Analysis series Aboriginal peoples of Canada Aboriginal groups

Of the 976,305 people who identified themselves as Aboriginal in the 2001 Census, 62%, or 608,850, reported they were North American Indian. (See notes of definition of terms used in this document.) This was up from 529,035 five years earlier.

This growth can be attributed primarily to natural increase and increased participation in the Census. Fertility rates for this population are still high, although they have declined in recent years.

One-fifth lived in Ontario
Less than half lived on an Indian reserve
Median age well below non-Aboriginal population
North American Indian children less likely to be in two-parent families in urban areas

One-fifth lived in Ontario

The census enumerated 131,560 North American Indians in Ontario. They accounted for more than one-fifth (22%) of the total North American Indian population, the highest proportion of any province or territory.

Ontario was followed by British Columbia, a close second with 118,295, or 19% of the total, and the three Prairie provinces: Manitoba (15%), and Alberta and Saskatchewan, both 14%.

Population reporting a North American Indian identity, provinces and territories, 2001

North American Indians accounted for almost 29% of the population of the Northwest Territories and 20% of the Yukon's, the highest concentrations among the provinces and territories. In addition, they represented 9% of the total population of Saskatchewan and 8% in Manitoba.

Less than one-half (47%) of the North American Indian population lived on an Indian reserve in 2001. The majority lived in either urban centres or in rural off-reserve locations.

A total of 151,770 North American Indians, or 24% of the total, lived in one of 27 census metropolitan areas (CMAs).

Population reporting a North American Indian identity, by area of residence, Canada, 1996 and 2001

The CMA of Winnipeg had the largest North American Indian population, 22,955, followed by Vancouver (22,700), Edmonton (18,260), Toronto (13,785) and Saskatoon (11,290).

More people move to Indian reserves than leave

Data on migration show that about 4,000 more North American Indians moved onto Indian reserves in the year prior to the census than moved off, for a net gain of almost two per cent. Most of this net inflow came from rural non-reserve areas.

There was also a slight net inflow of North American Indians into CMAs (a net gain of 0.6%). While net flows into both small and large urban areas were rather low, the percentages of those moving into and out of these urban areas were large. For small urban areas 13% moved in or moved out and for CMAs, 10% moved in and 9% moved out.

Rate of in-, out-, and net migration in the population reporting a North American Indian identity, by area of residence, Canada, 2000-2001

In addition to the 8% of the North American Indian population who moved to a different community in the 12 months before the census, another 14% moved within their community. This high turnover of population in one year creates challenges for health care, housing, social services, and local school systems.

The census showed that the North American Indian population is quite young. Its median age in 2001 was 23.5 years, compared with 37.7 in the non-Aboriginal population. This means that 50% of the North American Indian population in 2001 was less than 23.5 years old.

In Saskatchewan, the median age of 18.4 years for North American Indians was a full 20 years lower than that for the province's non-Aboriginal population. Saskatchewan's median age for this group was lower than even the median of 19.1 years for Inuit in Nunavut.

The median age for North American Indians was 20.4 in Manitoba and 21.2 in Alberta.

Median age(1) of the population reporting a North American Indian identity and non-Aboriginal population, Canada, provinces and territories, 2001

More than one-third of North American Indian population aged 14 and under

The census enumerated 213,530 North American Indian children aged 14 and under in 2001. They represented 35% of the total North American Indian population, down slightly from 36% five years earlier.

In contrast, this age group represented 19% of the total non-Aboriginal population in 2001.

Population reporting a North American Indian identity, by age groups and by area of residence, Canada, 2001

Census data showed that there are far more young people ready to enter the working-age population than there are older people preparing to leave over the next ten years. The group of youngsters aged five to 14 was more than four times larger than the pre-retirement group aged 55 to 64 in 2001.

North American Indian seniors: small, but growing population

While the North American Indian population is relatively young, it is still aging. The census enumerated 24,170 North American Indians aged 65 and over. Although this age group is small in numbers, it has grown from 18,415 in 1996, an increase of 31%. Over half these seniors (53%) lived on Indian reserves in 2001, a five-year increase of 34%. As this aging trend continues into the future, it will have growing implications for housing, social services and health care.

The proportion of North American Indian children aged 14 and under who were living in two-parent families was much higher (65%) on Indian reserves and in rural non-reserve areas in 2001 than it was in urban areas. A total of 65,210 children residing on reserves lived with two parents. In contrast, 46% of North American Indian children living in census metropolitan areas were in a two-parent family.

Conversely, the proportion of children living with a lone parent was much lower on reserves. A total of 31,880 children, or 32% of those living on a reserve, lived with a lone parent. At the same time, 48% of children in census metropolitan areas lived with a lone parent. Rates of lone parenthood were particularly high in Prairie CMAs, where more than 50% of Aboriginal children were living in a lone parent family.

Living arrangements of North American Indian children aged 0-14, by area of residence, Canada, 2001