Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series
Languages in Nunavut, 2021

by Daphne Fernandes, Paula Arriagada and Étienne Lemyre

Release date: November 7, 2024
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The analytical report “Languages in Nunavut, 2021” is also available in Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun in PDF.

Acknowledgments

This report is the result of a collaboration between the Government of Nunavut’s Department of Culture and Heritage and Statistics Canada’s Center for Demography and Center for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships.

This study was made possible thanks to the valuable comments, insights and work of several key contributors. In particular the authors would like to thank Pierre Ducy, Allison Seguin, Isabelle Dika and Taylor Lavallee from the Government of Nunavut's Department of Culture and Heritage, Éric Caron-Malenfant, Marie Desnoyers, Julien Acaffou, and Mélanie Bélanger from Statistics Canada’s Center for Demography, as well as Vivian O’Donnell, Thomas Anderson and Tommy Akulukjuk from Statistics Canada’s Center for Indigenous Statistics and Partnerships.

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Highlights
  • In 2021, close to two-thirds of Nunavut residents reported Inuktut as their mother tongue, alone or together with another language (62.7%), while one-third reported English as their sole mother tongue (33.1%). Among Inuit, 73.1% had Inuktut as their mother tongue, where Inuktut collectively refers to Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and other Inuit languages.
  • Younger Inuit were less likely to report Inuktut as their mother tongue than older Inuit: 65.6% of Inuit under the age of 15 had Inuktut among their mother tongues, compared with 90.9% of Inuit aged 55 and over.
  • Over two thirds of Nunavut residents could converse in more than one language (68.0%) in 2021. The most common forms of bilingualism were Inuktut-English (62.4%) and English–French (3.8%).
  • In 2021, 70.0% of Nunavut residents could conduct a conversation in Inuktut, alone or together with another language. In contrast, 94.1% of Nunavut residents could conduct a conversation in English, and 4.0% could converse in French.
  • Among Inuit, 81.0% could converse in Inuktut. Younger Inuit were less likely to report the ability to converse in Inuktut, with 73.7% of Inuit aged under 15 having knowledge of the language, compared with 96.2% of those aged 55 and over. Among non-Inuit, 8.6% had knowledge of Inuktut, with non-Inuit youth aged 15 to 24 having the highest proportion, at 15.4%.
  • In 2021, about three in four Nunavut residents spoke English at home at least on a regular basis (71.9%), alone or together with another language, with English being the predominant home language of 46.6% of residents. In contrast, 64.6% of Nunavut residents spoke Inuktut at home at least on a regular basis, and 41.4% predominantly spoke Inuktut at home. Compared with English (40.2%), Inuktut remained the predominant home language of a larger proportion of Inuit (48.4%).
  • Nearly all workers used English at work at least on a regular basis in Nunavut (94.6%), while 42.8% used Inuktut at least on a regular basis. Among Inuit workers, 43.2% used Inuktut most often at work, alone or together with another language.
  • Three-quarters of Nunavut residents with Inuktitut as a mother tongue spoke the language predominantly at home (74.1%). In contrast, among people whose mother tongue is Inuinnaqtun, one-fifth (20.2%) spoke the language predominantly at home.
  • About half of people with Inuinnaqtun as their mother tongue were aged 55 and over. However, people who could conduct a conversation in Inuinnaqtun as a second language had a lower median age than mother tongue speakers (35 years versus 54 years), meaning that younger people were learning Inuinnaqtun as a second language.
  • Among children born to English-mother-tongue mothers, 94.2% had the same mother tongue as their mother, alone or together with another language. This proportion was lower among children born to mothers whose mother tongue is Inuktitut (86.4%) or Inuinnaqtun (23.1%).
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1. Introduction

Nunavut stands out in Canada: two-thirds of its population report an Inuit identity, and Nunavut boasts the highest rate of bilingualism among provinces and territories. In 2021, 68.0% of NunavummiutNote  could conduct a conversation in two or more languages, for the most part in Inuktitut and English. Nunavut’s multilingualism is reflected in the fact it has four official languages: Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun,Note  English and French.

Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and other Inuit languages are collectively referred to as Inuktut languages. The Inuktut languages are indigenous to Inuit Nunangat,Note  which Nunavut is a part of, and most speakers of Inuktut languages are Inuit.

While language is a vector for culture and identity, Indigenous languages have seen challenges to their sustained use. In Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission documented the lasting impacts of discriminatory colonial policies that aimed to eradicate the use of Inuktut and other Indigenous languages, notably through the residential school system.Note  According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), numerous Indigenous languages in Canada and around the world are losing speakers and see their future threatened.Note  The organization launched the International Decade of Indigenous Languages in 2022 to shed light on the issue.

The persisting and renewed use of Inuktut languages in Nunavut is a priority for the territorial government. A longstanding goal of the Government of Nunavut is to promote and support the use of Inuktut languages in all spheres of society, be it in school, at work, or when accessing services provided by the government or by the private sector, all while preserving the rights of English and French speakers. The intended result is a fully bilingual society.Note  In this context, the Government of Nunavut mandated Statistics Canada to produce the 2019 report entitled “Evolution of the language situation in Nunavut, 2001 to 2016” to assess the progress towards this objective.

The findings highlighted in the 2019 reportNote  included, for instance, that while the number of Nunavut residents whose mother tongue is Inuktut or who could conduct a conversation in Inuktut is increasing, their proportion has decreased from 2001 to 2016, especially in the Kitikmeot region of western Nunavut. In particular, the rate of transmission of Inuktut from parents to children has been decreasing. However, a growing proportion of Nunavut residents spoke Inuktut at home, although increasingly as a second language rather than as a main language.

Now that results from the 2021 Census are available, the Government of Nunavut mandated Statistics Canada to provide an up-to-date picture of the language situation in Nunavut with results from the latest census. This report covers the mother tongues and languages known, spoken at home or used at work among Inuit and non-Inuit Nunavummiut. To provide explanation and context for these trends, this report also examines factors associated with the growth or decline in the number of speakers of Nunavut’s official languages, such as the intergenerational transmission of language, home language retention, and migrations to and from the territory. Key census results for each of Nunavut’s three regions (Qikiqtaaluk, Kivalliq and Kitikmeot) and 25 communities are provided in the appendix.

In addition, the report provides results from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey that inform other aspects of the language situation of Nunavut, such as the self-rated ability to speak and understand Inuktut and the perceived importance of speaking an Indigenous language.

1.1 Data sources and limits

This report is based on data from the 2021 Census of Population and the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

The 2021 Census of Population offers the most complete and up-to-date portrait of the languages known and spoken by the population of Nunavut. However, data collection for the 2021 Census of Population occurred in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which presented unique challenges compared with past cycles. Some of these challenges, such as travel restrictions and unavailability of local staff, affected in-person enumeration. In fact, in 2021, early enumeration did not take place as it did in the past in Nunavut, and data collection extended into the summer, when many residents of Nunavut are away from home.

