Canada’s fastest growing and decreasing municipalities from 2016 to 2021
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Highlights
Municipalities with at least 5,000 inhabitants
- The municipality of Toronto, the largest in the country, had a population of almost 2.8 million people, while Montréal (1.8 million), Calgary (1.3 million), Edmonton (1 million) and Ottawa (1 million) completed the list of Canada's municipalities home to more than 1 million people.
- Canada continues to urbanize. With population growth rates reaching up to 10.6%, 18 of the 25 largest municipalities grew at a faster pace than Canada overall (5.2%) from 2016 to 2021, further indicating that the country is becoming more urban.
- Topping the list of the fastest-growing municipalities with at least 5,000 inhabitants in Canada was East Gwillimbury (+44.4%), a municipality on the outskirts of the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), evidence of the ongoing urban spread in the Toronto area.
- From 2016 to 2021, the population declined in 121 of the 737 Canadian municipalities with at least 5,000 inhabitants, or about 1 in 6 (16%). A fewer share of municipalities had population declines from 2016 to 2021 compared with 2011 to 2016 (18% of the total).
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Introduction
The population size and growth rate of municipalities are key indicators to help municipal policy makers and administrators plan the direct services and infrastructure their population needs, such as emergency services, schools, hospitals, roads, social services and parks. One of the strengths of the Census of Population is that it provides reliable data on these topics at the community level.
This document highlights the municipalities in Canada that grew the fastest between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, as well as the municipalities whose population decreased the most. The document is part of the first release of 2021 Census data. Over the coming months, many other releases will continue to provide detailed information on Canadian communities, including the socio-demographic and ethnocultural fabrics of their populations.
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Did you know?
Municipalities are also called census subdivisions.
For trends at the national, provincial and territorial, and regional (census metropolitan area and census agglomeration) levels, readers are encouraged to consult the Daily articles entitled “Canada tops G7 growth despite COVID” and “Canada’s large urban centres continue to grow and spread”.
For detailed data tables of population size and growth for all municipalities in Canada, as well as at other geographical levels, readers are encouraged to consult Population and Dwelling Count Highlight Tables.
Readers can also consult two sets of detailed thematic maps showing population growth rates from 2016 to 2021: the first set shows the growth of municipalities located in each province and territory, and the second set shows the growth in the 41 largest urban centres (also called census metropolitan areas), by neighbourhoods (also called census tracts).
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The fastest growing municipalities are inside or close to urban areas
Topping the list of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada was East Gwillimbury (+44.4%), a municipality on the outskirts of the Toronto CMA, evidence of the ongoing urban spread in the Toronto area.
Three other suburban municipalities surrounding Toronto also had among the 25 highest growth rates in the country: New Tecumseth (+28.3%), Bradford West Gwillimbury (+21.4%) and Milton (+20.7%). These growth rates were over four times that of the Toronto CMA as a whole (+4.6%).
In addition to East Gwillimbury and New Tecumseth, the population of five other suburban municipalities on the outskirts of large urban centres were also among the 10 fastest growing: Langford (+31.8%) in the Victoria CMA, Saint-Apollinaire (+30.4%) in the Québec CMA, Niverville (+29.0%) and West St. Paul (+24.5%) in the Winnipeg CMA, as well as Thorold (+26.7%) in the St. Catharines–Niagara CMA.
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Did you know? Urban spread continues
In 2021, urban spread continued in Canada’s urban centres as the population growth of many suburban cities outpaced the growth occurring elsewhere.
From 2016 to 2021, most of the 25 municipalitiesNote 1 with the highest population growth were located within large and small urban centres, or close to them.
Large urban areas have a population of at least 100,000 inhabitants, and often comprise many municipalities. For example, the CMA of Toronto in Ontario includes many municipalities in addition to the city of Toronto, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill.
Smaller urban centres have a population of at least 10,000 inhabitants, and can also comprise a few municipalities. For example, the CA of Granby in Quebec includes the municipalities of Granby, Bromont, Roxton Pond, Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby and Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford.
