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List of largest Canadian cities by census

This is a list of the largest cities in Canada by census starting with the 1871 census of Canada, the first national census. Only communities that were incorporated as cities (defined by Statistics Canada as CY, as compared to larger census metropolitan areas (CMA) or census agglomerations (CA) around – and including – these CYs) at the time of each census are presented. Therefore, this list does not include any incorporated towns (T) that may have been larger than any incorporated cities at each census.

A collection of four maps showing the distribution of population for 1851 (Newfoundland 1857), 1871 (Newfoundland 1869), 1901 and 1921 by historical region.

1871

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Rank City Province Population[1] Notes
1 Montreal Quebec 107,225 Ranked #2 in 2024.[2]
2 Quebec City Quebec 59,699 Ranked #11 in 2016.[2]
3 Toronto Ontario 56,092 Ranked #1 in 2024.[2]
4 Halifax Nova Scotia 29,582 Ranked #14 in 2016 as a regional municipality.[2]
5 Saint John New Brunswick 28,805 Saint John was incorporated in 1785 to become Canada's first incorporated city.[3] Ranked #83 in 2016.[2]
6 Hamilton Ontario 26,716 Ranked #10 in 2016.[2]
7 Ottawa Ontario 21,545 Ranked #4 in 2016.[2]
8 London Ontario 15,826 Ranked #15 in 2016.[2]
9 Portland New Brunswick 12,520 Portland was a city until 1889, when it amalgamated with Saint John.[4]
10 Kingston Ontario 12,407 Ranked #43 in 2016.[2]

1881

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Rank City Province Population[5]
1 Montreal Quebec 140,747
2 Toronto Ontario 86,415
3 Quebec City Quebec 62,446
4 Halifax Nova Scotia 36,054
5 Hamilton Ontario 35,961
6 Ottawa Ontario 27,412
7 Saint John New Brunswick 26,127
8 London Ontario 19,746
9 Portland New Brunswick 15,226
10 Kingston Ontario 14,091

1891

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Winnipeg, Manitoba, becomes the first city in Western Canada to appear on the Top 10 list, cutting The Maritimes from three spots on the list – on both (all) of the previous censuses – to two.

Rank City Province Population[6]
1 Montreal Quebec 216,650
2 Toronto Ontario 181,220
3 Quebec City Quebec 63,090
4 Hamilton Ontario 48,980
5 Ottawa Ontario 44,154
6 Saint John New Brunswick 39,179
7 Halifax Nova Scotia 38,556
8 London Ontario 31,977
9 Winnipeg Manitoba 25,642
10 Kingston Ontario 19,264

1901

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Vancouver, British Columbia, becomes the second city in Western Canada to appear on the Top 10 list, cutting Ontario from five spots on the list – on all three previous censuses – to four.

Rank City Province Population[7]
1 Montreal Quebec 267,730
2 Toronto Ontario 208,040
3 Quebec City Quebec 68,840
4 Ottawa Ontario 59,928
5 Hamilton Ontario 52,634
6 Winnipeg Manitoba 42,340
7 Halifax Nova Scotia 40,832
8 Saint John New Brunswick 40,711
9 London Ontario 37,981
10 Vancouver British Columbia 26,133

1911

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Calgary, Alberta, becomes the third city in Western Canada to appear on the Top 10 list, cutting The Maritimes from two spots on the list – on the two most recent previous censuses – to one.

Rank City Province Population[8]
1 Montreal Quebec 470,480
2 Toronto Ontario 378,538
3 Winnipeg Manitoba 136,035
4 Vancouver British Columbia 100,401
5 Ottawa Ontario 87,701
6 Hamilton Ontario 81,969
7 Quebec City Quebec 78,710
8 Halifax Nova Scotia 46,619
9 London Ontario 46,300
10 Calgary Alberta 43,704

1921

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Edmonton, Alberta, becomes the fourth city in Western Canada to appear on the Top 10 list, removing all cities in The Maritimes from the list for the first time as of this sixth national census; The Maritimes have never again placed a city in the Top 10 list. Western Canada's four most populous cities – Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg – have remained in the Top 10 since 1921, joined briefly in 2001 (only) by Surrey, British Columbia.