The 2021 Census of Population in Nunavut differed from previous censuses because of a higher rate of census net undercoverage,Note  the introduction of self-enumerationNote  and more extensive data imputation.Note  In addition, changes to the two-part questions on languages spoken at home and languages used at work affected comparability with previous censuses.Note 

Because of the important differences between the 2021 Census and prior censuses in Nunavut, data users should be cautious when comparing 2021 Census results on languages in Nunavut with those of past cycles. In this report, selected comparisons with prior cycles appear in text boxes where interpretations consider the specific circumstances of the 2021 Census.

In Nunavut, the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey covered the Indigenous population aged 15 and over. Missing values (“don’t know,” “not stated” and “refusal”) were excluded from the denominator when calculating percentages. In 2022, the Aboriginal Peoples Survey was renamed the Indigenous Peoples Survey. At the time this report was written, the 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey data were not yet available.

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Box A: Concepts

Inuit identity refers to whether a person identified as Inuk (Inuit) in the census.

Mother tongue refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the person at the time the data were collected.

Knowledge of a language refers to whether a person reported they could conduct a conversation in the language.

Language spoken at home refers to a language a person spoke at home on a regular basis at the time of data collection. People can report speaking languages at home at various frequencies. A language is the only language spoken at home when it is the only language reported by the person. A language is mostly spoken at home when it is the only language spoken most often at home, but another language is also spoken on a regular basis as a secondary language. People who only or mostly speak a given language at home speak the language predominantly. A language is spoken equally often at home when another language is also spoken most often. A language is spoken only on a regular basis as a secondary language when another language is spoken most often at home.

Language used at work refers to a language a person used at work on a regular basis at the time of data collection. People can report using languages at work at various frequencies. A language is the only language used at work when it is the only language reported by the person. A language is mostly used at work when it is the only language used most often at work, but another language is also used on a regular basis as a secondary language. People who use only or mostly a given language at work use the language predominantly. A language is used equally often at work when another language is also used most often. A language is used only on a regular basis as a secondary language when another language is used most often at work. Information on languages used at work is presented for people who were employed during the census reference week.Note 

In this report, the term region refers to census divisions. The term community refers to census subdivisions with a census population of 50 people or more.

map A1

Description of Map A1

This map shows the population size in the 25 communities of Nunavut in 2021. In this report, a community is a census subdivision (CSD) with a population of at least 50 people.

On the map, the 3 regions of Nunavut are represented by 3 different colours, where Qikiqtaaluk is represented by green, Kivalliq by blue and Kitikmeot by red. The communities are represented by circles whose size corresponds to the population size of that community.

There are 6 communities in Qikiqtaaluk (Grise Fiord, Resolute, Arctic Bay, Qikiqtarjuaq, Hall Beach and Kimmirut) with a population size between 145 and 999.

There are 5 communities in Qikiqtaaluk (Pond Inlet, Pangnirtung, Cape Dorset, Clyde River and Sanikiluaq) with a population size between 1,000 and 1,999.

There is 1 community in Qikiqtaaluk (Igloolik) with a population size between 2,000 and 2,999.

There is 1 community in Qikiqtaaluk (Iqaluit) with a population size between 3,000 and 7,420.

There are 2 communities in Kivalliq (Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove) with a population size between 145 and 999.

There are 2 communities in Kivalliq (Coral Harbour and Naujaat) with a population size between 1,000 and 1,999.

There are 3 communities in Kivalliq (Baker Lake, Arviat and Rankin Inlet) with a population size between 2,000 and 2,999.

There is 1 community in Kitikmeot (Taloyoak) with a population size between 145 and 999.

There are 4 communities in Kitikmeot (Kugaaruk, Gjoa Haven, Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay) with a population size between 1,000 and 1,999.

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2. Inuit identity

Inuit have inhabited the territory of Nunavut since time immemorial. In the Census of Population, people report whether they identify as Inuk (Inuit). In this report, the Inuit population comprises all individuals who reported an Inuit identity, alone or in combination with another Indigenous identity.

In 2021, there were 31,050 Inuit in Nunavut, accounting for 84.4% of the total Nunavut population. Chart 2.1 shows the age structure of the Nunavut population in 2021, by Inuit identity. The comparison between the Inuit and non-Inuit populations in 2021 shows a clear disparity in the age distribution, with Inuit being on average younger than non-Inuit. For instance, in 2021, more than one-third of Inuit were aged under 15 (36.0%), compared with 15.8% of non-Inuit. In contrast, most of the non-Inuit population was in the core working-age group, aged 25 to 54 (57.4%), while a smaller proportion of Inuit was in this group (35.8%).

Chart 2.1 :

Data table for Chart 2.1 
Data table for chart 2.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 2.1. The information is grouped by Age group (appearing as row headers), Inuit and Non-Inuit, calculated using number of people units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Age group Inuit Non-Inuit
number of people
80 years and over 160 15
75 to 79 years 190 20
70 to 74 years 405 70
65 to 69 years 520 195
60 to 64 years 820 350
55 to 59 years 1,145 450
50 to 54 years 1,485 495
45 to 49 years 1,400 510
40 to 44 years 1,550 550
35 to 39 years 1,745 595
30 to 34 years 2,415 590
25 to 29 years 2,510 450
20 to 24 years 2,620 210
15 to 19 years 2,900 170
10 to 14 years 3,475 215
5 to 9 years 3,695 295
0 to 4 years 4,015 365
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Because of these differences in age distribution, the proportion of the population who reported an Inuit identity is higher among younger Nunavut residents. While 84.4% of all Nunavut residents were Inuit, 92.7% of those aged under 15 identified as Inuit. In contrast, just under three in four Nunavut residents aged 35 and over (74.4%) were Inuit.

3. Languages in 2021

3.1  Mother tongue

In 2021, 62.7% of the Nunavut population reported an Inuktut language as their mother tongue, alone or together with another language. More specifically, over half of Nunavut residents reported Inuktitut as their only mother tongue (52.2%), whereas 0.6% reported Inuinnaqtun as their sole mother tongue.

Chart 3.1.1 :

Data table for Chart 3.1.1 
Data table for chart 3.1.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.1.1. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Percentage of population (appearing as column headers).
Languages Percentage of population
Inuktut 62.7
Inuktitut only 52.2
Inuinnaqtun only 0.6
Inuktut n.i.e. 0.1
Inuktut and English 9.8
English only 33.1
French only 1.4
Other languages 2.9
Notes: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language. Inuktut n.i.e. includes single and multiple Inuktut responses not included elsewhere.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

In total, 42.8% of Nunavut residents reported English as one of their mother tongues, with 33.1% reporting English only and 9.8% reporting both Inuktut and English as their mother tongues. People who participated in the 2021 Census were more likely to report multiple mother tongues than in prior censuses in Canada as a whole and in Nunavut in particular.Note 

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Increases in the population with an Inuktut mother tongue stop in the 2021 Census

The number of Nunavut residents reporting Inuktut as their mother tongue increased with each census from 2001 to 2016, from 19,040 to 23,215 people. However, in 2021, the number of people with an Inuktut mother tongue, alone or together with another language, decreased by 300 speakers. The decline was more significant among those reporting only Inuktut as their mother tongue (-3,225 speakers). However, demographic factors alone (births, deaths, migration) cannot explain this decrease.

