Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.

Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Census subdivision of Iqaluit, CY - Nunavut ¹

Map of Iqaluit, CY

Interactive version of map

Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Chart A description: Iqaluit, CY - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses

Terr. rank

Nat. rank

567

In 2011, Iqaluit (City) had a population of 6,699, representing a percentage change of 8.3% from 2006. This compares to the national average growth of 5.9%.

Land area is 52.50 square kilometres with a population density of 127.6 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the territorial land area of 1,877,787.62 square kilometres with a population density of 0.0 persons per square kilometre.

In 2011, Iqaluit (City) had 2,367 private dwellings occupied by usual residents. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 14.1%. For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Iqaluit (City) – Neighbouring census subdivisions

Table 1 Iqaluit (City) – Neighbouring census subdivisions, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	Population
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	2011	2006	% change
Baffin, Unorganized, Nvt.	NO	5	5	0.0

Nunavut – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth

Table 2 Nunavut – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	Population
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	2011	2006	% change
Iqaluit	CY	6,699	6,184	8.3

Nunavut – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth

Table 3 Nunavut – Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	Population
Census subdivision (CSD) name	CSD type	2011	2006	% change
Iqaluit	CY	6,699	6,184	8.3

Age and sex

Iqaluit, CY – Age distribution

Chart C: Iqaluit, CY - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Iqaluit, CY - Population by broad age groups

Table 4 Iqaluit, CY – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups	Both sexes	Males	Females
0 to 14	23.9%	23.8%	24.1%
15 to 64	73.7%	73.4%	73.9%
65 and over	2.5%	2.9%	2.0%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Iqaluit, CY was 2.5%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 73.7% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 23.9%. In comparison, the national percentages were 68.5% for the population aged 15 to 64 and 16.7% for the population aged 0 to 14.

Iqaluit, CY – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 5 Iqaluit, CY – Population by broad age groups, sex and population change between 2006 and 2011, 2006 to 2011 censuses
Broad age groups by sex	Population
Broad age groups by sex	2011	2006	change	% change
Both sexes
Total	6,700	6,180	520	8.4
0 to 14	1,600	1,560	40	2.6
15 to 64	4,935	4,500	435	9.7
65 and over	165	130	35	26.9
Males
Total	3,400	3,175	225	7.1
0 to 14	810	780	30	3.8
15 to 64	2,495	2,335	160	6.9
65 and over	100	60	40	66.7
Females
Total	3,300	3,005	295	9.8
0 to 14	795	780	15	1.9
15 to 64	2,440	2,160	280	13.0
65 and over	65	65	0	0.0

Iqaluit, CY – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Iqaluit, CY - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 6 Iqaluit, CY – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups	Both sexes	Males	Females
Total - Age groups	6,700	3,400	3,300
0 to 4 years	615	315	295
5 to 9 years	535	265	270
10 to 14 years	455	230	225
15 to 19 years	515	280	240
20 to 24 years	560	280	275
25 to 29 years	660	325	340
30 to 34 years	670	315	355
35 to 39 years	495	260	235
40 to 44 years	500	240	255
45 to 49 years	475	230	245
50 to 54 years	475	265	210
55 to 59 years	355	170	180
60 to 64 years	235	130	105
65 to 69 years	80	55	25
70 to 74 years	40	25	15
75 to 79 years	20	15	15
80 to 84 years	15	0	10
85 years and over	5	5	0
Median age	30.1	30.2	30.0

Iqaluit, CY – Median age² of the population

Chart E: Canada, Nunavut and Iqaluit, CY - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

Chart E description: Canada, Nunavut and Iqaluit, CY - Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses

In 2011, the median age in Iqaluit, CY was 30.1 years. In comparison, the median age of Nunavut was 24.1 years.

Table 7 Canada, Nunavut and Iqaluit, CY – Median age, 2006 and 2011 censuses
	Median age
	2006	2011
Canada	39.5	40.6
Nunavut	23.1	24.1
Iqaluit, CY	28.8	30.1

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families³ in Iqaluit was 1,720, which represents a change of 12.1% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.

In Iqaluit, 40.1% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 36.0% were common-law-couples and 23.3% were lone-parent families.

Chart F: Iqaluit - Census families by family structure

Chart F description: Iqaluit - Census families by family structure

Iqaluit – Family structure

Table 8 Canada, Nunavut, CSD of Iqaluit, CY and neighbouring census subdivisions – Distribution of census families by family structure, 2011 Census
Geographic name	Total families	Married-couple families		Common-law-couple families		Lone-parent families		% change, census families, 2006 to 2011
Geographic name	Total families	number	%	number	%	number	%	% change, census families, 2006 to 2011
Canada †	9,389,695	6,293,950	67.0	1,567,905	16.7	1,527,840	16.3	5.5
Nunavut	7,780	3,035	39.0	2,545	32.7	2,195	28.2	10.5
Iqaluit, CY	1,720	690	40.1	620	36.0	400	23.3	12.1

Iqaluit – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in the census subdivision of Iqaluit, 61.6% were couples with children aged 24 and under at home. In comparison, as a whole, 46.9% of couples in Canada had children aged 24 and under at home.