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| Rank | Municipality | Province | CMA/CA in which the municipality is located or type of municipalityTable 1 Note 1 | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
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| number | percent | |||||
| 1 | East Gwillimbury | Ontario | CMA of Toronto | 23,991 | 34,637 | 44.4 |
| 2 | The Blue Mountains | Ontario | Close to a CMA or CA | 7,025 | 9,390 | 33.7 |
| 3 | Langford | British Columbia | CMA of Victoria | 35,342 | 46,584 | 31.8 |
| 4 | Saint-Apollinaire | Quebec | CMA of Québec | 6,110 | 7,968 | 30.4 |
| 5 | Niverville | Manitoba | CMA of Winnipeg | 4,610 | 5,947 | 29.0 |
| 6 | Southern Gulf Islands | British Columbia | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 4,732 | 6,101 | 28.9 |
| 7 | New Tecumseth | Ontario | CMA of Toronto | 34,242 | 43,948 | 28.3 |
| 8 | Thorold | Ontario | CMA of St. Catharines - Niagara | 18,801 | 23,816 | 26.7 |
| 9 | Bromont | Quebec | CA of Granby | 9,041 | 11,357 | 25.6 |
| 10 | West St. Paul | Manitoba | CMA of Winnipeg | 5,368 | 6,682 | 24.5 |
| 11 | Cochrane | Alberta | CMA of Calgary | 25,853 | 32,199 | 24.5 |
| 12 | Carignan | Quebec | CMA of Montréal | 9,462 | 11,740 | 24.1 |
| 13 | Neepawa | Manitoba | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 4,609 | 5,685 | 23.3 |
| 14 | Cornwall | Prince Edward Island | CA of Charlottetown | 5,348 | 6,574 | 22.9 |
| 15 | Seguin | Ontario | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 4,304 | 5,280 | 22.7 |
| 16 | Lake Country | British Columbia | CMA of Kelowna | 12,922 | 15,817 | 22.4 |
| 17 | Squamish | British Columbia | CA of Squamish | 19,497 | 23,819 | 22.2 |
| 18 | Bradford West Gwillimbury | Ontario | CMA of Toronto | 35,325 | 42,880 | 21.4 |
| 19 | Saint-Zotique | Quebec | CMA of Montréal | 7,934 | 9,618 | 21.2 |
| 20 | Mirabel | Quebec | CMA of Montréal | 50,513 | 61,108 | 21.0 |
| 21 | Lucan Biddulph | Ontario | Close to a CMA or CA | 4,700 | 5,680 | 20.9 |
| 22 | Milton | Ontario | CMA of Toronto | 110,128 | 132,979 | 20.7 |
| 23 | Wolfville | Nova Scotia | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 4,195 | 5,057 | 20.5 |
| 24 | Wasaga Beach | Ontario | CA of Wasaga Beach | 20,675 | 24,862 | 20.3 |
| 25 | Airdrie | Alberta | CMA of Calgary | 61,581 | 74,100 | 20.3 |
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The Blue Mountains (+33.7%) in Ontario, Southern Gulf Islands (+28.9%) in British Columbia and Bromont (+25.6%) in Quebec rounded out the list of the 10 fastest growing municipalities. These tourist municipalities or resort cities are not necessarily located in a large urban centre, but often nearby. They are popular vacation and leisure sites located close to ski hills and also offer activities during the summer such as mountain biking or water parks, or navigable bodies of water. Their outdoor facilities and their optimal location may have attracted new residents – young retirees or those able to work from home given the COVID-19 pandemic – in search of greater proximity to nature and outdoor activities. Some people already having a second residence there may also have chosen to make it their primary home since the start of the pandemic.
On another note, the overall faster population growth from 2016 to 2021 of peripheral municipalities (+6.9%) compared with central municipalities (+5.5%) located at the core of CMAs further demonstrates urban spread (Table 2).
