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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census

Nunavut ¹

Map of Canada with Nunavut shaded in green

Map of Nunavut

Interactive version of map

In 2011, the enumerated population of Nunavut was 31,906 which represents a change of 8.3% from 2006. This compares to the national average of 5.9%.

The land area of Nunavut is 1,877,787.62 square kilometres with a population density of 0.0 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the national land area of 8,965,121.42 square kilometres with a population density of 3.7 persons per square kilometre.

In total, there were 8,661 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Nunavut in 2011. This represents an increase of 10.3% of the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006. For Canada as a whole, the total number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.

Population and dwelling counts

Canada, provinces and territories – Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Chart A description: Canada, provinces and territories - Population, percentage change between 2006 and 2011

Table 1 Canada, provinces and territories – Population change, 2006 to 2011
Geographic name	Population
Geographic name	2011	2006	Change	% change	% of nat. pop.
Canada †	33,476,688	31,612,897	1,863,791	5.9	100.00
Newfoundland and Labrador	514,536	505,469	9,067	1.8	1.54
Prince Edward Island	140,204	135,851	4,353	3.2	0.42
Nova Scotia	921,727	913,462	8,265	0.9	2.75
New Brunswick	751,171	729,997	21,174	2.9	2.24
Quebec †	7,903,001	7,546,131	356,870	4.7	23.61
Ontario †	12,851,821	12,160,282	691,539	5.7	38.39
Manitoba †	1,208,268	1,148,401	59,867	5.2	3.61
Saskatchewan †	1,033,381	968,157	65,224	6.7	3.09
Alberta †	3,645,257	3,290,350	354,907	10.8	10.89
British Columbia †	4,400,057	4,113,487	286,570	7.0	13.14
Yukon	33,897	30,372	3,525	11.6	0.10
Northwest Territories	41,462	41,464	-2	0.0	0.12
Nunavut	31,906	29,474	2,432	8.3	0.10

Nunavut – Census subdivisions with population greater than 5000

Table 2 Nunavut – Census subdivisions with population greater than 5000, population change, 2006 to 2011
Census subdivision (CSD) name	Type	Population
Census subdivision (CSD) name	Type	2011	2006	% change
Iqaluit	CY	6,699	6,184	8.3

Age and sex

Nunavut – Age distribution

Chart C: Nunavut - Population by broad age groups

Chart C description: Nunavut - Population by broad age groups

Table 3 Nunavut – Age distributions by broad age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups	Both sexes	Males	Females
0 to 14	32.7%	32.5%	32.8%
15 to 64	64.0%	64.0%	64.0%
65 and over	3.3%	3.4%	3.2%

In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Nunavut was 3.3%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 64.0% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 32.7%. 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.

Nunavut – Population by broad age groups and sex

Table 4 Nunavut – Population by broad age groups, sex and population change between 2006 and 2011, 2006 and 2011 censuses
Broad age groups by sex	Population
Broad age groups by sex	2011	2006	change	% change
Both sexes
Total	31,905	29,470	2,435	8.3
0 to 14	10,425	10,000	425	4.3
15 to 64	20,420	18,660	1,760	9.4
65 and over	1,060	810	250	30.9
Males
Total	16,395	15,110	1,285	8.5
0 to 14	5,335	5,080	255	5.0
15 to 64	10,490	9,595	895	9.3
65 and over	565	435	130	29.9
Females
Total	15,510	14,365	1,145	8.0
0 to 14	5,090	4,925	165	3.4
15 to 64	9,930	9,065	865	9.5
65 and over	495	370	125	33.8

Nunavut – Population by five-year age groups and sex

Chart D description: Nunavut - Population by five-year age groups and sex

Table 5 Nunavut – Population by five-year age groups and sex, 2011 Census
Age groups	Both sexes	Males	Females
Total - Age groups	31,905	16,395	15,510
0 to 4 years	3,965	2,020	1,955
5 to 9 years	3,340	1,725	1,620
10 to 14 years	3,115	1,600	1,515
15 to 19 years	3,060	1,590	1,465
20 to 24 years	2,935	1,535	1,400
25 to 29 years	2,630	1,285	1,345
30 to 34 years	2,420	1,195	1,225
35 to 39 years	1,930	1,000	930
40 to 44 years	2,095	1,080	1,010
45 to 49 years	1,815	925	890
50 to 54 years	1,500	795	705
55 to 59 years	1,140	590	555
60 to 64 years	910	500	410
65 to 69 years	470	270	200
70 to 74 years	290	155	135
75 to 79 years	185	100	85
80 to 84 years	75	25	45
85 to 89 years	25	15	15
90 to 94 years	15	5	5
95 to 99 years	0	0	0
100 years and over	0	0	0
Median age	24.1	24.0	24.2

Families and households

In 2011, the number of census families² in Nunavut was 7,780, which represents a change of 10.5% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.