Presence of children within couple families
* Children aged 24 and under at home
Married couples with children *	405
Married couples without children *	290
Common-law-couples with children *	410
Common-law-couples without children *	215

Iqaluit – Marital status

Chart H description: Iqaluit - Marital status

In Iqaluit, 53.3% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (28.8%) or living with a common-law partner (24.4%).

The remaining 46.7% were not married and not living with a common-law partner, including those who were single (never-married), separated, divorced or widowed.

Note: Percentages may not total 100 percent due to random rounding.

Table 9 Canada, Nunavut, Iqaluit, CY – Population 15 years and older by marital status, 2011 Census
Marital status	Iqaluit, CY		Nunavut		Canada
Marital status	number	%	number	%	number	%
Total - Population 15 years and over	5,100	100.0	21,480	100.0	27,869,345	100.0
Married or living with a common-law partner	2,720	53.3	11,480	53.4	16,084,490	57.7
Married (and not separated)	1,470	28.8	6,385	29.7	12,941,965	46.4
Living common-law	1,245	24.4	5,095	23.7	3,142,525	11.3
Not married and not living with a common-law partner	2,380	46.7	10,000	46.6	11,784,855	42.3
Single (never legally married)	1,995	39.1	8,645	40.2	7,816,045	28.0
Separated	100	2.0	350	1.6	698,245	2.5
Divorced	205	4.0	405	1.9	1,686,035	6.0
Widowed	85	1.7	600	2.8	1,584,525	5.7

Iqaluit – Types of private households

There were 2,370 private households⁴ in Iqaluit in 2011, a change of 14.5% from 2006. Of these, 31.6% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of 6.4% compared with five years earlier.

Table 10 Canada, Nunavut, Iqaluit, CY – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type⁵	Iqaluit, CY		Nunavut		Canada
Household type⁵	number	%	number	%	number	%
Total private households	2,370	100.0	8,660	100.0	13,320,615	100.0
Couple-family households with children aged 24 and under at home⁶	750	31.6	3,470	40.1	3,524,915	26.5
Couple-family households without children aged 24 and under at home⁷	450	19.0	1,040	12.0	3,935,540	29.5
Lone-parent family households⁸	305	12.9	1,325	15.3	1,375,450	10.3
One-person households	620	26.2	1,575	18.2	3,673,310	27.6
Multiple family households⁹	105	4.4	920	10.6	268,060	2.0
Other households¹⁰	140	5.9	330	3.8	543,340	4.1

Iqaluit – Structural type of dwelling

In Iqaluit, 28.5% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 6.3% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 11 Canada, Nunavut, Iqaluit, CY – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling	Iqaluit, CY		Nunavut		Canada
Structural type of dwelling	number	%	number	%	number	%
Total - Structural type of dwelling	2,365	100.0	8,660	100.0	13,320,615	100.0
Single-detached house	675	28.5	4,440	51.3	7,329,150	55.0
Semi-detached house	195	8.2	845	9.8	646,240	4.9
Row house	585	24.7	2,235	25.8	791,600	5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys	150	6.3	155	1.8	1,234,770	9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys	740	31.3	845	9.8	2,397,555	18.0
Apartment, duplex	15	0.6	130	1.5	704,485	5.3
Other single-attached house¹¹	5	0.2	10	0.1	33,310	0.3
Movable dwelling¹²	0	0.0	10	0.1	183,510	1.4

Language

Iqaluit, CY – Mother tongue

Chart J description: Iqaluit, CY - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home

Note: Counts for mother tongue as well as those for language spoken most often at home include single responses only.

In Iqaluit, 44.0% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 4.8% reported French only, and 49.8% reported a non-official language only, in 2011. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 28.1% for English only, 1.4% for French only and 69.5% for only non-official languages.

In 2011, 67.0% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 2.9% spoke only French and 29.3% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 45.5% for only English, 0.8% for only French and 53.0% for only a non-official language.

Table 12 Iqaluit, CY – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected languages	Mother tongue		Language spoken most often at home
Selected languages	number	%	number	%
Total	6,620	100.0	6,620	100.0
English	2,915	44.0	4,435	67.0
French	315	4.8	195	2.9
Non-official language	3,300	49.8	1,940	29.3
Multiple responses	90	1.4	50	0.8

Table 13 Iqaluit, CY – Mother-tongue retention, 2011 Census
Mother tongue	Mother-tongue retention¹³ (in percentage)
Mother tongue	Total retention; language spoken at home at least on a regular basis	Complete retention; language spoken most often at home	Partial retention; language spoken at home on a regular basis
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
English	99.0	96.2	2.8
French	75.4	53.8	21.5
Non-official language	89.8	55.2	34.6

Iqaluit, CY – Non-official languages

In Iqaluit, the three most common mother tongues were Inuktitut (46.6%), Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) (0.8%) and German (0.3%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the provincial / territorial level were Inuktitut (67.8%), Inuinnaqtun (0.9%) and Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) (0.3%).

