Canada’s Veterans: By the numbers

As we approach Remembrance Day during Veterans’ Week, it’s a time for all Canadians to reflect and honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom and peace, as well as those who have served and are still with us today.

For the first time in 50 years, the 2021 Census of Population collected detailed data on members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). There were 97,625 Canadians serving in the CAF in the spring of 2021—as members of the Regular Force or Primary Reserve Force—and 461,240 Canadians counted as veterans.

More than 4 in 10 veterans were seniors aged 65 years and older, while almost one-third were in the core working age group of 25 to 54 years.

Women in Canada’s military: A century of increased contributions

During the First World War, more than 3,100 women served with the Royal Canadian Medical Corps. Women were not permitted to serve in combat positions during the First and Second World Wars, but the establishment of a women’s division in 1941 and 1942 led to the enlistment of 50,000 women during those years.

By the 1990s, combat roles opened to women, and the recruitment pool doubled. In 2001, submarine service opened to women, and in 2021, nearly 1 in 6 veterans (16.2%) or almost 75,000 veterans were women.

Indigenous veterans and service members: An above-average share of the population

In 2021, about 1 in 20 veterans (5.2%) and currently serving military members living in a private household (5.5%) aged 17 years and older were First Nations, Métis or Inuit. These shares were higher than that of the total First Nations, Métis or Inuit population aged 17 years and older (4.4%).

Racialized groups make up a significant proportion of serving members

Racialized groups make up an important share of the population currently serving in the military. Black (2.8%), Chinese (2.5%), South Asian (2.3%), Filipino (1.4%) and Latin American (1.2%) people each accounted for more than 1% of the currently serving Canadian military personnel in private households in 2021.

Upcoming data

Results from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) will be released in the next couple of months. The CSD, conducted every five years, provides information on disability-specific issues, such as type and severity, use of aids and assistive devices, as well as help received and required.

The 2022 data will include a targeted sample of veterans, collected in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada.

Learn more and participate

Each year, the Poppy Campaign runs from the last Friday of October to November 11. Canadians are invited to wear one as a visual pledge to honour Canada’s veterans and to remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Visit the Veterans Affairs Canada website for more information and events commemorating this year’s Remembrance Day and Veterans’ Week.