List of largest Canadian cities by census

This is a list of the largest cities in Canada by census starting with the 1871 Census of Canada, the first national census. Only communities that were incorporated as cities at the time of each census are presented. Therefore, this list does not include any incorporated towns that may have been larger than any incorporated cities at each census.

A collection of four maps showing the distribution of population for 1851 (Newfoundland 1857), 1871 (Newfoundland 1869), 1901 and 1921 by historical region.

1871

Rank	City	Population[1]	Notes
1	Montreal, Quebec	107,225	Ranked #2 in 2016.[2]
2	Quebec, Quebec	59,699	Ranked #11 in 2016.[2]
3	Toronto, Ontario	56,092	Ranked #1 in 2016.[2]
4	Halifax, Nova Scotia	29,582	Ranked #14 in 2016 as a regional municipality.[2]
5	Saint John, New Brunswick	28,805	Saint John was incorporated in 1785 to become Canada's first incorporated city.[3] Ranked #83 in 2016.[2]
6	Hamilton, Ontario	26,716	Ranked #10 in 2016.[2]
7	Ottawa, Ontario	21,545	Ranked #4 in 2016.[2]
8	London, Ontario	15,826	Ranked #15 in 2016.[2]
9	Portland, New Brunswick	12,520	Portland was a city until 1889 when it amalgamated with Saint John, New Brunswick.[4]
10	Kingston, Ontario	12,407	Ranked #43 in 2016.[2]

1881

Rank	City	Population[1]
1	Montreal, Quebec	140,747
2	Toronto, Ontario	86,415
3	Quebec, Quebec	62,446
4	Halifax, Nova Scotia	36,100
5	Hamilton, Ontario	35,961
6	Ottawa, Ontario	27,412
7	Saint John, New Brunswick	26,127
8	London, Ontario	19,746
9	Portland, New Brunswick	15,226
10	Kingston, Ontario	14,091

1891

Rank	City	Population[5]
1	Montreal, Quebec	219,650
2	Toronto, Ontario	181,220
3	Quebec, Quebec	63,090
4	Hamilton, Ontario	48,980
5	Ottawa, Ontario	44,154
6	Saint John, New Brunswick	39,179
7	Halifax, Nova Scotia	38,556
8	London, Ontario	31,977
9	Winnipeg, Manitoba	25,642
10	Kingston, Ontario	19,264

1901

Rank	City	Population[6]
1	Montreal, Quebec	267,730
2	Toronto, Ontario	208,040
3	Quebec, Quebec	68,840
4	Ottawa, Ontario	59,928
5	Hamilton, Ontario	52,634
6	Winnipeg, Manitoba	42,340
7	Halifax, Nova Scotia	40,832
8	Saint John, New Brunswick	40,711
9	London, Ontario	37,981
10	Vancouver, British Columbia	26,133

1911

Source: Canada Year Book 1932[7]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	490,504
2	Toronto, Ontario	381,383
3	Winnipeg, Manitoba	136,035
4	Vancouver, British Columbia	120,847
5	Ottawa, Ontario	87,082
6	Hamilton, Ontario	81,960
7	Quebec, Quebec	78,710
8	Halifax, Nova Scotia	46,619
9	London, Ontario	46,309
10	Calgary, Alberta	43,704

1921

Cities west of Ontario take up four of the top ten spots in this census. Many Western cities will grow quickly during the 20th century, in large part, because they are able to expand their borders. Source: Canada Year Book 1932[7]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	618,506
2	Toronto, Ontario	521,893
3	Winnipeg, Manitoba	179,087
4	Vancouver, British Columbia	162,229
5	Hamilton, Ontario	114,151
6	Ottawa, Ontario	107,843
7	Quebec, Quebec	95,193
8	Calgary, Alberta	63,305
9	London, Ontario	60,959
10	Edmonton, Alberta	58,821

1931

Source: Canada Year Book 1932[7]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	818,517
2	Toronto, Ontario	631,207
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	246,593
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	218,785
5	Hamilton, Ontario	155,547
6	Quebec, Quebec	130,594
7	Ottawa, Ontario	126,872
8	Calgary, Alberta	83,761
9	Edmonton, Alberta	79,197
10	London, Ontario	71,148