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Did you know? Distinguishing central and peripheral municipalities is useful to assess urban spread
A central municipality is defined as the municipality that lends its name to the corresponding CMA or CA. All other municipalities within a CMA or CA, except the central municipality, are called peripheral municipalities.
For example, Toronto is the central municipality of the Toronto CMA. Other municipalities located within the Toronto CMA, such as Mississauga and Brampton, are peripheral municipalities.
Using data from the census of population and distinguishing between central and peripheral municipalities is useful for assessing some phenomena such as urban spread.
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| Region | Municipalities | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
||
| number | percent | |||
| Central municipalities | 47 | 15,155,187 | 15,985,225 | 5.5 |
| Peripheral municipalities | 532 | 10,563,313 | 11,295,894 | 6.9 |
| Total | 579 | 25,718,500 | 27,281,119 | 6.1 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population. | ||||
Strong population growth in suburban municipalities located close to or in urban areas is frequently fuelled by an influx of young adults leaving the core of large urban areas to live on their own and often to start a family. Peripheral municipalities located close to central municipalities, such as Mississauga in the Toronto CMA and Laval in the Montréal CMA usually gain migrants from the central municipality, but at the same time, they also lose migrants to more distant suburbs, such as Milton and Mirabel, also in the Toronto and Montréal CMAs. Ultimately, the rapid growth of more distant suburbs is the result of multiple nested migration patterns occurring as people relocate from the centre of large urban centres to the periphery.
As well, other Canadians may be drawn to more distant suburbs by lower housing prices, greater availability of residential developments or a desire to live closer to nature. With the increased ability to telework and the less frequent need to commute since the onset of the pandemic, some may have chosen to relocate to more distant suburbs where housing can provide more space for less cost than in central municipalitiesNote 2 .
Furthermore, several municipalities that experienced a decrease in their population from 2011 to 2016 saw their population grow slightly or remain relatively stable from 2016 to 2021, particularly in the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario.
These include, for example, the municipalities of New Glasgow, Nova Scotia (+4.4% from 2016 to 2021 versus -5.1% from 2011 to 2016); Mont-Joli, Quebec (+1.6% versus -5.8%); and Elliot Lake, Ontario (+5.9% versus -5.3%). These reversals were often driven by more people relocating to these municipalities from within their province or from elsewhere in the country.
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The COVID-19 pandemic and population growth of municipalities
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of Canadians in many ways. Population dynamics of municipalities were also affected, either by guidelines and rules issued during the pandemic, or by personal choices made by Canadians.
For example, full-time remote work has created opportunities for many Canadians to live in more distant suburbs or rural areas that would not have been deemed a viable option before the onset of the pandemic.
Between censuses, annual data from the Demographic Estimates Program of Statistics Canada are very useful to monitor emerging population trends. Findings show that the pandemic has not reversed or drastically reshaped municipal population growth trends in most cases.
However, some trends that developed before the pandemic have accelerated, including higher population growth in more distant suburbs of urban areas as well as in many municipalities in the Maritimes. Memramcook and Burton in New Brunswick, as well as Argyle, Annapolis, Subd. A , and Pictou, Subd. B in Nova Scotia are a few examples of municipalities within the Maritimes that had annual population growth rates in 2020/2021 of at least three times larger than their average growth rates from 2016 to 2021. Likewise, municipalities located just outside urban centres in Ontario and Quebec saw similar accelerations specific to 2020/2021 in their growth rate, such as Scugog in Ontario and Lac Brome in Quebec.
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High population growth also seen among Canada’s largest municipalities
As of 2021, there were 27 municipalities in Canada, all located within the country’s large urban centres, with more than 200,000 inhabitants and the top 25 are shown in Table 3. Together, these 25 municipalities have a combined population of over 16 million people, representing 44.1% of the total population living in Canada.
With growth rates reaching up to 10.6%, 18 of the 25 largest municipalities grew at a faster pace than the country as a whole (+5.2%) from 2016 to 2021, further indicating that Canada is becoming more urban. However, Canada’s two largest municipalities –Toronto (+2.3%) and Montréal (+3.4%) – grew at a slower pace than Canada overall.
