Statistics Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Study: 400 years of censuses in Québec City

Warning View the most recent version.

Archived Content

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.

The Daily


Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Women outnumbered men in Québec City in 2006, according to the most recent census data, but it was not always that way. In fact, the situation was totally opposite for men in the decades following the arrival of the city's founder, Samuel de Champlain, on July 3, 1608.

In 1665, the first intendant of New France, Jean Talon, conducted a census that showed a substantial imbalance between the sexes. In a population of 547 people in Québec City, there were 50% more men than women.

This finding prompted one of Talon's first recommendations to the King, which was to promote immigration by women. As a result, more than 1,000 women, including some 900 "King's Daughters" arrived in New France between 1667 and 1673 to help populate the colony.

These days, the situation has changed considerably. The 2006 Census showed that women outnumbered men by more than 23,000 in Québec City, predominantly in older age groups.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City, the June 2008 edition of Canadian Social Trends depicts the city's history through various censuses in an article entitled "City of Québec 1608-2008: 400 years of censuses."

The census witnessed various milestones in the history of the city. In 1825, it showed that the population of Québec City had passed the 20,000 mark, with a total count of 22,101.

The first census of industries, conducted in 1827, identified 14 types of industries, the largest of which was sawmills. In 1831, the population was classified by religion for the first time. Three-quarters of the population of Lower Canada was Catholic.

The pattern of decennial censuses that began in the latter half of the 19th Century continued into the 20th, providing valuable demographic information about Québec City.

Early in the 20th century, Québec City enjoyed a population boom. The city's third century can be divided into two distinct periods of growth.

First, its population expanded from 68,840 in 1901 to 171,979 in 1961, following a pattern of almost continuous growth at a pace that did not begin to slow until after 1931. Subsequently, despite an increase in 1971, the population remained stable until 2001.

The 2006 Census enumerated a population of 491,140 in Québec City, and, like Canada's population as a whole, it continues to age. Seniors aged 65 and over accounted for more than 16% of its total population in 2006, an historic high.

The article "City of Québec 1608-2008: 400 years of censuses" is now available in the June 2008 issue of Canadian Social Trends, no. 85 (11-008-XWE, free) from the Publications module of our website. A printed version (11-008-XPE, $24/$39) is also available.

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Client Services (613-951-5979; sasd-dssea@statcan.gc.ca), Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.