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

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.

1871

Rank City Province Population[1] Notes
1MontrealQuebec107,225Ranked #2 in 2016.[2]
2Quebec CityQuebec59,699Ranked #11 in 2016.[2]
3TorontoOntario56,092Ranked #1 in 2016.[2]
4HalifaxNova Scotia29,582Ranked #14 in 2016 as a regional municipality.[2]
5Saint JohnNew Brunswick28,805Saint John was incorporated in 1785 to become Canada's first incorporated city.[3] Ranked #83 in 2016.[2]
6HamiltonOntario26,716Ranked #10 in 2016.[2]
7OttawaOntario21,545Ranked #4 in 2016.[2]
8LondonOntario15,826Ranked #15 in 2016.[2]
9PortlandNew Brunswick12,520Portland was a city until 1889, when it amalgamated with Saint John.[4]
10KingstonOntario12,407Ranked #43 in 2016.[2]

1881

Rank City Province Population[5]
1MontrealQuebec140,747
2TorontoOntario86,415
3Quebec CityQuebec62,446
4HalifaxNova Scotia36,054
5HamiltonOntario35,961
6OttawaOntario27,412
7Saint JohnNew Brunswick26,127
8LondonOntario19,746
9PortlandNew Brunswick15,226
10KingstonOntario14,091

1891

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]
1MontrealQuebec216,650
2TorontoOntario181,220
3Quebec CityQuebec63,090
4HamiltonOntario48,980
5OttawaOntario44,154
6Saint JohnNew Brunswick39,179
7HalifaxNova Scotia38,556
8LondonOntario31,977
9WinnipegManitoba25,642
10KingstonOntario19,264

1901

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]
1MontrealQuebec267,730
2TorontoOntario208,040
3Quebec CityQuebec68,840
4OttawaOntario59,928
5HamiltonOntario52,634
6WinnipegManitoba42,340
7HalifaxNova Scotia40,832
8Saint JohnNew Brunswick40,711
9LondonOntario37,981
10VancouverBritish Columbia26,133

1911

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]
1MontrealQuebec470,480
2TorontoOntario378,538
3WinnipegManitoba136,035
4VancouverBritish Columbia100,401
5OttawaOntario87,701
6HamiltonOntario81,969
7Quebec CityQuebec78,710
8HalifaxNova Scotia46,619
9LondonOntario46,300
10CalgaryAlberta43,704

1921

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]
1MontrealQuebec618,506
2TorontoOntario521,893
3WinnipegManitoba179,087
4VancouverBritish Columbia163,220
5HamiltonOntario114,151
6OttawaOntario107,843
7Quebec CityQuebec95,193
8CalgaryAlberta63,305
9LondonOntario60,959
10EdmontonAlberta58,821

1931

Rank City Province Population[9]
1MontrealQuebec818,517
2TorontoOntario631,207
3VancouverBritish Columbia246,593
4WinnipegManitoba218,784
5HamiltonOntario155,547
6Quebec CityQuebec130,594
7OttawaOntario126,872
8CalgaryAlberta83,761
9EdmontonAlberta79,197
10LondonOntario71,148

1941

Rank City Province Population[10]
1MontrealQuebec903,007
2TorontoOntario667,567
3VancouverBritish Columbia275,353
4WinnipegManitoba221,960
5HamiltonOntario166,337
6OttawaOntario154,951
7Quebec CityQuebec150,757
8WindsorOntario105,311
9EdmontonAlberta93,817
10CalgaryAlberta88,904

1951

Rank City Province Population[10]
1MontrealQuebec1,021,520
2TorontoOntario675,754
3VancouverBritish Columbia344,843
4WinnipegManitoba235,710
5HamiltonOntario208,321
6OttawaOntario202,045
7Quebec CityQuebec164,016
8EdmontonAlberta159,631
9CalgaryAlberta129,060
10WindsorOntario120,040

1956

Rank City Province Population[11]
1MontrealQuebec1,109,439
2TorontoOntario667,706
3VancouverBritish Columbia364,844
4WinnipegManitoba255,093
5HamiltonOntario239,625
6EdmontonAlberta226,002
7OttawaOntario222,129
8CalgaryAlberta181,780
9Quebec CityQuebec170,703
10WindsorOntario121,980

1961

Rank City Province Population[12]
1MontrealQuebec1,191,062
2TorontoOntario672,407
3VancouverBritish Columbia384,522
4EdmontonAlberta281,022
5HamiltonOntario273,991
6OttawaOntario268,206
7WinnipegManitoba265,429
8CalgaryAlberta249,632
9Quebec CityQuebec171,979
10LondonOntario169,569

