Knowledge of Inuktut among Inuit in Nunavut

Release date: May 7, 2025
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Infographic: Knowledge of Inuktut among Inuit in Nunavut
Description: Knowledge of Inuktut among Inuit in Nunavut

In 2022, 52% of Inuit aged 6 and over reported speaking InuktutNote 1 very well.

Younger Inuit were less likely to speak Inuktut very well.

Table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 1 Ability to speak Inuktut, Very well and Relatively well, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
  Ability to speak Inuktut
Very well Relatively well
percent
6 to 14 years 35 12
15 to 24 years 40 16
25 to 54 years 59 18
55 years and over 78 13

Importance of speaking and understanding Inuktut

In 2022, 80% of Inuit aged 15 and over in Nunavut reported that speaking and understanding Inuktut was very important to them, down from 86% in 2017.

Table 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Table 2 Very important to speak and understand Inuktut, Men+2 and Women+, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
  Very important to speak and understand Inuktut
Men+Note 2 Women+
percent
15 to 24 years 60 74
25 to 54 years 79 86
55 years and over 85 94

Daily exposure of Inuit children to Inuktut

Table 3 Daily exposure of Inuit children to Inuktut
Table summary
This table displays the results of Daily exposure of Inuit children to Inuktut At home, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
  At home
percent
1 to 5 years 80
6 to 14 years 73

In Nunavut, 90% of Inuit children aged 6 to 14 have been taught Inuktut at school.

Sources: Statistics Canada, Indigenous Peoples Survey, 2017 and 2022.

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Published by authority of the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada.

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Industry, 2025

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

Catalogue no. 11-627-M

Frequency: Occasional

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