2026 Census Content Fact Sheets
Content changes for the 2026 Census of Population: Mobility
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Introduction
The next Census of Population will take place in May 2026. To maintain the relevance of the census, Statistics Canada evaluates and reviews the questionnaire content in preparation for each census cycle. This includes several stages of consultative engagement, as well as testing and data evaluation, to recommend questionnaire content for the census.
Approximately 222,000 households from communities across the country were selected to participate in the 2024 Census Test. The test helped to determine whether new or modified questions under consideration could be easily understood and answered by Canadians. Testing census content ensures that high-quality data will be available from the 2026 Census of Population to support a wide variety of programs and services in communities across the country.
A series of fact sheets provides an overview of the content changes for the 2026 Census of Population because the census process is always evolving to reflect changes in the Canadian population and its demographic characteristics.
This fact sheet offers a summary of content changes for the 2026 Census specific to the questions on place of residence 1 year and 5 years ago (i.e., mobility). The tested changes are explained below, along with the resulting approach for 2026.
Place of residence 1 year and 5 years ago (mobility)
Changes evaluated in the 2024 Census Test
- The standard geography for the place of residence 1 year and 5 years ago was slightly modified.
Resulting approach for the 2026 Census of Population
- A minor wording change was made to update the description of census subdivision (CSD) for those who lived in a different CSD 1 year or 5 years earlier.
- This reflects changes to the standard description for the CSD geography.
Why are these questions asked?
These questions tell us where residents of Canada are moving to and where they are moving from. This information is used to look at the characteristics of people who move and to identify needs for housing, education, health, transportation and social services.
Current trends and data gaps for this topic
During content consultation for the 2026 Census, the majority of stakeholders reported using mobility data for a variety of purposes, such as municipal planning, labour market analysis, service delivery and examination of the characteristics of areas where Canadians are moving to or from. This information was key for users in answering questions about when and why Canadians are moving to different parts of the country.
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