1941

Source: Canada Year Book 1955[8]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	903,007
2	Toronto, Ontario	667,567
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	275,353
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	221,960
5	Hamilton, Ontario	166,337
6	Ottawa, Ontario	154,951
7	Quebec, Quebec	150,757
8	Windsor, Ontario	105,311
9	Edmonton, Alberta	93,817
10	Calgary, Alberta	88,904

1951

Source: Canada Year Book 1955[8]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,021,520
2	Toronto, Ontario	675,754
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	344,843
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	235,710
5	Hamilton, Ontario	208,321
6	Ottawa, Ontario	202,045
7	Quebec, Quebec	164,016
8	Edmonton, Alberta	159,631
9	Calgary, Alberta	129,060
10	Windsor, Ontario	120,040

1956

Source: Canada Year Book 1957-58[9]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,109,439
2	Toronto, Ontario	667,706
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	364,844
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	255,093
5	Hamilton, Ontario	239,625
6	Edmonton, Alberta	226,002
7	Ottawa, Ontario	222,129
8	Calgary, Alberta	181,780
9	Quebec, Quebec	170,703
10	Windsor, Ontario	121,980

1961

Source: Canada Year Book 1967[10]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,191,062
2	Toronto, Ontario	672,407
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	384,522
4	Edmonton, Alberta	281,022
5	Hamilton, Ontario	273,991
6	Ottawa, Ontario	268,206
7	Winnipeg, Manitoba	265,429
8	Calgary, Alberta	249,632
9	Quebec, Quebec	171,979
10	London, Ontario	169,569

1966

Source: 1966 Census of Canada - Population (Dominion Bureau of Statistics)

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,225,255
2	Toronto, Ontario	664,584
3	Vancouver, British Columbia	410,375
4	Edmonton, Alberta	376,925
5	Calgary, Alberta	330,575
6	Hamilton, Ontario	298,121
7	Ottawa, Ontario	290,741
8	Winnipeg, Manitoba	257,005
9	Laval, Quebec	196,088
10	London, Ontario	194,416

1971

Source: Canada Year Book 1972

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,214,351
2	Toronto, Ontario	712,786
3	Edmonton, Alberta	438,152
4	Vancouver, British Columbia	426,256
5	Calgary, Alberta	403,319
6	Hamilton, Ontario	309,173
7	Ottawa, Ontario	302,241
8	Winnipeg, Manitoba	246,246
9	Laval, Quebec	228,010
10	London, Ontario	223,222

1976

Source: 1976 Census of Canada - Population (Statistics Canada)

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,080,546
2	Toronto, Ontario	633,318
3	Winnipeg, Manitoba	560,874
4	Calgary, Alberta	469,917
5	Edmonton, Alberta	461,361
6	Vancouver, British Columbia	410,188
7	Hamilton, Ontario	312,003
8	Ottawa, Ontario	304,462
9	Mississauga, Ontario	250,017
10	Laval, Quebec	246,243

1981

Though Winnipeg's population more than doubled in large part to amalgamation of its surrounding municipalities, a number of Canadian cities suffered population losses during the 1970s. Source: Canada Year Book 1988

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	980,354
2	Toronto, Ontario	599,217
3	Calgary, Alberta	592,743
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	564,473
5	North York, Ontario	559,521
6	Edmonton, Alberta	532,246
7	Vancouver, British Columbia	414,281
8	Mississauga, Ontario	315,056
9	Hamilton, Ontario	306,434
10	Ottawa, Ontario	295,033

1986

Source: Government of Canada Publications[11]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,015,420
2	Calgary, Alberta	636,104
3	Toronto, Ontario	612,289
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	594,551
5	Edmonton, Alberta	573,982
6	North York, Ontario	556,297
7	Scarborough, Ontario	484,676
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	431,147
9	Mississauga, Ontario	374,005
10	Hamilton, Ontario	306,728

1991

Source : Statistics Canada Community Profiles: Census 1991

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,017,666
2	Calgary, Alberta	710,677
3	Toronto, Ontario	635,395
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	616,790
5	Edmonton, Alberta	616,741
6	North York, Ontario	563,270
7	Scarborough, Ontario	524,598
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	471,844
9	Mississauga, Ontario	463,388
10	Hamilton, Ontario	318,499

1996

Source: Georef 1996 Census[12]

Rank	City	Population
1	Montreal, Quebec	1,016,376
2	Calgary, Alberta	768,082
3	Toronto, Ontario	653,734
4	Winnipeg, Manitoba	618,477
5	Edmonton, Alberta	616,306
6	North York, Ontario	589,653
7	Scarborough, Ontario	558,960
8	Mississauga, Ontario	544,382
9	Vancouver, British Columbia	514,008
10	Laval, Quebec	330,393

2001

A wave of amalgamations took place in Ontario during the 1990s and 2000s that adjusted city population figures.

