Population: Canada

In 1608, a French explorer named Samuel de Champlain and his crew of 28 men land on the eastern shore of today’s Canada. They are some of the first Europeans to arrive in the region. Before this, Indigenous peoples — perhaps as many as two million — populated the land. Now, many indigenous people die, killed by the Europeans, or by new diseases that arrive. The indigenous population begins to drop dramatically.

Over the next two centuries, more and more French arrive, as well as British. The British and the French fight to gain control of different parts of the region. Some areas become part of the British Empire. In 1867, these areas join together to form the Dominion of Canada. This process is called Confederation.

It is the official beginning of modern-day Canada. At Confederation, Canada’s population is 3.5 million. In the early 1900s, Canada’s territory grows westward. More people arrive from abroad, mostly from Europe. The number of indigenous people increases too, as health care and living standards improve.

By 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, Canada’s population is just over 7 million. Population growth slows during the First World War, the economic crisis that follows, and the Second World War. This isn’t a good time for families to grow, or for people to move to North America. When the Second World War ends, the country turns its attention to increasing its business and trade, to expanding the economy. For this, more workers are needed so Canada accepts hundreds of thousands of immigrants from around the world.

Canada’s population again grows rapidly as more people move to the country than away. There is migratory increase. The economy does well — people find they have good jobs and plenty of money. They start to have more children — the fertility rate increases. Between 1946 and 1965, 8.2 million babies are born.

It is a baby boom. Now the population is growing, largely because the number of births each year is greater than the number of deaths. There is natural increase. By the 1966 census, Canada’s population is just over 20 million. From the late 1960s onwards, the fertility rate falls from its high peak.

The population continues to grow, but more slowly now. In 2001, the population hits a turning point: migratory increase overtakes natural increase as a source of growth. By the 2016 census, Canada’s population is 35 million. Immigration accounts for 70 percent of the population growth and natural increase just 30. Today, Canada’s population continues to grow steadily, at about one percent per year.

Experts predict that by 2031, the population will reach 40 million. But the growth is not evenly spread. The western provinces are growing faster than the others. Canada’s major cities are also seeing more rapid growth. Most of these cities are located in a small wedge of Canada that lies within 160 kilometres of the United States border.

In some cities, there are up to 4 000 people per square kilometre. The population density is very high. But overall, Canada’s population density is one of the lowest in the world: just four people per square kilometre. Canada’s population story is one of growth driven increasingly by immigration. While the population has surged since the country’s official formation, Canada’s large territory means it is still one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world.