In Nunavut, 39.0% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 32.7% were common-law-couples and 28.2% were lone-parent families.

Chart F description: Nunavut - Census families by family structure

Family structure

Table 6 Canada, provinces and territories – 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
Newfoundland and Labrador	159,385	114,335	71.7	20,630	12.9	24,420	15.3	2.3
Prince Edward Island	40,850	29,695	72.7	4,570	11.2	6,580	16.1	4.2
Nova Scotia	270,065	184,870	68.5	38,460	14.2	46,735	17.3	1.0
New Brunswick	224,590	152,455	67.9	35,945	16.0	36,190	16.1	3.1
Quebec †	2,203,625	1,143,370	51.9	694,750	31.5	365,515	16.6	3.9
Ontario †	3,612,205	2,612,890	72.3	394,670	10.9	604,645	16.7	5.5
Manitoba †	327,875	232,635	71.0	39,060	11.9	56,185	17.1	4.8
Saskatchewan †	285,375	202,770	71.1	35,785	12.5	46,825	16.4	6.7
Alberta †	999,525	719,355	72.0	135,660	13.6	144,510	14.5	10.5
British Columbia †	1,238,155	887,990	71.7	160,360	13.0	189,805	15.3	6.6
Yukon	9,330	5,080	54.4	2,340	25.1	1,915	20.5	11.9
Northwest Territories	10,930	5,465	50.0	3,135	28.7	2,330	21.3	0.5
Nunavut	7,780	3,035	39.0	2,545	32.7	2,195	28.2	10.5

Nunavut – Presence of children within couple families

Among couples (married and common-law) in Nunavut, 75.2% 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.

Among couples with children aged 24 and under at home in the province of Nunavut, 88.0% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 11.9% were stepfamilies, in which at least one child was the biological or adopted child of only one married spouse or common-law partner. For Canada as a whole in 2011, 12.6% of couples with children aged 24 and under at home were stepfamilies.

Chart G: Nunavut - Presence of children within couple families

Chart G description: Nunavut - Presence of children within couple families

Nunavut – Marital status

Chart H description: Nunavut - Marital status

In Nunavut, 53.4% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (29.7%) or living with a common-law partner (23.7%).

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

Nunavut – Types of private households

There were 8,660 private households³ in Nunavut in 2011, a change of 10.2% from 2006. Of these, 40.1% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of 5.2% compared with five years earlier.

Table 8 Canada, Nunavut – Distribution of households by household type, 2011 Census
Household type⁴	Nunavut		Canada
Household type⁴	number	%	number	%
Total - Private households	8,660	100.0	13,320,615	100.0
Couple-family households with children⁵	3,470	40.1	3,524,915	26.5
Couple-family households without children⁶	1,040	12.0	3,935,540	29.5
Lone-parent family households⁷	1,325	15.3	1,375,450	10.3
One-person households	1,575	18.2	3,673,310	27.6
Multiple-family households⁸	920	10.6	268,060	2.0
Other households⁹	330	3.8	543,340	4.1

Canada's territories – Size of private households

The average household size in Nunavut was 3.7 persons in 2011, compared to the Canadian average household size of 2.5 persons.

In Nunavut, the proportion of total private households with only one person has increased over time, while the proportion of larger households (five or more persons) has decreased.

Chart I: Canada's territories – Size of private households, 1961 to 2011

Chart I description: Canada's territories – Size of private households

Table 9 Canada's territories – Proportion of total private households with one person and five or more persons, 1961 to 2011 censuses
Private household size	1961	1966	1971	1976	1981	1986	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011
One person	11.9	12.6	14.6	16.0	17.9	18.4	20.0	20.6	23.5	24.2	25.0
Five or more persons	38.3	41.4	35.3	29.2	24.5	22.9	21.1	19.5	17.6	16.2	15.4

Nunavut – Structural type of dwelling

In Nunavut, 51.3% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 1.8% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.

