The Aboriginal population in Canada, 2016 Census of Population

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Release date: October 25, 2017
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Infographic: The Aboriginal population in Canada, 2016 Census of Population
Description: The Aboriginal population in Canada, 2016 Census of Population

The Aboriginal population in Canada is young and growing

  • Total population in 2016: 1,673,785
    (4.9% of Canada's total population)
  • Growth (2006 to 2016): +42.5%
  • Average age: 32.1 years
    (almost a decade younger than the non-Aboriginal population)
Aboriginal population in Canada
  First Nations people Métis Inuit
Population count 977,230 587,545 65,025
10-year growth 39.3% 51.2% 29.1%
Average age 30.6 34.7 27.7

Three-quarters of the First Nations population had registered Indian status.

  • 44% of First Nations population with registered Indian status lived on reserve.
  • 24% Not registered
  • 76% Registered

Eight CMAsFootnote 1 had a Métis population of more than 10,000 people...

  • Vancouver
  • Calgary
  • Edmonton
  • Saskatoon
  • Winnipeg
  • Toronto
  • Ottawa–Gatineau
  • Montréal

...which made up one-third (34%) of the Métis population.

The majority of the Inuit population lived in Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of Inuit in Canada.

  • 73% in the North
  • 27% in the rest of Canada

More than 70 Aboriginal languages were reported on the 2016 Census. 36 of those had at least 500 speakers.

  • Cree
  • Inuktitut
  • Ojibway
  • Oji-Cree
  • Dene
  • Montagnais (Innu)
  • Mi'kmaq
  • Atikamekw
  • Plains Cree
  • Blackfoot
  • Stoney
  • Woods Cree
  • Algonquin
  • Mohawk
  • Dogrib (Tlicho)
  • Swampy Cree
  • Carrier
  • Dakota
  • Naskapi
  • South Slavey
  • Inuinnaqtun
  • Shuswap (Secwepemctsin)
  • Gitxsan (Gitksan)
  • Michif
  • Chilcotin
  • Halkomelem
  • Nisga'a
  • North Slavey (Hare)
  • Okanagan
  • Lillooet
  • Malecite
  • Slavey
  • Inuvialuktun
  • Kwakiutl (Kwak'wala)
  • Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka)
  • Northern East Cree

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.

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Copyright

Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2017

Use of this publication is governed by the Statistics Canada Open Licence Agreement.

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

Ottawa

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