turn are divided into third-level census subdivisions and fourth-level dissemination areas.
The Calgary Metropolitan Region (CMR), also commonly referred to as the Calgary Region, is a conglomeration of municipalities centred on Calgary, the largest city in Alberta.
Greater Montreal is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec and the second most populous in Canada after Greater Toronto. In 2015, Statistics Canada identified Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) as 4,258.31 square kilometres (1,644.14 sq mi) with a population of 4,027,100, almost half that of the province.
The demographics of Toronto, Ontario, Canada make Toronto one of the most multicultural and multiracial cities in the world. In 2021, 57.0 percent of the residents of the metropolitan area belonged to a visible minority group, compared with 51.4 percent in 2016, and 13.6 percent in 1981. Toronto also has established ethnic neighbourhoods such as the multiple Chinatowns, Corso Italia, Little Italy, Little India, Greektown, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Little Jamaica, Little Portugal, Little Malta, Roncesvalles (Polish), Bloor West Village (Ukrainian), which celebrate the city's multiculturalism. Data from the suburban municipalities are also included for some metrics as most of these municipalities are part of the Toronto CMA.
Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province by a large margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians, and is the second-largest province in total area. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto.
Alberta has experienced a relatively high rate of growth in recent years, due in large part to its economy. Between 2003 and 2004, the province saw high birthrates, relatively high immigration, and a high rate of interprovincial migration when compared to other provinces. Approximately 81% of the population live in urban areas and only about 19% live in rural areas. The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions. Many of Alberta's cities and towns have also experienced high rates of growth in recent history. From a population of 73,022 in 1901, Alberta has grown to 4,262,635 in 2021 and in the process has gone from less than 1.5% of Canada's population to 11.5%. It is the fourth most populated province in Canada. Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, the Alberta population grew by 4.8%.
Saskatchewan is the middle province of Canada's three Prairie provinces. It has an area of 651,900 km² (251,700 mi²) and a population of 1,132,505 (Saskatchewanians) as of 2021. Saskatchewan's population is made of 50.3% women and 49.7% men. Most of its population lives in the Southern half of the province.
Manitoba is one of Canada's 10 provinces. It is the easternmost of the three Prairie provinces.
Nova Scotia is a Canadian province located on the country's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada, and its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Geographically, Nova Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada, with an area of 52,824.71 km2 (20,395.73 sq mi). As of 2021, it has a population of 969,383 people.
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