Brampton (+10.6%), within the Toronto CMA, had the highest growth among these 25 fastest-growing municipalities, illustrative of the trend of the population in peripheral municipalities increasing faster than central municipalities.
Ottawa and Edmonton top the 1 million mark
The municipality of Toronto (+2.3%), the largest in the country, had a population of almost 2.8 million people, while Montréal (+3.4%), Calgary (+5.5%), Edmonton (+8.3%) and Ottawa (+8.9%) topped 1 million. Edmonton and Ottawa surpassed the 1 million mark between the 2016 and the 2021 censuses.
| Rank | Municipality | Province | Census metropolitan area in which the municipality is located |
Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
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| number | percent | |||||
| 1 | Toronto | Ontario | Toronto | 2,731,571 | 2,794,356 | 2.3 |
| 2 | Montréal | Quebec | Montréal | 1,704,694 | 1,762,949 | 3.4 |
| 3 | Calgary | Alberta | Calgary | 1,239,220 | 1,306,784 | 5.5 |
| 4 | Ottawa | Ontario | Ottawa–Gatineau | 934,243 | 1,017,449 | 8.9 |
| 5 | Edmonton | Alberta | Edmonton | 933,088 | 1,010,899 | 8.3 |
| 6 | Winnipeg | Manitoba | Winnipeg | 705,244 | 749,607 | 6.3 |
| 7 | Mississauga | Ontario | Toronto | 721,599 | 717,961 | -0.5 |
| 8 | Vancouver | British Columbia | Vancouver | 631,486 | 662,248 | 4.9 |
| 9 | Brampton | Ontario | Toronto | 593,638 | 656,480 | 10.6 |
| 10 | Hamilton | Ontario | Hamilton | 536,917 | 569,353 | 6.0 |
| 11 | Surrey | British Columbia | Vancouver | 517,887 | 568,322 | 9.7 |
| 12 | Québec | Quebec | Québec | 531,902 | 549,459 | 3.3 |
| 13 | Halifax | Nova Scotia | Halifax | 403,131 | 439,819 | 9.1 |
| 14 | Laval | Quebec | Montréal | 422,993 | 438,366 | 3.6 |
| 15 | London | Ontario | London | 383,822 | 422,324 | 10.0 |
| 16 | Markham | Ontario | Toronto | 328,966 | 338,503 | 2.9 |
| 17 | Vaughan | Ontario | Toronto | 306,233 | 323,103 | 5.5 |
| 18 | Gatineau | Quebec | Ottawa–Gatineau | 276,245 | 291,041 | 5.4 |
| 19 | Saskatoon | Saskatchewan | Saskatoon | 247,201 | 266,141 | 7.7 |
| 20 | Kitchener | Ontario | Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo | 233,222 | 256,885 | 10.1 |
| 21 | Longueuil | Quebec | Montréal | 239,897 | 254,483 | 6.1 |
| 22 | Burnaby | British Columbia | Vancouver | 232,755 | 249,125 | 7.0 |
| 23 | Windsor | Ontario | Windsor | 217,188 | 229,660 | 5.7 |
| 24 | Regina | Saskatchewan | Regina | 215,106 | 226,404 | 5.3 |
| 25 | Oakville | Ontario | Toronto | 193,832 | 213,759 | 10.3 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population. | ||||||
Municipalities with a population decrease often located far from large urban centres, with many in Alberta
From 2016 to 2021, the population declined in 121 of the 737 Canadian municipalities with at least 5,000 inhabitants, or about 1 in 6 (16%).