1966

Rank City Province Population[13]
1MontrealQuebec1,225,255
2TorontoOntario664,584
3VancouverBritish Columbia410,375
4EdmontonAlberta376,925
5CalgaryAlberta330,575
6HamiltonOntario298,121
7OttawaOntario290,741
8WinnipegManitoba257,005
9LavalQuebec196,088
10LondonOntario194,416

1971

Rank City Province Population[14]
1MontrealQuebec1,214,351
2TorontoOntario712,786
3EdmontonAlberta438,152
4VancouverBritish Columbia426,256
5CalgaryAlberta403,319
6HamiltonOntario309,173
7OttawaOntario302,241
8WinnipegManitoba246,246
9LavalQuebec228,010
10LondonOntario223,222

1976

Rank City Province Population[15] Notes
1MontrealQuebec1,080,546
2TorontoOntario633,318
3WinnipegManitoba560,874Winnipeg's population more than doubled from 1971, in large part to amalgamation of its surrounding municipalities
4CalgaryAlberta469,917
5EdmontonAlberta461,361
6VancouverBritish Columbia410,188
7HamiltonOntario312,003
8OttawaOntario304,462
9MississaugaOntario250,017
10LavalQuebec246,243

1981

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]
1MontrealQuebec980,354
2TorontoOntario599,217
3CalgaryAlberta592,743
4WinnipegManitoba564,473
5North YorkOntario559,521
6EdmontonAlberta532,246
7VancouverBritish Columbia414,281
8MississaugaOntario315,056
9HamiltonOntario306,434
10OttawaOntario295,033

1986

Rank City Province Population[17]
1MontrealQuebec1,015,420
2CalgaryAlberta636,104
3TorontoOntario612,289
4WinnipegManitoba594,551
5EdmontonAlberta573,982
6North YorkOntario556,297
7ScarboroughOntario484,676
8VancouverBritish Columbia431,147
9MississaugaOntario374,005
10HamiltonOntario306,728

1991

Rank City Province Population[18]
1MontrealQuebec1,017,666
2CalgaryAlberta710,677
3TorontoOntario635,395
4WinnipegManitoba616,790
5EdmontonAlberta616,741
6North YorkOntario563,270
7ScarboroughOntario524,598
8VancouverBritish Columbia471,844
9MississaugaOntario463,388
10HamiltonOntario318,499

1996

Rank City Province Population[19]
1MontrealQuebec1,016,376
2CalgaryAlberta768,082
3TorontoOntario653,734
4WinnipegManitoba618,477
5EdmontonAlberta616,306
6North YorkOntario589,653
7ScarboroughOntario558,960
8MississaugaOntario544,382
9VancouverBritish Columbia514,008
10LavalQuebec330,393

2001

A wave of 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
1TorontoOntario2,481,494Toronto amalgamated with five surrounding municipalities on January 1, 1998.[21]
2MontrealQuebec1,039,534
3CalgaryAlberta879,003
4OttawaOntario774,072Ottawa amalgamated with 11 surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[21]
5EdmontonAlberta666,104
6WinnipegManitoba619,544
7MississaugaOntario612,000
8VancouverBritish Columbia545,671
9HamiltonOntario490,268Hamilton amalgamated with six surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[21]
10SurreyBritish Columbia347,825

2006

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]
1TorontoOntario2,503,281
2MontrealQuebec1,620,693
3CalgaryAlberta988,193
4OttawaOntario812,129
5EdmontonAlberta730,372
6MississaugaOntario668,549
7WinnipegManitoba633,451
8VancouverBritish Columbia578,041
9HamiltonOntario504,559
10Quebec CityQuebec491,452

2011

Rank City Province Population
1TorontoOntario2,615,060
2MontrealQuebec1,649,519
3CalgaryAlberta1,096,833
4OttawaOntario883,391
5EdmontonAlberta821,201
6MississaugaOntario713,443
7WinnipegManitoba663,617
8VancouverBritish Columbia603,502
9BramptonOntario523,911
10HamiltonOntario519,949

2016

Rank City Province Population[2]
1TorontoOntario2,731,571
2MontrealQuebec1,704,694
3CalgaryAlberta1,239,220
4OttawaOntario934,243
5EdmontonAlberta932,546
6MississaugaOntario721,599
7WinnipegManitoba705,244
8VancouverBritish Columbia631,486
9BramptonOntario593,638
10HamiltonOntario536,917

2021

Rank City Province Population[23]
1TorontoOntario2,794,356
2MontrealQuebec1,762,949
3CalgaryAlberta1,306,784
4OttawaOntario1,017,449
5EdmontonAlberta1,010,899
6WinnipegManitoba749,607
7MississaugaOntario717,961
8VancouverBritish Columbia662,248
9BramptonOntario656,480
10HamiltonOntario569,353

See also

References

  1. ↑ Census of Canada, 1880-81. Vol. I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1882.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "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. 1 2 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. 1 2 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. ↑ 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. 1 2 3 "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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