2021 Canadian census
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Statistics Canada's visual identifier for its 2021 Census of Population
General information
Country	Canada
Authority	Statistics Canada
Website	statcan.gc.ca/census
Results
Total population	36,991,981 ( 5.2%)
Most populous province/territory	Ontario (14,223,942)
Least populous province/territory	Nunavut (36,858)
Citizens (both by birth and naturalization)[1]	33.1 million
Non-citizens — permanent residents and non-permanent residents (who have a work or study permit or who have claimed refugee status)[1]	3.2 million

The2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of theCanadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021.^[2] It recorded a total national population of 36,991,981 – a 5.2% increase over the five years from 2016.^[3] The 2021 census followed the2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728, and will be succeeded byCanada's 2026 census.^[4] The overall response rate in 2021 was 98%, slightly lower than the response rate for the 2016 census.^[5]

Consultation on census program content was from September 11 to December 8, 2017.^[6] The census was conducted byStatistics Canada, and was contactless as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Canada.^[7] The agency had considered delaying the census until 2022.^[8]

About 900 supervisors and 31,000 field enumerators were hired to conduct thedoor-to-door survey of individuals and households who had not completed the census questionnaire by late May or early June.^[2] Canvassing agents wore masks and maintained a physical distance to comply with COVID-19 safety regulations.^[9]

In early May 2021, Statistics Canada began sending mailings to households throughout Canada containing instructions for completing the census questionnaire.^[10] The questionnaires could be completed by returning the paper questionnaire, or by phone or online by using an access code provided in the mailing.^[10] Statistics Canada expected about 80% of households to complete the questionnaire online.^[10] It was also available inlarge-print,braille, audio, and video formats.^[11] The questionnaire questions were available in a number of languages (Arabic,simplified andtraditional Chinese,Italian,Korean,Persian,Portuguese,Punjabi,Russian,Spanish,Urdu, andVietnamese) and indigenous languages (Atikamekw,Denesuline, Nunavik and NunavutInuktitut,Mohawk,Montagnais,Naskapi,Northern Quebec Cree,Ojibwe,Oji-Cree,Plains Cree,Swampy Cree, andTłı̨chǫ), but the questionnaire had to be completed in either English or French.^[11]

The questionnaire came in two formats: short-form and long-form. The standard, short-form questionnaire was to be completed by 75% of households;^[10] it collected data on age, languages spoken, marital status, religious affiliation and other basic data about the household. The remaining 25% of households completed a long-form questionnaire: this collected more extensive information about the household's economic and social state, information about the occupied dwelling, and other more detailed information (in addition to the basic data collected in the short-form questionnaire).^[10]

Those who completed a census questionnaire online could listen to a number of soundtracks onSpotify andYouTube prepared by Statistics Canada.^[10]

Completing the questionnaire was at the time of the 2021 census, and remains, a legal requirement. Refusal to complete a questionnaire exposes a person to a fine of up to $500.^[10] It must be completed by Canadian citizens, permanent residents, refugee claimants, and those with a study or work permit.^[12]

Data from the 2021 census was released sequentially over the course of 2022, organised by topic/theme:^[13]

• February 9, 2022, for population and dwelling counts;
• April 27, 2022, for age, sex at birth, gender, and type of dwelling;
• July 13, 2022, for families, households, and marital status, Canadian military experience, and income;
• August 17, 2022, for languages;
• September 21, 2022, for indigenous peoples, and housing;
• October 26, 2022, for immigration, place of birth, and citizenship, ethnocultural and religious diversity, and mobility and migration;
• November 30, 2022, for education, labour, language of work, commuting, and instruction in the official minority language.

Statistics Canada links income and related information obtained from theCanada Revenue Agency, and immigration status data obtained fromImmigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to the census responses.^[14]

The 2021 Canadian census included new questions "critical to measuring equity, diversity and inclusivity".^[10] For the first time, questions were asked about commuting methods, and the census asked new questions designed to better counttransgender people and people ofnon-binary gender. Canada is thus the "first country to collect and publish data on gender diversity from a national census".^[15]

The 2021 census recorded a total federal population of 36,991,981, living in 14,978,941 of Canada's total 16,284,235 dwellings. With a land area of 8,788,702.80 km² (3,393,337.12 sq mi), Canada's population density was thus4.21/km² (10.90/sq mi). Canada's most- and least-populated provinces wereOntario andPrince Edward Island, respectively. Amongst the three territories, theNorthwest Territories was the largest in terms of population, whileNunavut once again became the smallest territory after briefly overtakingYukon in 2016.^[16]

The total national population of Canada rose by 5.2 per cent since the 2016 census, which had recorded a national population of 35,151,728. Three provinces' and one territory's population grew faster than Canada's overall population increase: Prince Edward Island – an 8 per cent increase, British Columbia – a 7.6 per cent increase, and Ontario – a 5.8 per cent increase; and Yukon – a 12.1 per cent increase. The rapid growth in Yukon is largely credited to immigration and to migration from other parts of Canada.^[17] At the other end of the spectrum, only one province and one territory saw a decrease in population since 2016:Newfoundland and Labrador – a 1.8 per cent decrease, and the Northwest Territories — a 1.7 per cent decrease.^[16]

The majority of Canadians identified their sex at birth as female (50.73%), while 49.27% of the population identified their birth sex as male. The median age overall was 41.6 years – 42.8 years for females and 40.4 years for males.^[18]

The 2021 census data showed 0.33% (100,815, or approximately 1 in 300) of the Canadian population aged 15 years and older (total nearly 30.5m) identified their gender as either transgender (59,460) or as non-binary (41,355).^[15]

Province or territory	Population as of 2021 census	Population as of 2016 census	Change	Percent change
Ontario	14,223,942	13,448,494	775,448	5.8
Quebec	8,501,833	8,164,361	337,472	4.1
British Columbia	5,000,879	4,648,055	352,824	7.6
Alberta	4,262,635	4,067,175	195,460	4.8
Manitoba	1,342,153	1,278,365	63,788	5.0
Saskatchewan	1,132,505	1,098,352	34,153	3.1
Nova Scotia	969,383	923,598	45,785	5.0
New Brunswick	775,610	747,101	28,509	3.8
Newfoundland and Labrador	510,550	519,716	−9,166	−1.8
Prince Edward Island	154,331	142,907	11,424	8.0
Northwest Territories	41,070	41,786	−716	−1.7
Yukon	40,232	35,874	4,358	12.1
Nunavut	36,858	35,944	914	2.5
Canada	36,991,981	35,151,728	1,840,253	5.2

• Demographics of Canada
• Statistics Act
• 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution
• Population and housing censuses by country

• The 2021 Census atStatistics Canada
• Census of Agriculture

• 2021 censuses
• 2021 in Canada
• Censuses in Canada

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from January 2022