Population decreased in fewer municipalities in this five-year period compared with 2011 to 2016 (18% of the total). This is consistent with the acceleration of population growth nationally from 2016 to 2021.
| Rank | Municipality | Province or territory | CMA/CA in which the municipality is located or type of municipalityTable 4 Note 1 | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
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| number | percent | |||||
| 1 | Athabasca County | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,869 | 6,959 | -11.6 |
| 2 | Peace River C | British Columbia | CA of Fort St. John | 6,667 | 5,947 | -10.8 |
| 3 | Lac la Biche County | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 8,330 | 7,673 | -7.9 |
| 4 | Brazeau County | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,771 | 7,179 | -7.6 |
| 5 | Barrhead County No. 11 | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 6,288 | 5,877 | -6.5 |
| 6 | Greenview No. 16 | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 9,154 | 8,584 | -6.2 |
| 7 | Estevan | Saskatchewan | CA of Estevan | 11,483 | 10,851 | -5.5 |
| 8 | Vermilion River County | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 8,453 | 7,994 | -5.4 |
| 9 | Yellowhead County | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 10,995 | 10,426 | -5.2 |
| 10 | Sainte-Anne-des-Monts | Quebec | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 6,437 | 6,121 | -4.9 |
| 11 | Colchester, Subd. C | Nova Scotia | CA of Truro | 13,098 | 12,476 | -4.7 |
| 12 | Dryden | Ontario | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,749 | 7,388 | -4.7 |
| 13 | Thompson | Manitoba | CA of Thompson | 13,678 | 13,035 | -4.7 |
| 14 | Peace River B | British Columbia | Close to a CMA or CA | 5,628 | 5,379 | -4.4 |
| 15 | Stettler | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 5,952 | 5,695 | -4.3 |
| 16 | Clare | Nova Scotia | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 8,018 | 7,678 | -4.2 |
| 17 | Port-Cartier | Quebec | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 6,799 | 6,516 | -4.2 |
| 18 | Bayham | Ontario | Close to a CMA or CA | 7,396 | 7,096 | -4.1 |
| 19 | Iqaluit | Nunavut | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,740 | 7,429 | -4.0 |
| 20 | Baie-Comeau | Quebec | CA of Baie-Comeau | 21,536 | 20,687 | -3.9 |
| 21 | Didsbury | Alberta | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 5,268 | 5,070 | -3.8 |
| 22 | Kirkland | Quebec | CMA of Montréal | 20,151 | 19,413 | -3.7 |
| 23 | Chibougamau | Quebec | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,504 | 7,233 | -3.6 |
| 24 | Dolbeau-Mistassini | Quebec | CA of Dolbeau-Mistassini | 14,212 | 13,718 | -3.5 |
| 25 | Fort Frances | Ontario | Farther away from a CMA or CA | 7,739 | 7,466 | -3.5 |
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In contrast to the municipalities with the most sustained growth rates, those with the highest rates of population decline were more often located outside of CMAs or CAs, including several in remote areas.
Over half of the 25 municipalities with the largest population declines from 2016 to 2021 were in Western Canada (13 of 25), particularly Alberta (9 of 25). This reflects the lower population growth in Alberta from 2016 to 2021 compared with previous census cycles. Recent economic conditions help explain why several Alberta municipalities had among the highest population declines nationally. In particular, lower oil prices and higher unemploymentNote 3 in the province from 2016 to 2021 preceded the slowdown of population growth. From 2011 to 2016, only 2 municipalities in Alberta were among the 25 municipalities with the greatest declines, compared with 21 in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.
The social and economic vitality of the most remote municipalities frequently depends on specific industries, often oriented towards natural resources. Consequently, population growth in such areas is closely linked to structural changes affecting those industries, such as price changes or shifts in the supply and demand for primary goods. As a result, remote municipalities tend to have older populations and to post low or negative growth. This situation is linked to the fact that they frequently record more deaths than births, they welcome few immigrants and are often characterized by out-migration of young adults to elsewhere in the country.
Municipalities with the highest rates of population growth or rates of population decline, by province and territory
The table below shows the five municipalities with the highest population growth rates and the five with the highest population decline rates for each province and territory.
