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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• History portal
• Canada portal

• Census in Canada
• List of the largest cities and towns in Canada by area
• List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population
• List of the largest population centres in Canada
• Population of Canada by province and territory
• Population of Canada by year

References

1. Census of Canada, 1880-81. Vol. I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1882.
2. "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. 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. 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. "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.