Population in Canada
Canada: Population was 39.30 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
39.30 million people
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
38th
of 238 countries
All-time high
39.30 million people
in 2023
All-time low
100,000 people
in 1000
Years of data
241
1000–2023
Population in Canada, 1000–2023
Source: HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Canada recorded 39.30 million people for population in 2023. That is the highest value across all 241 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Canada peaked at 39.30 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 100,000 people, in 1000.
Canada ranks 38th of 238 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 100,000 people | 100,000 people | 100,000 people | 1 |
| 1100s | 120,000 people | 120,000 people | 120,000 people | 1 |
| 1200s | 140,000 people | 140,000 people | 140,000 people | 1 |
| 1300s | 160,000 people | 160,000 people | 160,000 people | 1 |
| 1400s | 180,000 people | 180,000 people | 180,000 people | 1 |
| 1500s | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 1 |
| 1600s | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 1 |
| 1700s | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 200,000 people | 1 |
| 1710s | 227,285 people | 227,285 people | 227,285 people | 1 |
| 1720s | 264,289 people | 264,289 people | 264,289 people | 1 |
| 1730s | 308,210 people | 308,210 people | 308,210 people | 1 |
| 1740s | 360,422 people | 360,422 people | 360,422 people | 1 |
| 1750s | 422,573 people | 422,573 people | 422,573 people | 1 |
| 1760s | 496,640 people | 496,640 people | 496,640 people | 1 |
| 1770s | 584,998 people | 584,998 people | 584,998 people | 1 |
| 1780s | 690,496 people | 690,496 people | 690,496 people | 1 |
| 1790s | 816,554 people | 816,554 people | 816,554 people | 1 |
| 1800s | 559,636 people | 500,000 people | 623,296 people | 10 |
| 1810s | 715,556 people | 639,132 people | 798,664 people | 10 |
| 1820s | 966,397 people | 822,390 people | 1.13 million people | 10 |
| 1830s | 1.39 million people | 1.17 million people | 1.64 million people | 10 |
| 1840s | 2.03 million people | 1.70 million people | 2.39 million people | 10 |
| 1850s | 2.86 million people | 2.48 million people | 3.25 million people | 10 |
| 1860s | 3.53 million people | 3.32 million people | 3.71 million people | 10 |
| 1870s | 4.01 million people | 3.76 million people | 4.27 million people | 10 |
| 1880s | 4.56 million people | 4.33 million people | 4.79 million people | 10 |
| 1890s | 5.07 million people | 4.84 million people | 5.32 million people | 10 |
| 1900s | 6.08 million people | 5.41 million people | 6.84 million people | 10 |
| 1910s | 7.70 million people | 7.00 million people | 8.41 million people | 10 |
| 1920s | 9.30 million people | 8.57 million people | 10.04 million people | 10 |
| 1930s | 10.74 million people | 10.19 million people | 11.30 million people | 10 |
| 1940s | 12.40 million people | 11.45 million people | 13.45 million people | 10 |
| 1950s | 15.57 million people | 13.74 million people | 17.52 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.50 million people | 17.90 million people | 21.04 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.95 million people | 21.44 million people | 24.24 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.86 million people | 24.53 million people | 27.37 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.26 million people | 27.79 million people | 30.60 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.32 million people | 30.89 million people | 33.83 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.88 million people | 34.20 million people | 37.78 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.69 million people | 38.17 million people | 39.30 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More population data for Canada
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.3% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 269,496 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Canada?
- Population in Canada was 39.30 million people in 2023, according to HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 39.30 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 100,000 people in 1000.
- How does Canada rank for population?
- Canada ranks 38th out of 238 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); Gapminder (2022); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 241 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population by country, available from 10,000 BCE to 2023, based on data and estimates from different sources.