Over the coming months, the next releases of the Census of Population will enhance the socio-demographic portrait of Canada’s municipalities. As well, the Demographic Estimates Program will be useful to monitor population trends between censuses, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Province or territory | Rank | Highest rate of population growth | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | Population | ||||
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
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| number | percent | ||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1 | Paradise | 21,389 | 22,957 | 7.3 |
| 2 | Clarenville | 6,291 | 6,704 | 6.6 | |
| 3 | Conception Bay South | 26,199 | 27,168 | 3.7 | |
| 4 | Portugal Cove-St. Philip's | 8,147 | 8,415 | 3.3 | |
| 5 | Labrador City | 7,220 | 7,412 | 2.7 | |
| Prince Edward Island | 1 | Cornwall | 5,348 | 6,574 | 22.9 |
| 2 | Stratford | 9,711 | 10,927 | 12.5 | |
| 3 | Three Rivers | 7,169 | 7,883 | 10.0 | |
| 4 | Summerside | 14,839 | 16,001 | 7.8 | |
| 5 | Charlottetown | 36,094 | 38,809 | 7.5 | |
| Nova Scotia | 1 | Wolfville | 4,195 | 5,057 | 20.5 |
| 2 | Halifax | 403,131 | 439,819 | 9.1 | |
| 3 | Antigonish, Subd. A | 8,278 | 8,963 | 8.3 | |
| 4 | Cumberland, Subd. C | 5,268 | 5,694 | 8.1 | |
| 5 | Kentville | 6,271 | 6,630 | 5.7 | |
| New Brunswick | 1 | Sackville (Town) | 5,331 | 6,099 | 14.4 |
| 2 | Shediac | 6,664 | 7,535 | 13.1 | |
| 3 | Dieppe | 25,384 | 28,114 | 10.8 | |
| 4 | Moncton (City) | 71,889 | 79,470 | 10.5 | |
| 5 | Moncton (Parish) | 9,811 | 10,704 | 9.1 | |
| Quebec | 1 | Saint-Apollinaire | 6,110 | 7,968 | 30.4 |
| 2 | Bromont | 9,041 | 11,357 | 25.6 | |
| 3 | Carignan | 9,462 | 11,740 | 24.1 | |
| 4 | Saint-Zotique | 7,934 | 9,618 | 21.2 | |
| 5 | Mirabel | 50,513 | 61,108 | 21.0 | |
| Ontario | 1 | East Gwillimbury | 23,991 | 34,637 | 44.4 |
| 2 | The Blue Mountains | 7,025 | 9,390 | 33.7 | |
| 3 | New Tecumseth | 34,242 | 43,948 | 28.3 | |
| 4 | Thorold | 18,801 | 23,816 | 26.7 | |
| 5 | Seguin | 4,304 | 5,280 | 22.7 | |
| Manitoba | 1 | Niverville | 4,610 | 5,947 | 29.0 |
| 2 | West St. Paul | 5,368 | 6,682 | 24.5 | |
| 3 | Neepawa | 4,609 | 5,685 | 23.3 | |
| 4 | Morden | 8,668 | 9,929 | 14.5 | |
| 5 | Macdonald | 7,162 | 8,120 | 13.4 | |
| Saskatchewan | 1 | Warman | 11,020 | 12,419 | 12.7 |
| 2 | Martensville | 9,655 | 10,549 | 9.3 | |
| 3 | Saskatoon | 247,201 | 266,141 | 7.7 | |
| 4 | Regina | 215,106 | 226,404 | 5.3 | |
| 5 | Prince Albert | 35,926 | 37,756 | 5.1 | |
| Alberta | 1 | Cochrane | 25,853 | 32,199 | 24.5 |
| 2 | Airdrie | 61,581 | 74,100 | 20.3 | |
| 3 | Beaumont | 17,457 | 20,888 | 19.7 | |
| 4 | Mackenzie County | 11,171 | 12,804 | 14.6 | |
| 5 | Canmore | 13,992 | 15,990 | 14.3 | |
| British Columbia | 1 | Langford | 35,342 | 46,584 | 31.8 |
| 2 | Southern Gulf Islands | 4,732 | 6,101 | 28.9 | |
| 3 | Lake Country | 12,922 | 15,817 | 22.4 | |
| 4 | Squamish | 19,497 | 23,819 | 22.2 | |
| 5 | Tsinstikeptum 9 | 7,612 | 9,134 | 20.0 | |
| Yukon | 1 | Macpherson-Grizzly Valley | 1,245 | 1,540 | 23.7 |