The census population in Nunavut was lower than expected in 2021, largely because of factors associated with enumeration in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This lower census population is likely to have impacted the number of speakers of Inuktut enumerated in the 2021 Census.

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About three-quarters (73.1%) of the Inuit population reported an Inuktut mother tongue in 2021, alone or in combination with another language, whereas 4.6% of non-Inuit reported the same. About two in five Inuit reported English as one of their mother tongues (38.1%).

English was the most reported mother tongue among non-Inuit, followed by French (8.8%). In addition, about one in five non-Inuit reported languages other than Inuktut, English or French as their mother tongue in 2021 (18.0%). Among these other languages, Tagalog (240 speakers), Spanish (55 speakers), Arabic (45 speakers) and Urdu (30 speakers) were the most commonly reported.

Chart 3.1.2 :

Data table for Chart 3.1.2 
Data table for chart 3.1.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.1.2 Inuktut, Inuktut and English, English only, French only and Other languages, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Inuktut Inuktut and English English only French only Other languages
percentage of population
Total 52.9 9.8 33.1 1.4 2.9
Inuit 61.7 11.4 26.7 0.1 0.2
Non-inuit 3.6 1.0 68.7 8.8 18.0
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language, excluding Inuktut with English.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Chart 3.1.3 shows the distribution of mother tongues by age group among Inuit in 2021. The proportion of Inuit who reported Inuktut as their only mother tongue was lower among younger age groups, at 54.4% among children aged under 15 years and at 80.2% among adults aged 55 years and older. Over 1 in 10 Inuit reported Inuktut and English as their mother tongues across all age groups.

Chart 3.1.3 :

Data table for Chart 3.1.3 
Data table for chart 3.1.3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.1.3. The information is grouped by Age group (appearing as row headers), Inuktut, Inuktut and English, English and Other languages, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Age group Inuktut Inuktut and English English Other languages
percentage of population
0 to 14 years 54.4 11.2 34.1 0.3
15 to 24 years 58.2 10.6 31.0 0.3
25 to 39 years 61.9 12.0 25.9 0.3
40 to 54 years 70.5 12.5 16.8 0.2
55 years and over 80.2 10.7 8.9 0.2
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language, excluding Inuktut with English.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

In contrast, the proportion of Inuit who reported only English as their mother tongue was higher in younger age groups. About one-third (34.1%) of Inuit children (0 to 14 years) had English as their only mother tongue, and this proportion was 8.9% among Inuit aged 55 years and over.

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The relative proportion of people with an Inuktut mother tongue is decreasing in Nunavut

The proportion of Nunavut residents whose sole mother tongue was Inuktut decreased from 2001 (69.6%) to 2016 (61.9%). This trend continued in 2021, with the proportion falling to 52.9%. However, this decrease was less steep when taking into account all people who reported an Inuktut mother tongue, alone or together with another language—their proportion went from 65.3% in 2016 to 62.6% in 2021, down from 71.2% in 2001. The proportion of Inuit who reported an Inuktut mother tongue, alone or together with another language, also decreased from 2001 (84.3%) to 2016 (76.6%) and 2021 (73.1%).

People who participated in the 2021 Census were more likely to report multiple mother tongues than in past cycles. This was observed in Canada as a whole and in Nunavut in particular. In Nunavut, the introduction of self-enumeration and the electronic questionnaire for the 2021 Census might have played a role, among other factors, with more people providing a different response to the mother tongue question compared with past cycles, by reporting for example both Inuktut and English as mother tongues rather than only Inuktut.

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3.2  Knowledge of languages

In the census, the knowledge of a language refers to the capacity to conduct a conversation in that language. 

In 2021, over two-thirds of Nunavut residents reported being able to converse in Inuktut in 2021, alone or in combination with another language (70.0%). About 4 out of 5 Inuit reported being able to speak in Inuktitut specifically (79.4%) whereas only 8.5% non-Inuit could converse in the language in 2021. A much smaller proportion of Nunavut residents reported ability to converse in Inuinnaqtun (1.4%).

Chart 3.2.1 :

Data table for Chart 3.2.1 
Data table for chart 3.2.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.2.1 Total, Inuit and Non-Inuit, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Total Inuit Non-Inuit
percentage of population
Inuktut 70.0 81.0 8.6
Inuktitut 68.7 79.4 8.5
Inuinnaqtun 1.4 1.7 0.1
English 94.1 93.3 99.1
French 4.0 0.8 21.7
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Over 9 in 10 people in Nunavut reported being able to conduct a conversation in English, alone or in combination with another language (94.1%). As highlighted by chart 3.2.1, this proportion varied by Inuit identity, the proportion of persons who could converse in English being marginally lower among the Inuit (93.3%) than among the non-Inuit (99.1%).

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The proportion of Inuit who report knowledge of Inuktut is trending downward, while the proportion is increasing among non-Inuit

The proportion of Inuit who could conduct a conversation in Inuktut slightly decreased from 2001 (91.5%) to 2016 (89.0%). This proportion fell markedly in 2021 to 81.0%. Knowledge of Inuktut among Inuit decreased among all age groups from 2016 to 2021, especially among people aged under 55 years. While people may lose the capacity to conduct a conversation in a language over time, these results might also be explained by the specific circumstances of enumeration in the 2021 Census.

Among non-Inuit, the proportion who could conduct a conversation in Inuktut rose from 7.3% in 2001 to 8.3% in 2016, and continued growing in 2021, reaching 8.6%.

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Charts 3.2.2 and 3.2.3 compare the knowledge of languages of Inuit and non-Inuit by age group.

The proportion of Inuit who reported being able to converse in an Inuktut language was higher among older age groups. The proportion of Inuit who could conduct a conversation in Inuktut ranged from 73.7% among children (under 15 years) to 96.2% among older adults (55 years and over).

Chart 3.2.2 :

Data table for Chart 3.2.2 
Data table for chart 3.2.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.2.2. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Total, 0 to 14 years, 15 to 24 years, 25 to 39 years, 40 to 54 years and 55 years and over, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Total 0 to 14 years 15 to 24 years 25 to 39 years 40 to 54 years 55 years and over
percentage of population
Inuktut 81.0 73.7 76.9 82.6 91.0 96.2
English 93.3 85.6 99.1 99.4 98.1 90.2
French 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.2 0.7
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Over 9 in 10 Inuit reported the ability to conduct a conversation in English across all age groups, except children aged 0 to 14 years, among whom the proportion of English speakers was a little lower (85.6%). In 2021, almost all non-Inuit reported being able to converse in English (99.1%).