Rank City Province Population[9]
1 Montreal Quebec 618,506
2 Toronto Ontario 521,893
3 Winnipeg Manitoba 179,087
4 Vancouver British Columbia 163,220
5 Hamilton Ontario 114,151
6 Ottawa Ontario 107,843
7 Quebec City Quebec 95,193
8 Calgary Alberta 63,305
9 London Ontario 60,959
10 Edmonton Alberta 58,821

1931

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Rank City Province Population[9]
1 Montreal Quebec 818,517
2 Toronto Ontario 631,207
3 Vancouver British Columbia 246,593
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 218,784
5 Hamilton Ontario 155,547
6 Quebec City Quebec 130,594
7 Ottawa Ontario 126,872
8 Calgary Alberta 83,761
9 Edmonton Alberta 79,197
10 London Ontario 71,148

1941

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Rank City Province Population[10]
1 Montreal Quebec 903,007
2 Toronto Ontario 667,567
3 Vancouver British Columbia 275,353
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 221,960
5 Hamilton Ontario 166,337
6 Ottawa Ontario 154,951
7 Quebec City Quebec 150,757
8 Windsor Ontario 105,311
9 Edmonton Alberta 93,817
10 Calgary Alberta 88,904

1951

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Rank City Province Population[10]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,021,520
2 Toronto Ontario 675,754
3 Vancouver British Columbia 344,843
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 235,710
5 Hamilton Ontario 208,321
6 Ottawa Ontario 202,045
7 Quebec City Quebec 164,016
8 Edmonton Alberta 159,631
9 Calgary Alberta 129,060
10 Windsor Ontario 120,040

1956

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Rank City Province Population[11]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,109,439
2 Toronto Ontario 667,706
3 Vancouver British Columbia 364,844
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 255,093
5 Hamilton Ontario 239,625
6 Edmonton Alberta 226,002
7 Ottawa Ontario 222,129
8 Calgary Alberta 181,780
9 Quebec City Quebec 170,703
10 Windsor Ontario 121,980

1961

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Rank City Province Population[12]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,191,062
2 Toronto Ontario 672,407
3 Vancouver British Columbia 384,522
4 Edmonton Alberta 281,022
5 Hamilton Ontario 273,991
6 Ottawa Ontario 268,206
7 Winnipeg Manitoba 265,429
8 Calgary Alberta 249,632
9 Quebec City Quebec 171,979
10 London Ontario 169,569

1966

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Rank City Province Population[13]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,225,255
2 Toronto Ontario 664,584
3 Vancouver British Columbia 410,375
4 Edmonton Alberta 376,925
5 Calgary Alberta 330,575
6 Hamilton Ontario 298,121
7 Ottawa Ontario 290,741
8 Winnipeg Manitoba 257,005
9 Laval Quebec 196,088
10 London Ontario 194,416

1971

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Rank City Province Population[14]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,214,351
2 Toronto Ontario 712,786
3 Edmonton Alberta 438,152
4 Vancouver British Columbia 426,256
5 Calgary Alberta 403,319
6 Hamilton Ontario 309,173
7 Ottawa Ontario 302,241
8 Winnipeg Manitoba 246,246
9 Laval Quebec 228,010
10 London Ontario 223,222

1976

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Rank City Province Population[15] Notes
1 Montreal Quebec 1,080,546
2 Toronto Ontario 633,318
3 Winnipeg Manitoba 560,874 Winnipeg's population more than doubled from 1971, in large part to amalgamation of its surrounding municipalities
4 Calgary Alberta 469,917
5 Edmonton Alberta 461,361
6 Vancouver British Columbia 410,188
7 Hamilton Ontario 312,003
8 Ottawa Ontario 304,462
9 Mississauga Ontario 250,017
10 Laval Quebec 246,243

1981

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After holding two spots on the Top 10 list in all 14 previous censuses, Quebec is reduced to one city on the list. It will briefly return to two positions, in 1996 (19th census) and 2006 (20th census).

Through the 1970s, while a number of Canadian cities suffered population losses, the three Canadian Prairies cities on the Top 10 list – Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg – saw significant growth: the two Alberta cities primarily through consistent net migration, with Winnipeg primarily boosted by amalgamation of its surrounding municipalities prior to the 1976 census.