| 2 | Dawson | 1,375 | 1,577 | 14.7 | |
| 3 | Whitehorse | 25,085 | 28,201 | 12.4 | |
| 4 | Yukon, Unorganized | 1,388 | 1,496 | 7.8 | |
| 5 | Watson Lake | 1,083 | 1,133 | 4.6 | |
| Northwest Territories | 1 | Yellowknife | 19,569 | 20,340 | 3.9 |
| Nunavut | 1 | Igloolik | 1,744 | 2,049 | 17.5 |
| 2 | Coral Harbour | 891 | 1,035 | 16.2 | |
| 3 | Sanikiluaq | 882 | 1,010 | 14.5 | |
| 4 | Naujaat | 1,082 | 1,225 | 13.2 | |
| 5 | Clyde River | 1,053 | 1,181 | 12.2 | |
|
Note: For the territories, municipalities with at least 1,000 inhabitants in 2021 were included in this table. Northwest Territories had only one municipality of at least 1,000 inhabitants with a positive population growth rate. Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population. |
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| Province or territory | Rank | Highest rate of population decline | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Municipality | Population | ||||
| 2016 | 2021 | Growth from 2016 to 2021 |
|||
| number | percent | ||||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1 | Mount Pearl | 23,120 | 22,477 | -2.8 |
| 2 | Corner Brook | 19,806 | 19,333 | -2.4 | |
| 3 | Grand Falls-Windsor | 14,171 | 13,853 | -2.2 | |
| 4 | Marystown | 5,316 | 5,204 | -2.1 | |
| 5 | Stephenville | 6,623 | 6,540 | -1.3 | |
| Prince Edward Island | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable |
| Nova Scotia | 1 | Colchester, Subd. C | 13,098 | 12,476 | -4.7 |
| 2 | Clare | 8,018 | 7,678 | -4.2 | |
| 3 | Antigonish, Subd. B | 6,306 | 6,138 | -2.7 | |
| 4 | Barrington | 6,646 | 6,523 | -1.9 | |
| 5 | Cumberland, Subd. B | 6,859 | 6,786 | -1.1 | |
| New Brunswick | 1 | Grand Falls / Grand-Sault | 5,326 | 5,220 | -2.0 |
| 2 | Oromocto | 9,223 | 9,045 | -1.9 | |
| 3 | Edmundston | 16,580 | 16,437 | -0.9 | |
| 4 | Beresford (Parish) | 6,248 | 6,226 | -0.4 | |
| 5 | Tracadie | 16,114 | 16,043 | -0.4 | |
| Quebec | 1 | Sainte-Anne-des-Monts | 6,437 | 6,121 | -4.9 |
| 2 | Port-Cartier | 6,799 | 6,516 | -4.2 | |
| 3 | Baie-Comeau | 21,536 | 20,687 | -3.9 | |
| 4 | Kirkland | 20,151 | 19,413 | -3.7 | |
| 5 | Chibougamau | 7,504 | 7,233 | -3.6 | |
| Ontario | 1 | Dryden | 7,749 | 7,388 | -4.7 |
| 2 | Bayham | 7,396 | 7,096 | -4.1 | |
| 3 | Fort Frances | 7,739 | 7,466 | -3.5 | |
| 4 | Kirkland Lake | 7,981 | 7,750 | -2.9 | |
| 5 | Temiskaming Shores | 9,920 | 9,634 | -2.9 | |
| Manitoba | 1 | Thompson | 13,678 | 13,035 | -4.7 |
| 2 | Rhineland | 5,945 | 5,819 | -2.1 | |
| 3 | St. Andrews | 11,913 | 11,723 | -1.6 | |
| 4 | Portage la Prairie (Rural Municipality) | 6,975 | 6,888 | -1.2 | |
| 5 | Portage la Prairie (City) | 13,304 | 13,270 | -0.3 | |
| Saskatchewan | 1 | Estevan | 11,483 | 10,851 | -5.5 |
| 2 | North Battleford (City) | 14,315 | 13,836 | -3.3 | |
| 3 | Moose Jaw | 33,910 | 33,665 | -0.7 | |
| 4 | Melfort | 5,992 | 5,955 | -0.6 | |
| 5 | Meadow Lake | 5,344 | 5,322 | -0.4 | |
| Alberta | 1 | Athabasca County | 7,869 | 6,959 | -11.6 |
| 2 | Lac la Biche County | 8,330 | 7,673 | -7.9 | |