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Box B: How important is it to Inuit in Nunavut to speak and understand an Indigenous language? How often are they exposed to an Indigenous language?

The vast majority of Inuit aged 15 and over in Nunavut reported that speaking and understanding an Indigenous language was important. Among the 19,720 Inuit aged 15 and over living in Nunavut in 2017, as estimated by the Aboriginal Peoples Survey, about 9 in 10 (86%) reported that it was “very important,” and another 1 in 10 (11%) said that it was “somewhat important.” The remaining Inuit of this age group in the territory said that speaking and understanding an Indigenous language was either “not very important” or “not important” or reported not having an opinion on the subject.

Almost all Inuit aged 15 and over in Nunavut (99%) reported that they were exposed to an Indigenous language either at home or outside the home. Many were frequently exposed to an Indigenous language in both environments. In 2017, about 8 in 10 (78%) of the 19,720 Inuit aged 15 and over living in Nunavut reported being exposed to an Indigenous language “on a daily basis” both at home and outside the home.

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Chart 3.2.3 :

Data table for Chart 3.2.3 
Data table for chart 3.2.3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.2.3. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Total, 0 to 14 years, 15 to 24 years, 25 to 39 years, 40 to 54 years and 55 years and over, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Total 0 to 14 years 15 to 24 years 25 to 39 years 40 to 54 years 55 years and over
percentage of population
Inuktut 8.6 9.6 15.4 7.7 7.4 8.4
English 99.1 95.6 100.0 99.8 99.7 99.5
French 21.7 20.5 15.2 25.6 22.1 18.5
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

In 2021, while over four in five Inuit could conduct a conversation in Inuktut (81.0%), a much lower proportion of non-Inuit could converse in the language (8.6%). However, this proportion was almost double among non-Inuit aged 15 to 24, 15.4% of whom could conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

About one in five non-Inuit in Nunavut could conduct a conversation in French (21.7%). This was the case of 1.0% of Inuit.

Over half of Nunavut residents (53.8%) who reported knowledge of English did not acquire English as their mother tongue but instead learned English later in life, as a second language. This proportion was highest among Inuit, three in five of whom learned English as a second language (59.2%).

Chart 3.2.4 :

Data table for Chart 3.2.4 
Data table for chart 3.2.4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.2.4. The information is grouped by Knowledge of languages (appearing as row headers), Mother tongue speakers and Second language speakers, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Knowledge of languages Mother tongue speakers Second language speakers
percentage of population
Total
Inuktitut 88.6 11.4
Inuinnaqtun 63.9 36.1
English 46.2 53.8
French 44.5 55.5
Inuit
Inuktitut 89.3 10.7
Inuinnaqtun 64.5 35.5
English 40.8 59.2
French 25.9 74.1
Non-Inuit
Inuktitut 51.3 48.7
Inuinnaqtun 14.3 85.7
English 74.8 25.2
French 48.7 51.3
Source: Statistics Canada, Censuses of Population, 2021.

About 1 in 10 Nunavut residents who could converse in Inuktitut spoke it as a second language (11.4%), whereas almost 4 in 10 Inuinnaqtun speakers had learned it as a second language (36.1%). Almost half of non-Inuit who could speak Inuktitut had learned it as a second language (48.7%), while 10.7% of Inuit who could conduct a conversation in Inuktitut were second-language speakers.

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Box C: How well is Inuktut spoken: very well, relatively well, with effort or only a few words? How well is Inuktut understood?

The previous section showed information about Inuit in Nunavut who spoke Inuktut well enough to conduct a conversation based on census data. In Box C, language data from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey are used to provide complementary insights into how Inuit in Nunavut rated their ability to speak Inuktut, from “only a few words” to “very well,” in addition to how well they understood the language.

In 2017, among the estimated 19,720 Inuit aged 15 and over living in Nunavut, 97% said that they could speak at least a few words of Inuktut.

The majority of Inuit aged 15 and over in Nunavut who spoke Inuktut in 2017 said they speak it “very well” (65%), while another 15% said they speak it “relatively well.” By contrast, 11% were able to speak “only a few words” of Inuktut, while the remaining 9% said they could speak it “with effort”  (Chart C.1).Note 

However, a minimal ability to speak Inuktut does not necessarily mean that the language is not well understood. Among the 3,700 Inuit aged 15 and over who spoke Inuktut with effort or who could speak only a few words, about 40% reported being able to understand it either “relatively well” or “very well.”

Chart C.1 :

Data table for Chart C.1 
Data table for chart C.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart C.1 Speaks very well, Speaks relatively well, Speaks with effort and Speak only a few words, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Speaks very well Speaks relatively well Speaks with effort Speak only a few words
percent
Inuit aged 15 and over speaking Inuktut 65 15 9 11
Note: Missing values ("don't know", "not stated" and "refusal") were excluded from the denominator when calculating percentages.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

The self-rated ability to speak Inuktut varied by age group. Older adults were more likely to speak Inuktut well compared with Inuit youth. Among Inuktut speakers, almost all Inuit aged 55 and over (97%) and about 84% of Inuit aged 25 to 54 reported speaking Inuktut very well or relatively well. The proportion was lower for Inuit youth. Among Inuit youth aged 15 to 24 who could speak Inuktut, about 65% said they speak the language very well or relatively well (Chart C.2).

While about one-third of Inuit youth reported speaking Inuktut with effort or only a few words, a number could understand it very well or relatively well. Among the 1,870 Inuit youth aged 15 to 24 who were unable to speak Inuktut well, 37% could still understand it well.

Chart C.2 :

Data table for Chart C.2 
Data table for chart C.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart C.2 Speaks very well or relatively well , Speaks with effort or only a few words, percentage and 95% confidence interval, calculated using lower limit and upper limit units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Speaks very well or relatively well Speaks with effort or only a few words
percentage 95% confidence interval percentage 95% confidence interval
lower limit upper limit lower limit upper limit
Aged 15 and over 80 78 83 20 17 22
Aged 15 to 24 65Note * 60 70 35 30 39
Aged 25 to 54 84Data table for chart C.2 Note † 80 87 16 13 20
Aged 55 and over 97Note * 94 98 3Note E: Use with caution 2 6
E use with caution
Note *

significantly different from the reference category (p<0.05)

Return to note * referrer

Note †

reference group

Return to note † referrer

Notes: The vertical lines on each bar represent 95% confidence intervals. Missing values (“don’t know”, “not stated” and “refusal”) were excluded from the denominator calculating percentages.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.
End of text box

3.3 Bilingualism and multilingualism

Bilingualism refers to the capacity to conduct a conversation in two languages, while multilingualism refers to the ability to converse in three languages or more.

Among Canada’s provinces and territories, Nunavut stands out as having the highest rate of bilingualism among its population. In 2021, over two-thirds of the Nunavut population could conduct a conversation in two or more languages (68.0%), with about 2.2% among them being able to converse in three or more languages. In 2021, the rate of bilingualism was higher among Inuit (73.9%) than among non-Inuit (35.2%). However, about 1 in 10 non-Inuit could converse in three or more languages (9.8%), while very few Inuit could (0.9%). 