Rank City Province Population[16]
1 Montreal Quebec 980,354
2 Toronto Ontario 599,217
3 Calgary Alberta 592,743
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 564,473
5 North York Ontario 559,521
6 Edmonton Alberta 532,246
7 Vancouver British Columbia 414,281
8 Mississauga Ontario 315,056
9 Hamilton Ontario 306,434
10 Ottawa Ontario 295,033

1986

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Rank City Province Population[17]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,015,420
2 Calgary Alberta 636,104
3 Toronto Ontario 612,289
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 594,551
5 Edmonton Alberta 573,982
6 North York Ontario 556,297
7 Scarborough Ontario 484,676
8 Vancouver British Columbia 431,147
9 Mississauga Ontario 374,005
10 Hamilton Ontario 306,728

1991

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Rank City Province Population[18]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,017,666
2 Calgary Alberta 710,677
3 Toronto Ontario 635,395
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 616,790
5 Edmonton Alberta 616,741
6 North York Ontario 563,270
7 Scarborough Ontario 524,598
8 Vancouver British Columbia 471,844
9 Mississauga Ontario 463,388
10 Hamilton Ontario 318,499

1996

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Rank City Province Population[19]
1 Montreal Quebec 1,016,376
2 Calgary Alberta 768,082
3 Toronto Ontario 653,734
4 Winnipeg Manitoba 618,477
5 Edmonton Alberta 616,306
6 North York Ontario 589,653
7 Scarborough Ontario 558,960
8 Mississauga Ontario 544,382
9 Vancouver British Columbia 514,008
10 Laval Quebec 330,393

2001

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Numerous amalgamations took place in Ontario during the 1990s and 2000s that affected city population figures.

A significant change is that, after holding the position of largest city in Canada on all 19 previous censuses, covering the first 129 years of the nation of Canada, Montreal drops to second place on the list, displaced by Toronto. These two cities have maintained the same top two positions on all subsequent censuses.

Rank City Province Population[20] Notes
1 Toronto Ontario 2,481,494 Toronto amalgamated with five surrounding municipalities on January 1, 1998.[21]
2 Montreal Quebec 1,039,534
3 Calgary Alberta 879,003
4 Ottawa Ontario 774,072 Ottawa amalgamated with 11 surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[21]
5 Edmonton Alberta 666,104
6 Winnipeg Manitoba 619,544
7 Mississauga Ontario 612,000
8 Vancouver British Columbia 545,671
9 Hamilton Ontario 490,268 Hamilton amalgamated with six surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[21]
10 Surrey British Columbia 347,825

2006

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A wave of amalgamations took place in Quebec since the previous census, affecting city population figures. In particular, in 2002, both Montreal and Quebec City combined with a number of smaller surrounding cities, though some later chose to leave the amalgamations.

Rank City Province Population[22]
1 Toronto Ontario 2,503,281
2 Montreal Quebec 1,620,693
3 Calgary Alberta 988,193
4 Ottawa Ontario 812,129
5 Edmonton Alberta 730,372
6 Mississauga Ontario 668,549
7 Winnipeg Manitoba 633,451
8 Vancouver British Columbia 578,041
9 Hamilton Ontario 504,559
10 Quebec City Quebec 491,452

2011

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Rank City Province Population
1 Toronto Ontario 2,615,060
2 Montreal Quebec 1,649,519
3 Calgary Alberta 1,096,833
4 Ottawa Ontario 883,391
5 Edmonton Alberta 821,201
6 Mississauga Ontario 713,443
7 Winnipeg Manitoba 663,617
8 Vancouver British Columbia 603,502
9 Brampton Ontario 523,911
10 Hamilton Ontario 519,949

2016

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Rank City Province Population[2]
1 Toronto Ontario 2,731,571
2 Montreal Quebec 1,704,694
3 Calgary Alberta 1,239,220
4 Ottawa Ontario 934,243
5 Edmonton Alberta 932,546
6 Mississauga Ontario 721,599
7 Winnipeg Manitoba 705,244
8 Vancouver British Columbia 631,486
9 Brampton Ontario 593,638
10 Hamilton Ontario 536,917

2021

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Rank City Province Population[23]
1 Toronto Ontario 2,745,000
2 Montreal Quebec 1,762,949
3 Calgary Alberta 1,306,784
4 Ottawa Ontario 1,017,449
5 Edmonton Alberta 1,010,899
6 Winnipeg Manitoba 749,607
7 Mississauga Ontario 717,961
8 Vancouver British Columbia 662,248
9 Brampton Ontario 656,480
10 Hamilton Ontario 569,353

