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List of Canadian provinces and territories by historical population

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This is a list of Canadian historical population by province and territory, drawn from the Canadian census of population data and pre-Confederation censuses of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1871, Canada has conducted regular national census counts. The data for 1851 to 1976 is drawn primarily from Historical Statistics of Canada, 2nd edition.[1] Data for 1981 through 2021 are from the respective year's respective census. Newfoundland and Labrador pre-Confederation data is from the 1945 Census of Newfoundland and Labrador, volume 1.[2] Data for 1841 and some 1851 data drawn from the 1931 Canadian census.[3] With the exception of Nunavut prior to 1996, the population figures largely reflect modern provincial boundaries; prior to 1996, the population of modern Nunavut is reported with Northwest Territories. Although the census has worked to count First Nations populations since 1871, the it is likely Indigenous Canadians are undercounted by the census.[4] Shaded blocks indicate periods before the province or territory joined the Canadian Confederation. Instances where the reported figure came from a different year's population count (primarily pre-1861 and for Newfoundland) are noted. Total Canadian population row includes the population of Newfoundland and Labrador.

1700 to 1825

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Estimates from The Canada Year Book (1867) based on various provincial census records.[5]

Name 1700 1725 1750 1775 1800 1825
 Lower Canada 14,000 29,000 54,500 96,000 225,000 450,000
Nova Scotia New Brunswick[a]         10,000 75,000
Newfoundland 500 5,000 10,000 16,000 10,000 45,759
 Nova Scotia[b] 1,300 5,000 14,000 20,000 57,000 150,000
Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island[c]   300 2,500 10,000 20,000 28,600
 Upper Canada       8,000 50,000 158,027
Total 15,800 39,300 81,000 150,000 382,000 907,386

1841 to 1931

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Name Confederated[d] 1841 1851 1861 1871[e] 1881 1891 1901 1911 1921 1931
 Alberta 1905       6,272  14,720  25,277[f] 73,022 374,295 588,454 731,605
 British Columbia 1871 62,100 55,000 51,524 36,247 49,459 98,173 178,657 392,480 524,582 694,263
 Manitoba 1870 4,704[g] 5,391[h] 6,766 25,228 62,260 152,506 255,211 461,394 610,118 700,139
 New Brunswick 1867 156,162[i] 193,800 252,047 285,594 321,233 321,263 331,120 351,889 387,876 408,219
 Newfoundland and Labrador[j] 1949 96,296[k] 101,600 124,288[l] 146,436[m] 197,335[n] 202,040[o] 220,984[p] 242,619[q] 263,033[r] 289,588[s]
 Northwest Territories 1870   5,700 6,691 48,000 56,446 62,540 20,129 6,507 8,143 9,316
 Nova Scotia 1867 202,575[t] 276,854 330,857 387,800 440,572 450,396 459,574 492,338 523,837 512,846
 Nunavut[u] 1999                    
 Ontario 1867 466,831[v] 952,004[w] 1,396,091[w] 1,620,851 1,926,922 2,114,321 2,182,947 2,527,292 2,933,662 3,431,683
 Prince Edward Island 1873 47,042 62,678[x] 80,857 94,021 108,891 109,078 103,259 93,728 88,615 88,038
 Quebec 1867 716,670[y] 890,261[z] 1,111,566[z] 1,191,516 1,359,027 1,488,535 1,648,898 2,005,776 2,360,510 2,874,662
 Saskatchewan 1905       6,924  8,804  11,150[f] 91,279 492,432 757,510 921,785
 Yukon 1898             27,219 8,512 4,157 4,230
 Canada[aa]   1,752,380 2,543,288 3,353,921 3,835,793 4,522,145 5,035,279 5,592,299 7,449,262 8,787,949 10,666,374

1941 to 1991

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Name 1941 1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991
 Alberta 796,169 939,501 1,123,116 1,331,944 1,463,203 1,627,874 1,838,037 2,213,650 2,365,825 2,545,553
 British Columbia 817,861 1,165,210 1,398,464 1,629,082 1,873,674 2,184,621 2,466,608 2,713,615 2,883,367 3,282,061
 Manitoba 729,744 776,541 850,040 921,686 963,066 988,247 1,021,506 1,013,705 1,063,016 1,091,942
 New Brunswick 457,401 515,697 554,616 597,936 616,788 634,557 677,250 689,375 709,442 723,900
 Newfoundland and Labrador[j] 316,294[ab] 361,416 415,074 457,853 493,396 522,104 557,725 563,750 568,349 568,474
 Northwest Territories 12,028 16,004 19,313 22,998 28,738 34,807 42,609 45,540 52,238 57,649
 Nova Scotia 577,962 642,584 694,717 737,007 756,039 788,960 828,571 839,805 873,176 899,942
 Nunavut[u]                    
 Ontario 3,787,655 4,597,542 5,404,933 6,236,092 6,960,870 7,703,106 8,264,465 8,534,265 9,101,694 10,084,885
 Prince Edward Island 95,047 98,429 99,285 104,629 108,535 111,641 118,229 121,225 126,646 129,765
 Quebec 3,331,882 4,055,681 4,628,378 5,259,211 5,780,845 6,027,764 6,234,445 6,369,065 6,532,461 6,895,963
 Saskatchewan 895,992 831,728 880,665 925,181 955,344 926,242 921,323 956,440 1,009,613 988,928
 Yukon 4,914 9,096 12,190 14,628 14,382 18,388 21,836 23,075 23,504 27,797
 Canada 11,828,474[aa] 14,009,429 16,080,791 18,238,247 20,014,880 21,568,311 22,992,604 24,083,510 25,309,331 27,296,859