Chart 3.3.1 :

Data table for Chart 3.3.1 
Data table for chart 3.3.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.3.1 Monolingual, Bilingual and Mutilingual, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Monolingual Bilingual Mutilingual
percentage of population
Total 29.8 68.0 2.2
Inuit 25.2 73.9 0.9
Non-Inuit 55.0 35.2 9.8
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

The most common form of bilingualism observed among Inuit was Inuktitut-English: almost three in four Inuit (72.3%) reported they could converse in both Inuktitut and English in 2021. In contrast with Inuit, the most common form of bilingualism reported by non-Inuit in Nunavut was English and French. In 2021, one in five non-Inuit reported being able to converse in both English and French (21.0%).

Chart 3.3.2 :

Data table for Chart 3.3.2 
Data table for chart 3.3.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.3.2. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Total, Inuit and Non-Inuit, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Total Inuit Non-Inuit
percentage of population
Inuktitut and English 62.4 72.3 7.2
English and French 3.8 0.7 21.0
English and non-official languages 2.6 0.1 16.6
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

3.4 Languages spoken at home

Many Nunavut residents speak more than one language at home. In 2021, about two in five Nunavut residents spoke two languages or more at least on a regular basis at home (40.6%). In contrast, this proportion was 18.6% in Canada as a whole.

English was the most commonly spoken home language in Nunavut, with about three-quarters (71.9%) of Nunavut residents speaking English at home at least on a regular basis, alone or together with another language. Close to half of Nunavut residents predominantly spoke English at home (46.6%), meaning they spoke this language most often at home, without speaking other languages equally often.


Table 3.4
Distribution of languages spoken at home by frequency, Nunavut, 2021
Table summary
This table displays the results of Distribution of languages spoken at home by frequency. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Frequency of language spoken at home, Total, Only, Mostly, Equally and Regularly, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Frequency of language spoken at home
Total Only language spoken at home Language spoken most often, with another language spoken on a regular basis Language spoken equally most often with another language Language spoken on a regular basis, with another language spoken most often
number percent number percent number percent number percent number percent
Inuktut 23,630 64.6 9,885 27.0 5,260 14.4 3,525 9.6 4,955 13.5
Inuktitut 23,280 63.6 9,855 26.9 5,225 14.3 3,485 9.5 4,725 12.9
Inuinnaqtun 340 0.9 30 0.1 25 0.1 40 0.1 240 0.7
English 26,315 71.9 11,630 31.8 5,425 14.8 3,760 10.3 5,500 15.0
French 705 1.9 235 0.6 105 0.3 110 0.3 260 0.7
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of population.

Inuktut was the second most commonly spoken language at home in the territory, with almost two-thirds of people in Nunavut speaking Inuktut at home at least on a regular basis (64.6%). In particular, 41.4% of the Nunavut population predominantly spoke Inuktitut at home in 2021.

However, Inuktut remained the language spoken predominantly at home by the largest share of Inuit (48.4%), as seen in Chart 3.4.1. Furthermore, about 1 in 10 Inuit in Nunavut spoke equally most often a combination of Inuktut and English at home (11.2%) in 2021. Among non-Inuit, 2.1% spoke Inuktut predominantly at home and 0.8% spoke Inuktut and English equally most often.

Chart 3.4.1 :

Data table for Chart 3.4.1 
Data table for chart 3.4.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.4.1 English only, Inuktut and English, Inuktut, French only and Other languages, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
English only Inuktut and English Inuktut French only Other languages
percentage of population
Total 46.6 9.6 41.4 0.9 1.5
Inuit 40.2 11.2 48.4 0.1 0.1
Non-Inuit 82.3 0.8 2.1 5.8 9.1
Note: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language, excluding Inuktut with English.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

The proportion of Inuit who predominantly spoke English at home was half that of non-Inuit (40.2% among Inuit and 82.3% among non-Inuit). Almost one in six non-Inuit predominantly spoke a language other than English or Inuktut at home (14.8%), such as French (5.8%). Very few Inuit predominantly spoke a language other than English or Inuktut at home (0.1%).

Start of text box

Change to the question on languages spoken at home in the 2021 Census

In the 2021 Census, the wording of the question on languages spoken at home was modified to improve data quality and alleviate response burden. Across Canada, this change impacted the comparability of results pertaining to all languages spoken at home and languages spoken at home on a regular basis, which should not be compared with those of prior cycles. The results on languages spoken most often at home remain comparable with those of prior cycles in Canada, with caution when interpreting multiple responses.

The change to the home language question occurred in the context of challenges with data collection in Nunavut in 2021. In Nunavut, the proportion of Inuit speaking Inuktut predominantly at home fell from 67.4% in 2001 to 58.4% in 2016, and then decreased to 48.4% in 2021. However, the proportion of Inuit who spoke both Inuktut and English equally most often at home increased from 1.6% in 2016 to 11.2% in 2021. As a result, the proportion of Inuit who spoke Inuktut most often at home, alone or together with English, remained fairly stable (from 60.0% in 2016 to 59.6% in 2021).

Among non-Inuit, the proportion who spoke predominantly Inuktut at home increased from 2001 (0.8%) to 2016 (1.4%) and 2021 (2.1%).

End of text box

3.5 Languages used at work

Nunavut workers were more likely to use more than one language at work than other workers in Canada. In 2021, about two in five Nunavut workersNote  used more than one language at work (39.7%), while this was the case for 11.7% of workers nationally.

English was overall the most commonly used language in Nunavut workplaces: 94.6% of workers reported using it at least on a regular basis, alone or together with another language, while 42.8% of workers reported using Inuktitut at least on a regular basis. In contrast, 2.5% of workers used French at work at least on a regular basis, and very few workers used Inuinnaqtun (0.5%).

Almost three out of four Nunavut workers (70.1%) reported predominantly using English at work, while 17.6% predominantly used Inuktut.


Table 3.5
Distribution of languages used at work by frequency, Nunavut, 2021
Table summary
This table displays the results of Distribution of languages used at work by frequency. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Frequency of language spoken at work, Total, Only, Mostly, Equally and Regularly, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Frequency of language spoken at work
Total Only language used at work Language used most often, with another language used on a regular basis Language used equally most often with another language Language used on a regular basis, with another language used most often
number percent number percent number percent number percent number percent
Inuktut 5,115 42.8 625 5.2 1,485 12.4 1,390 11.6 1,610 13.5
Inuktitut 5,055 42.3 625 5.2 1,485 12.4 1,380 11.6 1,580 13.2
Inuinnaqtun 60 0.5 - 0.0 - 0.0 10 0.1 45 0.4
English 11,295 94.6 6,560 54.9 1,815 15.2 1,405 11.8 1,510 12.6
French 295 2.5 25 0.2 20 0.2 25 0.2 225 1.9
Note: Percentage of people was calculated for each language using total number of employed persons (aged 15 years and older) during the week of Sunday, May 2 to Saturday, May 8, 2021.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Chart 3.5.1 shows that a majority of Inuit workers predominantly worked in English (56.8%), while 43.2% of Inuit workers used Inuktut most often at work, alone or in combination with English.

