Census of Population

Description: This document presents a complete list of the social inclusion indicators for ethnocultural groups in Canada that are available on the homepage of our Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics Hub. The information provided for each indicator includes a short description of the corresponding derivation, available data sources, reference years and accessible levels of geographical and disaggregation. Each indicator has a corresponding products number (data tables, visualization tools and analytical documents). This document has been updated to reflect the social inclusion indicators and associated products that are available in 2024.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: This report presents the results of a study on the estimated number of children eligible for instruction in the minority official language, pursuant to section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, who were classified as ineligible in the 2021 Census because relationships between family members living at different addresses could not be established within this data source. Using other data sources, including previous censuses and administrative data (such as vital statistics and tax data), we were able to establish these family relationships within the 2021 Census. This report presents the methods and data sources used first, then the results by selected regions and age groups.

Description: Highest certificate, diploma or degree by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Average and median employment income by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status, highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Labour force status by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Population who worked mainly full-time for most of the weeks during the reference year by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Class of worker – variant on self-employed by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Legislative and senior management occupations by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status, highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Youth not in education, employment or training by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant and generation status), for the population aged 15 to 29 years old in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Labour force status by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Population who worked mainly full-time for most of the weeks during the reference year by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Class of worker – variant on self-employed by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Legislative and senior management occupations by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status, highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Youth not in education, employment or training by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant and generation status), for the population aged 15 to 29 years old in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: Overqualification (based on skill level C and D) by visible minority and selected characteristics (age group, gender, first official language spoken, immigrant status, period of immigration, generation status and highest certificate, diploma or degree), for the population aged 15 years and over in private households in Canada, geographical regions of Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts.

Description: This product presents 2021 Census of Population characteristic data for nine separate profiles of interest, including: age; ethnic origin; first official language; immigration; income distribution by income source; mother tongue; poverty, COVID-19 benefits and high income; religion; and visible minority. Data are available for various levels of geography, including Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, and communities with a 2021 population of 10,000 or greater.

Description: Census Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs) provide access to non-aggregated data covering a sample of the Canadian population. It is a comprehensive social, demographic and economic database about Canada, its people, and contains a wealth of characteristics on the population. These files enable the study of individuals, families and households. Geographic identifiers have been restricted to ensure respondents’ anonymity. This comprehensive file is an excellent tool for policy analysts, pollsters, social researchers and anyone interested in modeling and performing statistical regression analysis using Census microdata.

These products contain the data file, user documentation and license agreements. It is important to note that users will require knowledge of data manipulation packages (or software) such as SAS, SPSS or Stata to use this product.

Description: Number of eligible children aged 5 to 17 years who attended or who never attended an English-language school for residents of Quebec or a French-language school for residents of Canada outside Quebec. The data is presented by eligibility criterion, by age group, and by level for youth aged 12 to 17 years.

Description: The Rural Canada Housing Profiles (RCHP) 2022 provides tables on housing in rural Canada. The tables were developed using data from several Statistics Canada programs: Canadian Housing Statistics Program (2021), Building Permits (2022) and Investment in Building Construction (2022). Information such as structure type (single or multiple residential property), year of construction, size of the building, and construction intentions (building permits issued by municipalities, number of units / value of the building) were used to provide a broader picture of housing stocks, flows and investments in rural and small town communities. The final output is five data tables (residential building permits; investment in residential building construction; residential property characteristics); occupied private dwelling characteristics; and private household characteristics).

Data are organized geographically at the following levels (where applicable): Canada, provinces or territories, census subdivisions (CSD), and Rural and Small Town (RST) or urban areas of Canada. A CSD is considered to be 'Rural and Small Town (RST)' in the RCHP if it is outside of census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations (CMA/CA); otherwise, it is considered to be 'Urban'.

Description: One of the main investments individuals can make throughout their lives is the decision to pursue a postsecondary education. The purpose of this article is to present results from the 2021 Census of Population on the most prevalent occupations held by graduates of various college and CEGEP certificate and diploma programs who were aged 25 to 34.

Description: This article provides insights into the rates of COVID-19 mortality among First Nations peoples and Métis living in private dwellings and the social determinants of COVID-19 mortality among these populations using data from the 2016 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohorts linked to the Canadian Vital Statistics – Death Database from 2016 to 2021.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: This video is part of a series that is designed to give you a basic understanding of the Census of Population web pages. This video will provide an overview of the major links and products on the main page that are available to all users.

Description: This video is part of a series that is designed to give you a basic understanding of the Census of Population web pages. The purpose of this video is to explain where to find the most popular standard data product of the Census of Population, the 2021 Census Profile, and how to filter the data.

Description: This video is part of a series that is designed to give you a basic understanding of the Census of Population web pages. The purpose of this video is to explain how to add geographies in the 2021 Census Profile and to present the various downloading options to see the data.

Description: Once every five years, the Census of Population provides a detailed and comprehensive statistical portrait of Canada that is vital to our country. It is the primary source of sociodemographic data for specific population groups such as lone-parent families, Indigenous peoples, immigrants, seniors and language groups.