Table 14 Iqaluit, CY – The most common non-official-language mother tongues, 2011 Census
Mother tongue	Number	Percentage of non-official language mother-tongue population	Percentage of total population
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French.
Inuktitut	3,085	91.1	46.6
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)	50	1.5	0.8
German	20	0.6	0.3
Arabic	15	0.4	0.2
Hindi	15	0.4	0.2
Spanish	15	0.4	0.2

Iqaluit, CY – Bilingualism

Table 15 Iqaluit, CY – Rate of English-French bilingualism by mother tongue and age groups, 2011 Census
Age groups	Mother tongue
Age groups	Total	English	French	Non-official language
Note: Counts for mother tongue include single responses only. Consequently, the total excludes multiple responses.
Total	12.8	15.1	92.1	3.2
0 to 19	7.8	11.0	77.8	1.8
20 to 44	13.9	17.3	93.1	3.2
45 to 64	17.6	16.9	95.8	4.4
65 and over	9.7	11.1	100.0	5.0

Table 16 Iqaluit, CY – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages	Number	Percentage
Total	6,615	100.0
English only	5,625	85.0
French only	20	0.3
English and French	840	12.7
Neither English nor French	130	2.0

Symbols:

···: not applicable
†: excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements. For further information, refer to Notes.
¶: incompletely enumerated Indian reserve or Indian settlement. For further information, refer to Notes.
A: adjusted figure due to boundary change. For further information, refer to Content considerations.
E: use with caution. For further information, refer to Cautionary note.

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Iqaluit CY (Nunavut) – This census subdivision has the following data quality indicators (commonly referred to as data quality flags):

Data quality index showing a global non response rate higher than or equal to 5% but lower than 10%.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

Median age: Age 'x' that divides a population in two groups of the same population size, one group being older than age 'x' and the other group being younger than age 'x'.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Footnote 3

Census family: Refers to a married couple (with or without children), a common-law couple (with or without children) or a lone parent family.

Return to footnote 3 referrer

Footnote 4

Household, private: Refers to a person or a group of persons (other than foreign residents) who occupy a private dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada.

Return to footnote 4 referrer

Footnote 5

Household type: Refers to the basic division of private households into family and non-family households. Family household refers to a household that contains at least one census family, that is, a married couple with or without children, or a couple living in common-law with or without children or a lone parent living with one or more children.

Return to footnote 5 referrer

Footnote 6

Couple-family households with children: Refers to couple households with at least one child aged 24 and under.

Return to footnote 6 referrer

Footnote 7

Couple-family households without children: Refers to couple households without children aged 24 and under. Includes couple households with all children aged 25 and over.

Return to footnote 7 referrer

Footnote 8

Lone-parent-family households: Refers to all lone-parent family households regardless of age of children.

Return to footnote 8 referrer

Footnote 9

Multiple-family households: Refers to a household in which two or more census families (with or without additional persons) occupy the same private dwelling.

Return to footnote 9 referrer

Footnote 10

Other households: Refers to two or more people who share a private dwelling, but who do not constitute a census family.

Return to footnote 10 referrer

Footnote 11

Other single-attached house: A single dwelling that is attached to another building and that does not fall into any of the other categories, such as a single dwelling attached to a non-residential structure (e.g., a store or a church) or occasionally to another residential structure (e.g., an apartment building).

Return to footnote 11 referrer

Footnote 12

Movable dwelling includes mobile homes and other movable dwellings such as houseboats and railroad cars.

Return to footnote 12 referrer

Footnote 13

Mother-tongue retention: Retention refers to the situation where people speak their mother tongue at home. Retention is defined as 'complete' when the mother tongue is the language spoken most often and 'partial' when it is spoken on a regular basis but not most often. The (complete or partial) retention rate refers to the proportion of the population with a given mother tongue that speaks that language at home most often or on a regular basis. The retention rate provides an indication of a group's linguistic vitality, particularly the importance of transmitting languages between generations.

Return to footnote 13 referrer

Source:

Statistics Canada. 2012. Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-310-XWE2011004. Ottawa, Ontario. Analytical products, 2011 Census. Last updated October 24, 2012.

Related data:

2011 Census Topic-based tabulations – Census subdivision of Iqaluit, City - Nunavut
2011 Census Highlight tables – Census subdivision of Iqaluit, City - Nunavut
2011 Census Data Navigator – Census subdivision of Iqaluit, City - Nunavut
2011 NHS Focus on Geography Series – Census subdivision of Iqaluit, City - Nunavut

Date modified:: 2019-03-27

Language selection

Search and menus

Search

Archived Content

Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census