Chart 3.5.1 :

Data table for Chart 3.5.1 
Data table for chart 3.5.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 3.5.1 Inuktut, Inuktut and English, English only, French only and Other languages, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Inuktut Inuktut and English English only French only Other languages
percentage of population
Total 17.7 11.6 70.1 0.4 0.2
Inuit 26.2 17.0 56.8 0.0 0.0
Non-Inuit 0.5 0.7 97.1 1.2 0.5
Notes: Inuktut includes all mentions of Inuktut alone or in combination with another language, excluding Inuktut with English. Percentage of people was calculated for each language using total number of employed persons (aged 15 years and older) during the week of Sunday, May 2 to Saturday, May 8, 2021.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Nearly all non-Inuit workers used English predominantly at work (97.1%) in 2021, while only 1.2 % of non-Inuit workers used Inuktut most often at work, alone or in combination with English.

Overall, 30.2% of workers were employed in public administration. A similar proportion of workers who predominantly used English at work were employed in this sector (32.6%). Additionally, over one-quarter of the workers who used a combination of Inuktitut and English (27.2%) and just under one-quarter of those who used only Inuktitut most often (24.1%) at work were employed in the public administration sector.

Start of text box

Change to the question on languages used at work in the 2021 Census

In the 2021 Census, the wording of the question on languages used at work was changed to improve data quality and alleviate response burden. Across Canada, this change impacted the comparability of results pertaining to languages used at work on a regular basis or equally most often with another language. In Nunavut in particular, the change to the question occurred in the context of challenges to enumeration.Note  Moreover, data collection occurred in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted the world of work, such as employment rates, the distribution of employment in different industry sectors, and the occurrence of work from home.Note 

In Nunavut, the proportion of Inuit workers using Inuktut predominantly at work fell from 45.3% in 2001 to 36.1% in 2016, and then to 26.2% in 2021. In contrast, few Inuit workers reported using Inuktut and English equally most often at work in 2016 (2.3%), while their proportion was 17.0% in 2021. Therefore, the proportion of Inuit workers who used Inuktut most often at work, alone or equally most often with another language, rose from 38.3% in 2016 to 43.2% in 2021.

End of text box

Overall, one-third of workers who used an Inuktut language predominantly at work were either in educational services (15.8%) or in wholesale and retail trade (16.3%). A lower proportion of workers working predominantly in English were in these sectors (9.7% and 12.3%, respectively).

Start of text box

Box D: Nunavut Land Claims Agreement beneficiaries in and outside Nunavut

The 2021 Census was the first to collect information on people who are enrolled under, or beneficiaries of, Inuit land claims agreements. These agreements cover issues such as land titles, fishing and trapping rights, and financial compensation.

In 2021, 29,670 Nunavut residents were enrolled under a land claims agreement, representing 81.1% of the territory’s population. Nearly all of them were Inuit (99.8%) and enrolled specifically under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement (99.2%).Note  While some Nunavut Inuit residents were not enrolled under a land claims agreement (1,430 people), 3,880 people who were enrolled under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement resided outside Nunavut. A few of these beneficiaries resided elsewhere in Inuit NunangatNote  (1.8%), but most resided in large urban centresNote  in southern Canada (61.4%), such as Ottawa–Gatineau (24.1%), Winnipeg (7.0%) and Edmonton (6.4%).

Chart D.1 :

Data table for Chart D.1 
Data table for chart D.1
Chart summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart D.1 Total, Reside in Nunavut and Reside outside Nunavut, calculated using percentage units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Total Reside in Nunavut Reside outside Nunavut
percentage
Can conduct a conversation in Inuktut 76.1 82.0 31.2
Has an Inuktut mother tongue 68.7 74.1 27.5
Speaks Inuktut at home at least on a regular basis 69.8 76.0 22.6
Uses Inuktut at work at least on a regular basis 55.9 62.4 14.8
Note: Inuktut alone or in combination with another language. Language of work information includes persons employed during the census reference week.
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.

People enrolled under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement who live outside Inuit Nunangat were less likely to be able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut, have Inuktut as a mother tongue, and speak Inuktut at home or use it at work. About three-quarters of beneficiaries in Nunavut had Inuktut as their mother tongue (74.1%), more specifically either Inuktitut (61.7%), Inuktitut and English (11.2%), Inuinnaqtun (0.7%), or Inuinnaqtun and English (0.4%). Outside Nunavut, a little over one-quarter of beneficiaries had Inuktut as their mother tongue (27.5%), more specifically Inuktitut (21.0%), Inuktitut and English (4.9%), Inuinnaqtun (1.0%), or Inuinnaqtun and English (0.2%).

End of text box

3.6 Differences between regions and communities

Knowledge and use of languages varies by region and community in Nunavut. Key results for each region and community of Nunavut are featured in the appendix.

Almost all Kitikmeot residents were able to converse in English (99.2%), whereas knowledge of the language was not as widespread in Qikiqtaaluk (92.1%) and Kivalliq (94.8%). In contrast, the proportion of residents who could converse in an Inuktut language was almost twice as high in the regions of Qikiqtaaluk (74.2%) and Kivalliq (80.9%) compared with Kitikmeot (38.8%).

About 1 in 20 Nunavut residents could conduct a conversation in French in Nunavut as a whole (4.0%). This proportion was higher in the community of Iqaluit, where almost one in six people (15.2%) could converse in French.

Less than 2% of Nunavut residents could conduct a conversation in Inuinnaqtun, except in the Kitikmeot communities of Kugluktuk (18.3%) and Cambridge Bay (15.0%).

A little under three in four residents in Qikiqtaaluk (70.4%) and Kivalliq (70.7%) had an Inuktut language as their mother tongue, whereas only one in four residents in Kitikmeot (25.7%) reported the same. However, the region of Kitikmeot had almost three times the proportion of residents with only English as their mother tongue (72.4%) compared with the regions of Qikiqtaaluk (23.2%) and Kivalliq (27.4%). Almost 1 in 10 residents (9.6%) in Iqaluit had a mother tongue other than English, French or Inuktut, much higher than the overall proportion for Nunavut (2.9%).

Across Nunavut, over half of residents spoke an Inuktut language most often at home, alone or together with another language (51.0%). This holds true for the regions of Qikiqtaaluk and Kivalliq, where 62.6% and 54.8% of residents respectively spoke an Inuktut language most often at home. In contrast, only 1 in 10 Kitikmeot residents spoke an Inuktut language most often at home (9.5%).

map 3.6.1

Description for Map 3.6.1

This map shows the proportion of the population with an Inuktut mother tongue in the communities of Nunavut in 2021. In this report, a community is a census subdivision with a population of at least 50 people.