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Census of Canada, 1880-81. Vol. I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1882.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  3. ^ "History of Saint John". City of Saint John. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "Canada's Historic Places: W. A. Chesley Residence". Parks Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "Chapter II - Population". Canada Statistical Abstract and Record 1886 (PDF). Department of Agriculture (Report). Ottawa: MacLean, Roger & Co. (as Queen's Printer). 1886. pp. 71–75. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-15. [note: each province and territory has its own table, giving Census 1871 and Census 1881 population, broken out by individual "Cities and Towns" and collective "Rural Population"]
  6. ^ Johnson, George (Statistician), ed. (June 1893). "Chapter II - Population and Vital Statistics | Section - Census of 1891 | Population of Cities and Towns in Canada of 5,000 Inhabitants and Upwards, 1881 and 1891". The Statistical Year-Book of Canada for 1892 (PDF). Department of Agriculture (Report). Ottawa: King's Printer. p. 97. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-15. [note: Do not use for 1881 data as...] The population in the 1881 column includes the same boundaries as in the 1891 column and consequently differs in these cases, where annexations have taken place since 1881, from the population as given by the Census of 1881
  7. ^ Johnson, George (Statistician), ed. (April 1903). "Census | Population of Cities and Towns of 5,000 and above". The Statistical Year-Book of Canada for 1902 (PDF). Department of Agriculture (Report). Ottawa: King's Printer. pp. 87–88. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-15. The following are the cities and towns of the Dominion of Canada having, according to the census of 1901, a population of 5,000 and upwards.
  8. ^ Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1913-07-16). "Chapter III — Production | Section 5 - Manufacturers | Table 87 – Value of Products of Manufactures, 1890, 1900 and 1910 for Cities and Towns of 10,000 persons and over". The Canada Year Book 1912 (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: King's Printer. p. 90. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-13. [note: table is ranked by the displayed population data of the cities]
  9. ^ a b Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1932). "Chapter IV — Population | Section 2 - Rural and Urban Population | Table 11 — Populations of Cities and Towns having over 5,000 Inhabitants in 1931, Compared with 1871-81-91-1901-11-31". The Canada Year Book 1932 (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. p. 103. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  10. ^ a b Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1955). "Chapter III — Population | Section 6 — Population of Incorporated Urban Centres | Table 6 — Incorporated Cities with Populations of over 30,000 at the 1951 Census and Comparable Data for 1941". The Canada Year Book 1955 (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. p. 139. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  11. ^ Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1958). "Chapter III — Population | Section 8 — Population of Incorporated Urban Centres | Table 7 — Incorporated Cities with Populations of over 30,000 at the 1956 Census and Comparable Data for 1951". Canada Year Book 1957–58 (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. p. 125. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  12. ^ Dominion Bureau of Statistics (1967). "Chapter III — Population | Section 1 - Census of Population | Subsection 4 — Populations of Incorporated Cities, Towns and Villages and of Metropolitan Areas | Table 7 — Incorporated Cities with Populations of Over 50,000 at the 1961 Census, with Comparable Data for 1951 and 1956". Canada Year Book 1967 (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Queen's Printer. p. 188. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-11-22. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  13. ^ 1966 Census of Canada - Population (Report). Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1966.
  14. ^ Canada Year Book 1972 (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1972.
  15. ^ 1976 Census of Canada - Population (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1976.
  16. ^ Canada Year Book 1988 (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1988.
  17. ^ "Table 3: Census Subdivisions in Decreasing Population Order, for Canada, 1986". Census Divisions and Subdivisions | Population (PDF) (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1987. p. 3-1. ISBN 0-660-53450-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  18. ^ Community Profiles: Census 1991 (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 1991.
  19. ^ [1] 1996 Census
  20. ^ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data". Statistics Canada. 2012-07-04. Archived from the original on 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2014-04-03. [Note: do not use updated 1996 data from this 2001 table, as it uses adjusted figures due to boundary changes in Ontario done after 1996]
  21. ^ a b c "Municipal Restructuring Activity Summary Table". Ontario: Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2015-01-24. pp. 2, 4, 5. Archived from the original on 2019-07-19. Retrieved 2023-08-10. Approval Type: Fewer Municipal Politicians Act, 1999 (all 3 - was a yet unpassed "Bill" at time of Toronto amalgamation); City of Toronto Act, 1997 (Toronto); Direct Democracy Through Municipal Referendums Act, 2000 (Hamilton and Ottawa)
  22. ^ Community Profiles: Census 2006 (Report). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. 2006.
  23. ^ "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
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