Table 10 Canada, Nunavut – Distribution of private households by structural type of dwelling, 2011 Census
Structural type of dwelling	Nunavut		Canada
Structural type of dwelling	number	%	number	%
Total - Structural type of dwelling	8,660	100.0	13,320,615	100.0
Single-detached house	4,440	51.3	7,329,150	55.0
Semi-detached house	845	9.8	646,240	4.9
Row house	2,235	25.8	791,600	5.9
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys	155	1.8	1,234,770	9.3
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys	845	9.8	2,397,555	18.0
Apartment, duplex	130	1.5	704,485	5.3
Other single-attached house¹⁰	10	0.1	33,310	0.3
Movable dwelling¹¹	10	0.1	183,510	1.4

Language

Nunavut – Mother tongue

Chart J description: Nunavut - 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 Nunavut, 28.1% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 1.4% reported French only, and 69.5% reported only a non-official language, in 2011. In comparison, the national percentages were 56.9% for English only, 21.3% for French only and 19.8% for non-official languages only.

In 2011, 45.5% of the population spoke English only most often at home, 0.8% spoke only French, and 53.0% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the national percentages were 64.8% for English only, 20.6% for French only and 11.1% for only a non-official language.

Table 11 Nunavut – Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home, 2011 Census
Selected language	Mother tongue		Language spoken most often at home
Selected language	number	%	number	%
Total	31,765	100.0	31,765	100.0
English	8,925	28.1	14,440	45.5
French	435	1.4	250	0.8
Non-official language	22,070	69.5	16,820	53.0
Aboriginal language	21,585	68.0	16,645	52.4
Non-Aboriginal language	490	1.5	180	0.6
Multiple responses	335	1.1	255	0.8

Table 12 Nunavut – Mother-tongue retention, 2011 Census
Mother tongue	Mother-tongue retention¹² (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	98.3	93.8	4.4
French	69.7	48.3	21.3
Non-official language	94.3	73.8	20.5
Aboriginal language	95.1	74.8	20.3
Non-Aboriginal language	62.0	29.0	33.0

Nunavut – Non-official languages

In Nunavut, the three most common mother tongues were Inuktitut (67.8%), Inuinnaqtun (0.9%) and Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) (0.3%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the national level were Panjabi (Punjabi) (1.4%), Chinese, n.o.s. (1.3%) and Spanish (1.3%).

Table 13 Nunavut – 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	21,530	96.1	67.8
Inuinnaqtun	295	1.3	0.9
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)	110	0.5	0.3
German	35	0.2	0.1
Spanish	25	0.1	0.1
Inuvialuktun	20	0.1	0.1
Innu/Montagnais	20	0.1	0.1
Arabic	20	0.1	0.1
Hindi	20	0.1	0.1
Bisayan languages	20	0.1	0.1

Nunavut – Bilingualism

Table 14 Nunavut – 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	3.8	7.2	90.8	0.7
0 to 19	1.4	3.1	70.0	0.3
20 to 44	5.0	9.8	92.9	0.8
45 to 64	7.3	11.4	93.9	1.4
65 and over	3.9	16.7	100.0	0.6

Table 15 Nunavut – Knowledge of official languages, 2011 Census
Knowledge of official languages	Number	Percentage
Total	31,765	100.0
English only	27,665	87.1
French only	35	0.1
English and French	1,200	3.8
Neither English nor French	2,860	9.0

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

Nunavut – This territory 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 10% but lower than 25%.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

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 2 referrer

Footnote 3

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 3 referrer

Footnote 4

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 4 referrer

Footnote 5

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

Return to footnote 5 referrer

Footnote 6

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 6 referrer

Footnote 7

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

Return to footnote 7 referrer

Footnote 8

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 8 referrer

Footnote 9

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

Return to footnote 9 referrer

Footnote 10

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 10 referrer

Footnote 11

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

Return to footnote 11 referrer

Footnote 12

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 12 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 – Nunavut
2011 Census Highlight tables – Nunavut
2011 Census Data Navigator – Nunavut
2011 NHS Focus on Geography Series – Nunavut

Date modified:: 2019-03-26

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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census