On the map, the 3 regions of Nunavut are represented by 3 different colours where Qikiqtaaluk is represented by green, Kivalliq by blue and Kitikmeot by red. The communities are represented by circles whose size corresponds to the population size of that community. The colour of the circles represent the proportion of the population with an Inuktut mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Resolute) had a population size between 145 and 999, and 40.0% to 64.9% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Grise Fiord) had a population size between 145 and 999, and 65.0% to 89.9% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 4 communities (Arctic Bay, Qikiqtarjuaq, Hall Beach and Kimmirut) had a population size between 145 and 999, and 90.0% to 100.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 5 communities (Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Pangnirtung, Cape Dorset and Sanikiluaq) had a population size between 1,000 and 1,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Igloolik) had a population size between 2,000 and 2,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Iqaluit) had a population size between 3,000 and 7,420, and under 40.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kivalliq, 2 communities (Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 65.0% to 89.9% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Coral Harbour) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and 65.0% to 89.9% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Naujaat) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kivalliq, 2 communities (Baker Lake and Rankin Inlet) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 40.0% to 64.9% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Arviat) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kitikmeot, 1 community (Taloyoak) had a population size between 145 to 999, and under 40.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

In Kitikmeot, 4 communities (Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven and Kugaaruk) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and under 40.0% had Inuktut as their mother tongue.

map 3.6.2

Description for Map 3.6.2

This map shows the distribution of the knowledge of Inuktut among the communities of Nunavut in 2021. In this report, a community is a census subdivision with a population of at least 50 people.

On the map, the 3 regions of Nunavut are represented by 3 different colours where Qikiqtaaluk is represented by green, Kivalliq by blue and Kitikmeot by red. The communities are represented by circles whose size corresponds to the population size of that community. The colour of the circles represent the proportion of the population that could conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Resolute) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 40.0% to 64.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Grise Fiord) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 65.0% to 89.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 2 communities (Arctic Bay, Qikiqtarjuaq, Hall Beach and Kimmirut) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 90.0% to 100.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 5 communities (Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Pangnirtung, Cape Dorset and Sanikiluaq) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Igloolik) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Qikiqtaaluk, 1 community (Iqaluit) had a population size between 3,000 to 7,420, and 40.0% to 64.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kivalliq, 2 communities (Chesterfield Inlet and Whale Cove) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 65.0% to 89.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kivalliq, 2 communities (Coral Harbour and Naujaat) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Baker Lake) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 40.0% to 64.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Rankin Inlet) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 65.0% to 89.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kivalliq, 1 community (Arviat) had a population size between 2,000 to 2,999, and 90.0% to 100.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kitikmeot, 1 community (Taloyoak) had a population size between 145 to 999, and 40.0% to 64.9% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kitikmeot, 1 community (Gjoa Haven) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and 40.0% to 64.9 were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

In Kitikmeot, 3 communities (Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay and Kugaaruk) had a population size between 1,000 to 1,999, and under 40.0% were able to conduct a conversation in Inuktut.

4. Factors associated with change in the number of speakers

4.1 Intergenerational transmission of language

The intergenerational transmission of a language reflects its continued use from one generation to the next and is a criterion with which the vitality of a language can be assessed. In this report, the intergenerational transmission of mother tongue refers to the fact children first learn in childhood the same language as their mother in childhood, meaning both child and mother have the same mother tongue. The rate of intergenerational transmission is the proportion of children under 5 years of age who have the same mother tongue as their mother, alone or in combination with another language.

Chart 4.1

Data table for Chart 4.1 
Data table for chart 4.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4.1. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Transmission rate (appearing as column headers).
Languages Transmission rate
Inuktut 86.0
Inuktitut 86.4
Inuinnaqtun 23.1
English 94.2
French 55.9
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

The intergenerational transmission rate for English was 94.2%, which indicates that the vast majority of children born to mothers with English as their mother tongue also had English as their mother tongue in 2021. This proportion was 8.4 percentage points lower among children born to mothers with Inuktitut as their mother tongue—86.4% of those children also had Inuktitut as their mother tongue. The intergenerational transmission rate was markedly lower among children born to mothers with Inuinnaqtun as their mother tongue; nearly one-quarter of these children also had Inuinnaqtun as their mother tongue (23.1%). 

Among children born to mothers with an Inuktut mother tongue who had a different mother tongue, the vast majority first learned English in childhood. Several reasons may explain why these children first learned English as their mother tongue instead of Inuktut. For example, the child’s father might have English as their mother tongue, or English might be the predominant home language in the child’s household.

The intergenerational transmission rate of Inuktitut was 88.8% among children born to parents who both had Inuktitut as their mother tongue. In contrast, the intergenerational transmission rate of English was higher, at 97.6%, among children born to parents who both had English as their mother tongue. In exogamous couples where one parent’s mother tongue was Inuktitut and the other parent’s was English, the intergenerational transmission rate of Inuktitut was 40.7% while the intergenerational transmission rate of English was 69.6%, including 20.5% of children who learned both Inuktitut and English at the same time in their childhood.

4.2 Language retention and transfers

Language retention refers to a situation where a person predominantly speaks their mother tongue at home. When a mother tongue is no longer spoken at home, this results in a situation called language transfer, which is where a person stops using their mother tongue as a home language. A partial language transfer is a situation where a person still speaks their mother tongue most often at home, but in combination with another language.

The vast majority of Nunavut residents whose mother tongue is English predominantly spoke the language at home (95.7%). This was the case among both Inuit (94.3%) and non-Inuit (98.7%).

The rate of language retention in 2021 was lower among Inuit who had Inuktitut as their mother tongue, three in four of whom spoke the language predominantly at home (74.3%). In contrast, about one-quarter of Inuit with Inuktitut as their mother tongue no longer predominantly spoke Inuktitut at home, with partial and complete transfer rates of 8.6% and 17.1%, respectively. Among Nunavut residents with Inuktitut as their mother tongue who spoke a different language than Inuktut at home, nearly all of them predominantly spoke English at home (99.6%).

Chart 4.2

Data table for Chart 4.2 
Data table for chart 4.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4.2. The information is grouped by Mother tongue (appearing as row headers), Retention, Partial transfer and Complete transfer, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Mother tongue Retention Partial transfer Complete transfer
percentage of population
Total
Inuktitut 74.1 8.6 17.4
Inuinnaqtun 20.2 9.6 70.2
English 95.7 2.1 2.2
French 55.7 Note ...: not applicable 44.3
Inuit
Inuktitut 74.3 8.6 17.1
English 94.3 3.0 2.8
French 29.4 Note ...: not applicable 70.6
Non-Inuit
Inuktitut 52.5 7.1 40.4
English 98.7 0.2 1.1
French 57.5 Note ...: not applicable 42.5
... not applicable
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

Among non-Inuit, over two in five people with Inuktitut (40.4%) or French (42.5%) as a mother tongue were in a situation of complete language transfer, since they no longer spoke their mother tongue most often at home.

