Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census of Population
Nova Scotia, Province
Population change, provinces and territories, 2011 to 2016 and 2016 to 2021
5.0%
In 2021, the enumerated population of Nova Scotia was 969,383 which represents a change of 5.0% from 2016. This growth was lower than the national rate of 5.2%.
6.5%
In 2021, there were 428,228 private dwellings occupied in Nova Scotia which represent a change of 6.5% from 2016. This growth was higher than the national rate of 6.4%.
18.4
The land area of Nova Scotia is 52,824.71 square kilometres and the population density was 18.4 people per square kilometre.
Population in the last 170 years, Nova Scotia
Population change in the last 170 years, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia — Census metropolitan areas (CMAs), census agglomerations (CAs) and regions outside CMAs and CAs
In 2021, 69.3% of the population of Nova Scotia lived inside a census metropolitan area (CMA) or census agglomeration (CA). That represents 671,504 persons. This was lower than the national rate of 83.9%.
The number of persons living outside a census metropolitan area (CMA) or a census agglomeration (CA) was 297,879, which accounts for 30.7% of the population. This was higher than the national rate of 16.1%.
Population change by rank, 2016 to 2021 for CMAs or CAs in Nova Scotia
| CMA or CA name | Type | Population | Rank | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2016 | % change | Nat. | Prov. | ||
| Halifax | CMA | 465,703 | 426,932 r | 9.1 | 12 | 1 |
| Cape Breton | CA | 98,318 | 98,722 | -0.4 | 43 | 2 |
| Truro | CA | 46,157 | 45,753 | 0.9 | 67 | 3 |
| New Glasgow | CA | 34,397 | 34,487 | -0.3 | 77 | 4 |
| Kentville | CA | 26,929 | 26,222 | 2.7 | 98 | 5 |
Nova Scotia — Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the highest population growth
| Census subdivision (CSD) name | Type | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2016 | % change | ||
| Wolfville | T | 5,057 | 4,195 | 20.5 |
| Halifax | RGM | 439,819 | 403,131 | 9.1 |
| Antigonish, Subd. A | SC | 8,963 | 8,278 | 8.3 |
| Cumberland, Subd. C | SC | 5,694 | 5,268 | 8.1 |
| Kentville | T | 6,630 | 6,271 | 5.7 |
| Truro | T | 12,954 | 12,261 | 5.7 |
Nova Scotia — Census subdivisions with 5,000-plus population with the lowest population growth
| Census subdivision (CSD) name | Type | Population | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2016 | % change | ||
| Colchester, Subd. C | SC | 12,476 | 13,098 | -4.7 |
| Clare | MD | 7,678 | 8,018 | -4.2 |
| Antigonish, Subd. B | SC | 6,138 | 6,306 | -2.7 |
| Barrington | MD | 6,523 | 6,646 | -1.9 |
| Cumberland, Subd. B | SC | 6,786 | 6,859 | -1.1 |
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