1996 to 2021

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Name 1996 2001 2006 2011 2016 2021
 Alberta 2,696,826 2,974,807 3,290,350 3,645,257 4,067,175 4,262,635
 British Columbia 3,724,500 3,907,738 4,113,487 4,400,057 4,648,055 5,000,879
 Manitoba 1,113,898 1,119,583 1,148,401 1,208,268 1,278,365 1,342,153
 New Brunswick 738,133 729,498 729,997 751,171 747,101 775,610
 Newfoundland and Labrador[j] 551,792 512,930 505,469 514,536 519,716 510,550
 Northwest Territories 39,672 37,360 41,464 41,462 41,786 41,070
 Nova Scotia 909,282 908,007 913,462 921,727 923,598 969,383
 Nunavut 24,730 26,745 29,474 31,906 35,944 36,858
 Ontario 10,753,573 11,410,046 12,160,282 12,851,821 13,448,494 14,223,942
 Prince Edward Island 134,557 135,294 135,851 140,204 142,907 154,331
 Quebec 7,138,795 7,237,479 7,546,131 7,903,001 8,164,361 8,501,833
 Saskatchewan 990,237 978,933 968,157 1,033,381 1,098,352 1,132,505
 Yukon 30,766 28,674 30,372 33,897 35,874 40,232
 Canada 28,846,761 30,007,094 31,612,897 33,476,688 35,151,728 36,991,981

Notes

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  1. ^ Split from Nova Scotia in 1784.
  2. ^ Includes population of the Colony of Cape Breton (1784–1820)
  3. ^ Split from Nova Scotia in 1769.
  4. ^ Dates for when the province or territory entered the Canadian Confederation.
  5. ^ First national census, as required in the British North America Act of 1867.
  6. ^ a b Extracted from Northwest Territories enumeration.
  7. ^ Assiniboine and Red River, 1840
  8. ^ Assiniboine and Red River, 1849
  9. ^ 1840
  10. ^ a b c Originally Newfoundland Colony and from 1907–1949 Dominion of Newfoundland
  11. ^ 1845
  12. ^ 1857: 122,638 in Newfoundland; 1,650 in Labrador
  13. ^ 1869: 144,286 in Newfoundland; 2,150 in Labrador
  14. ^ 1884: 193,124 in Newfoundland; 4,211 in Labrador
  15. ^ 197,934 in Newfoundland; 4,106 in Labrador
  16. ^ 217,037 in Newfoundland; 3,947 in Labrador
  17. ^ 238,670 in Newfoundland; 2,949 in Labrador
  18. ^ 259,259 in Newfoundland; 3,774 in Labrador
  19. ^ 1935: 284,872 in Newfoundland; 4,716 in Labrador
  20. ^ 1838
  21. ^ a b Included in count for Northwest Territories
  22. ^ Upper Canada
  23. ^ a b Canada West
  24. ^ 1849
  25. ^ Lower Canada
  26. ^ a b Canada East
  27. ^ a b Includes population of Newfoundland and Labrador prior to confederation
  28. ^ 1945: 316,294 in Newfoundland; 5,525 in Labrador

References

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  1. ^ Basavarajappa, K.G.; Ram, Bali (1983). "Section A: Population and Migration" (PDF). Historical Statistics of Canada (2nd ed.). Ottawa, Ontario: Statistics Canada. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Census of Newfoundland and Labrador, 1945. Vol. 1. Ottawa, Ontario: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1945. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  3. ^ Seventh Census of Canada, 1931 (PDF). Vol. 1. Ottawa, Canada: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. 1931. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Guimond, Eric; Kerr, Don; Beaujot, Roderic (2003). Charting the Growth of Canada's Aboriginal Populations: Problems, Options and Implications (Technical report). PSC Discussion Papers. Vol. 17. 5. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  5. ^ "Canada Year Book (CYB) Historical Collection: Progress of Population, 1700 to 1825". www65.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. March 31, 2008. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
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