Among people in Nunavut with Inuinnaqtun as their mother tongue, one in four continued to speak Inuinnaqtun predominantly at home (20.2%), while three-quarters (70.2%) reported predominantly speaking English.

The language spoken at home by parents is most likely the first language that will be learned by children. A parallel can therefore be drawn between the lower rates of language retention for people whose mother tongue is Inuktut and the lower rates of intergenerational transmission of Inuktut languages.

4.3 Aging of speakers

In a context where there is low intergenerational transmission of a language, fewer people in younger generations may report the language as a mother tongue.

The distribution of mother tongue speakers by age group in Nunavut shows that overall, English speakers were a bit younger than Inuktitut speakers. That being said, a large proportion of speakers of either language were aged under 15 years (36.2% of English speakers and 32.7% of Inuktitut speakers).

Chart 4.3.1

Data table for Chart 4.3.1 
Data table for chart 4.3.1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4.3.1 Languages, Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, English and French, calculated using percentage of population units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages
Inuktitut Inuinnaqtun English French
percentage of population
0 to 14 years 32.7 8.0 36.2 23.6
15 to 24 years 16.9 6.6 16.1 6.9
25 to 39 years 21.9 15.5 23.4 28.2
40 to 54 years 16.1 21.1 15.3 26.1
55 years and over 12.4 48.8 9.0 15.2
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

By contrast, almost half of people with Inuinnaqtun as a mother tongue were aged 55 and over in 2021 (48.8%). This aging of speakers signifies that a decline in the number of people reporting Inuinnaqtun as a mother tongue is to be expected in coming years.

Among people who could conduct a conversation in Inuktitut, the median age of second-language speakers was lower (23 years) than that of mother tongue speakers (25 years). This difference in the median age was more pronounced among those who could conduct a conversation in Inuinnaqtun, with a 19-year difference between the median age of mother tongue speakers (54 years) and second-language speakers (35 years). These results mean that younger people are learning Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun as second languages.

Chart 4.3.2

Data table for Chart 4.3.2 
Data table for chart 4.3.2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4.3.2. The information is grouped by Languages (appearing as row headers), Mother tongue speakers and Second language speakers, calculated using median age units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Languages Mother tongue speakers Second language speakers
median age
Inuktitut 25 23
Inuinnaqtun 54 35
English 23 29
French 35 37
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.

4.4 Internal migration

Internal migration refers to a person moving to Nunavut from another province or territory in Canada or leaving Nunavut for another province or territory in Canada.

In recent decades, there has been a high level of internal in-migration and internal out-migration in Nunavut, especially among non-Inuit.Note  However, the number of people leaving the territory tended to be similar to the number of people entering the territory, meaning that internal migration generally had little direct impact on the language situation in Nunavut.Note 

The context of the COVID-19 pandemic changed migration flows in Canada.Note  For instance, several people moved back to their province or territory of origin. From 2016 to 2021, 2,175 people moved to Nunavut, while 3,265 people departed Nunavut for another province or territory, resulting in a loss of about 1,090 residents because of internal migration. Most internal in-migrants and out-migrants in Nunavut have English as a mother tongue. In fact, the English-mother-tongue population lost 925 speakers to internal migration from 2016 to 2021. In contrast, net internal migration for Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and French speakers was only slightly negative during that period.

Chart 4.4

Data table for Chart 4.4 
Data table for chart 4.4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for chart 4.4 Net migration, In-migration and Out-migration, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Net migration In-migration Out-migration
number
Inuktitut -55 180 -235
Inuinnaqtun -10 10 -20
English -925 1,440 -2,365
French -30 225 -255
Note: Inuktut alone or in combination with another language. Language of work information includes people aged 15 and older who were employed during the 2021 Census reference week, from May 2 to 8.
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.

Among English-mother-tongue internal migrants who moved to Nunavut between 2016 and 2021, 36.4% arrived from the western provinces and 31.8% from Ontario. Among those who left Nunavut during the same period, one-third moved to the Atlantic provinces (33.3%) and 26.8% moved to Ontario. In contrast, over half of French-mother-tongue internal migrants who moved to Nunavut between 2016 and 2021 arrived from Quebec (56.0%), while Quebec was the destination of 36.0% of French-mother-tongue internal migrants who left Nunavut during the same period.

Among Inuktitut-mother-tongue internal migrants who moved to Nunavut between 2016 and 2021, 36.1% arrived from Ontario and 35.0% from the western provinces. Among those who left Nunavut during the same period, the main destinations were also Ontario (26.8%) and the western provinces (28.9%).

4.5 International migration

From 2016 to 2021, 180 people moved to Nunavut from outside Canada and were still in Nunavut in 2021. Among them, 37.4% reported English as their only mother tongue, and 51.0% reported a language other than English, French or Inuktut as their mother tongue. Very few international migrants had Inuktut or French as their mother tongue.

About one in four people who moved to Nunavut from abroad between 2016 and 2021 were actually Canadian-born people returning to the country (25.2%). The other main country of origin of international migrants who moved to Nunavut was the Philippines (16.7%).

5. Conclusion

The Government of Nunavut mandated Statistics Canada to provide an up-to-date and extensive portrait of languages in Nunavut in this report based on data from the 2021 Census of Population. Because of challenges related to data collection in the territory in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, a certain level of caution is necessary when comparing the data with those of prior cycles. Emerging trends observed in 2021, such as a decrease in the number of Nunavut residents reporting an Inuktut mother tongue, and the acceleration of existing trends, such as the faster decrease in the proportion of Nunavut residents with knowledge of Inuktut, will have to be confirmed with data collected in the 2026 Census of Population.

This report showed younger Inuit are less likely than older Inuit to have Inuktut as their mother tongue, or to report the ability to conduct a conversation in Inuktut. In addition, the intergenerational transmission of Inuktut languages remains lower than that of English. English is spoken at home and used at work by more Nunavut residents than Inuktut, but Inuktut remains the predominant home language of a large proportion of Inuit.

There are notable differences between Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. Inuinnaqtun has a low number of speakers, few people with Inuinnaqtun as a mother tongue speak the language at home, and intergenerational transmission of the language is lower than that of English or Inuktitut. Half of people with Inuinnaqtun as a mother tongue are aged 55 years and over, signalling potential challenges for the sustained use of the language. That being said, younger people are learning Inuinnaqtun, as shown by the lower median age of second-language speakers.

By contrast, over two-thirds of Nunavut residents can conduct a conversation in Inuktitut. Inuktitut speakers are young; one-third of people with Inuktitut as their mother tongue are children under the age of 15 years.

Among Nunavut residents who can conduct a conversation in Inuktitut, 11.4% learned the language as a second language. This proportion is 37.2% among people who can converse in Inuinnaqtun. Nunavut residents, Inuit and non-Inuit alike, continue to engage with Inuktut languages. As more recent data on the official languages of Nunavut are collected, close attention will have to be paid to the sustained use of Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun, especially among younger Inuit.

6 Region and Community profiles



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