Rank	City	Population[13]	Notes
1	Toronto, Ontario	2,481,494	Toronto amalgamated with six surrounding municipalities on January 1, 1998.[14]
2	Montreal, Quebec	1,039,534
3	Calgary, Alberta	879,003
4	Ottawa, Ontario	774,072	Ottawa amalgamated with 11 surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[14]
5	Edmonton, Alberta	666,104
6	Winnipeg, Manitoba	619,544
7	Mississauga, Ontario	612,000
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	545,671
9	Hamilton, Ontario	490,268	Hamilton amalgamated with six surrounding municipalities on January 1, 2001.[14]
10	Surrey, British Columbia	347,825

2006

The wave of amalgamations extended into the province of Quebec: in 2002, both Montreal and Quebec City combined with a number of smaller surrounding cities, some of which later chose to leave the amalgamation. Source : Statistics Canada Community Profiles: Census 2006

Rank	City	Population
1	Toronto, Ontario	2,503,281
2	Montreal, Quebec	1,620,693
3	Calgary, Alberta	988,193
4	Ottawa, Ontario	812,129
5	Edmonton, Alberta	730,372
6	Mississauga, Ontario	668,549
7	Winnipeg, Manitoba	633,451
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	578,041
9	Hamilton, Ontario	504,559
10	Quebec, Quebec	491,452

2011

Rank	City	Population
1	Toronto, Ontario	2,615,060
2	Montreal, Quebec	1,649,519
3	Calgary, Alberta	1,096,833
4	Ottawa, Ontario	883,391
5	Edmonton, Alberta	821,201
6	Mississauga, Ontario	713,443
7	Winnipeg, Manitoba	663,617
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	603,502
9	Brampton, Ontario	523,911
10	Hamilton, Ontario	519,949

2016

Rank	City	Population[2]
1	Toronto, Ontario	2,731,571
2	Montreal, Quebec	1,704,694
3	Calgary, Alberta	1,239,220
4	Ottawa, Ontario	934,243
5	Edmonton, Alberta	932,546
6	Mississauga, Ontario	721,599
7	Winnipeg, Manitoba	705,244
8	Vancouver, British Columbia	631,486
9	Brampton, Ontario	593,638
10	Hamilton, Ontario	536,917

References

Census of Canada, 1880-81. Volume I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1882.
"Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
"History of Saint John". City of Saint John. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
"Canada's Historic Places: W. A. Chesley Residence". Parks Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
Census of Canada, 1890-91. Volume I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1893.
Fourth Census of Canada, 1901. Volume I: Population. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1902.
, Censuses 1871-1931
, Census 1941-1951
Census 1956
, Census 1961
"Population and dwelling counts, Canada (1987)". Government of Canada Publications. Statistics Canada. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
1996 Census
"Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
"Municipal Restructuring Activity Summary Table" (PDF). Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

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[1881census-1] Census of Canada, 1880-81. Volume I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1882.

[2016census-2] "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2017.

[3] "History of Saint John". City of Saint John. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

[4] "Canada's Historic Places: W. A. Chesley Residence". Parks Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

[1891census-5] Census of Canada, 1890-91. Volume I. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1893.

[1901census-6] Fourth Census of Canada, 1901. Volume I: Population. Ottawa: Government of Canada. 1902.

[bare_url-7] , Censuses 1871-1931

[bare_url_a-8] , Census 1941-1951

[9] Census 1956

[10] , Census 1961

[Census1986-11] "Population and dwelling counts, Canada (1987)". Government of Canada Publications. Statistics Canada. Retrieved September 3, 2017.

[12] 1996 Census

[2001censusCSDs-13] "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

[ONamalgamations-14] "Municipal Restructuring Activity Summary Table" (PDF). Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing. Retrieved April 3, 2014.

Demographics of Canada
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Lists	Metropolitan areas and agglomerations 100 largest population centres 100 largest municipalities Largest Canadian cities by census