| 3 | Brazeau County | 7,771 | 7,179 | -7.6 | |
| 4 | Barrhead County No. 11 | 6,288 | 5,877 | -6.5 | |
| 5 | Greenview No. 16 | 9,154 | 8,584 | -6.2 | |
| British Columbia | 1 | Peace River C | 6,667 | 5,947 | -10.8 |
| 2 | Peace River B | 5,628 | 5,379 | -4.4 | |
| 3 | Merritt | 7,139 | 7,051 | -1.2 | |
| 4 | Cariboo A | 6,234 | 6,169 | -1.0 | |
| 5 | Esquimalt (District Municipality) | 17,655 | 17,533 | -0.7 | |
| Yukon | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable | Note ..: not applicable |
| Northwest Territories | 1 | Fort Smith | 2,542 | 2,248 | -11.6 |
| 2 | Hay River | 3,528 | 3,169 | -10.2 | |
| 3 | Fort Simpson | 1,202 | 1,100 | -8.5 | |
| 4 | Behchokò | 1,874 | 1,746 | -6.8 | |
| 5 | Inuvik | 3,243 | 3,137 | -3.3 | |
| Nunavut | 1 | Kugluktuk | 1,491 | 1,382 | -7.3 |
| 2 | Iqaluit | 7,740 | 7,429 | -4.0 | |
| 3 | Pond Inlet | 1,617 | 1,555 | -3.8 | |
| 4 | Cape Dorset | 1,441 | 1,396 | -3.1 | |
| 5 | Baker Lake | 2,069 | 2,061 | -0.4 | |
|
.. not available for a specified reference period Notes: Prince Edward Island did not have any municipality of at least 5,000 inhabitants showing a population decline. For the territories, municipalities with at least 1,000 inhabitants in 2021 were included in this table. Yukon did not have any municipality of at least 1,000 inhabitants showing a population decline. Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population. |
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Additional information
Additional analysis on population and dwelling counts can be found in the Daily articles entitled “Canada tops G7 growth despite COVID”, “Canada’s large urban centres continue to grow and spread”, and in the Census in Brief article entitled “Population growth in Canada’s rural areas, 2016 to 2021”, Catalogue no. 98-200-X.
Additional information on population and dwelling counts can be found in the Highlight tables, Catalogue no. 98-402-X; the Census Profile, Catalogue no. 98-316-X; and the Focus on Geography Series, Catalogue no. 98-404-X.
Thematic maps for this topic are also available for various levels of geography.
For details on the concepts, definitions, and variables used in the 2021 Census of Population, please consult the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021, Catalogue no. 98-301-X.
In addition to response rates and other data-quality information, the Guide to the Census of Population, 2021, Catalogue no. 98-304-X, provides an overview of the various phases of the census including content determination, sampling design, collection, data processing, data quality assessment, confidentiality guidelines and dissemination.
Acknowledgments
This report was prepared by, Rufteen Shumanty, Patrick Charbonneau and Laurent Martel of Statistics Canada's Centre for Demography, with the assistance of other staff members in that centre, and the collaboration of staff members of Census Subject Matter Secretariat, Census Operations Division, Communications and Dissemination Branch.
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