In order to help users of census products to better understand the various Census of Population concepts, Statistics Canada has developed, in the context of the activities of the 2021 Census and previous censuses, a collection of short videos. These videos are a reference source for users who are new to census concepts or those who have some experience with these concepts, but may need a refresher or would like to expand their knowledge.

Description: Using data from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) and the Census of Population, 2021, this infographic provides information on enrolment in Canadian public postsecondary institutions for transgender and non-binary people.

Description: The infographic uses data from the integrated file of the Postsecondary Student Information System, the 2016 Census, the 2021 Census and the T1 Family File to compare the job quality of Indigenous graduates with a bachelor's degree with that of non-racialized and non-Indigenous graduates two years after graduation. Job quality indicators include employment income, unionization rate, and employer pension plan coverage rate.

Description: Using Census data, this infographic provides data trends on the size of the South Asian population, as well admission categories, top source countries and an overview of the historical migration levels of selected South Asian populations.

Description:

The Dissemination Block Boundary Files portray the dissemination block boundaries for which Census data are disseminated. A dissemination block is an area bounded on all sides by roads and/or boundaries of standard geographic areas and is the smallest geographic area for which population and dwelling count data are disseminated. The files contain the boundaries of all dissemination blocks which combine to cover all of Canada.

There are two types of boundary files: digital and cartographic. Digital files depict the full extent of the geographical areas, including the coastal water area. Cartographic files depict the geographical areas using only the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. The files provide a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems or other mapping software.

The Dissemination Block Boundary Files are portrayed in Lambert conformal conic projection and are based on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). A reference guide is available (92-160-GWE).

Description:

The Dissemination Area Boundary Files portray the dissemination area boundaries for which Census data are disseminated. A dissemination area is a small area composed of one or more neighbouring dissemination blocks and is the smallest standard geographic area for which all census data are disseminated. The files contain the boundaries of all dissemination areas which combine to cover all of Canada.

There are two types of boundary files: digital and cartographic. Digital files depict the full extent of the geographical areas, including the coastal water area. Cartographic files depict the geographical areas using only the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. The files provide a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems or other mapping software.

The Dissemination Area Boundary Files are portrayed in Lambert conformal conic projection and are based on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). A reference guide is available (92-160-GWE).

Description:

The Federal Electoral District Boundary Files portray the federal electoral district boundaries for which census data are disseminated. A federal electoral district is an area represented by a member of the House of Commons. The federal electoral district boundaries used for the census are based on the Representation Order in effect on January 1 of census year. The files contain the boundaries of all federal electoral districts which combine to cover all of Canada.

There are two types of boundary files: digital and cartographic. Digital files depict the full extent of the geographical areas, including the coastal water area. Cartographic files depict the geographical areas using only the major land mass of Canada and its coastal islands. The files provide a framework for mapping and spatial analysis using commercially available geographic information systems (GIS) or other mapping software.

The Federal Electoral District Boundary Files are portrayed in Lambert conformal conic projection and are based on the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83). A reference guide is available (92-160-GWE).

Description: The 2021 Census Teacher's Kit has been developed for use in elementary, intermediate and secondary classes across the country. It includes five fun, classroom-ready activities that will help students gain an understanding of what the census is used for, how it is conducted, and the role it has played in shaping present-day Canada.

Description: The 2021 Census Adult Education Kit has been developed for use in adult literacy and English- or French-as-a-second-language (ESL or FSL) classes across the country. It contains four dynamic activities designed to help students understand and complete the 2021 Census while giving them an opportunity to practise official language skills.

Description: The Community Snapshot Toolkit provides all the information you need to get the most out of census data and create individualized infographics for your community.

Description:

This white paper presents Statistics Canada’s planned approach to the 2021 Census of Population and provides a clear explanation of the processes behind the census program, touching on historical, legal, operational and content aspects. Statistics Canada recognizes that it is important to not only successfully conduct the census, but also to be transparent and informative about the way in which those efforts are accomplished. Painting a Portrait of Canada: The 2021 Census of Population gives readers an exclusive, detailed look at how census data is collected, analyzed and given back to Canadians, in the form of high-quality statistical information, used to make evidence-based decisions in Canadian society.

Description:

This fact sheet offers a concise overview of updated—new or modified—content for the 2021 Census of Population that is specific to the theme of family and demographic concepts, and activities of daily living, which includes the following topics: demographic concepts, sex at birth and gender, and activities of daily living. The changes considered for these topics are explained, along with the resulting approach for 2021.

Description:

This fact sheet offers a concise overview of updated—new or modified—content for the 2021 Census of Population that is specific to the theme of immigration, ethnocultural diversity and languages in Canada, which includes the following topics: immigration and citizenship, place of birth of person/parents, ethnic or cultural origins, population groups, religion, language, and minority language educational rights. The changes considered for these topics are explained, along with the resulting approach for 2021.

Description:

This fact sheet offers a concise overview of updated—new or modified—content for the 2021 Census of Population that is specific to the theme of Indigenous peoples, which includes the following topics: returning content, membership within a Métis organization or Settlement, and enrollment under an Inuit land claims agreement. The changes considered for these topics are explained, along with the resulting approach for 2021.