Appendix A: Glossary

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Age

Age as of July 1.

Ageing (of a population)

An increase in the number of old persons as a percentage of the total population.

Average absolute error of closure

Defined as the mean of the absolute differences between the postcensal estimates on Census Day and the results of the Census adjusted for the net census undercoverage.

Average age

The average age of a population is the average age of all its members.

Census coverage

Net census undercoverage: Difference between undercoverage and overcoverage.

Overcoverage: Number of persons who should not have been counted in the census or who were counted more than once.

Undercoverage: Number of persons who were intended to be enumerated in a census but were not.

Census division (CD)

Census division (CD) is the general term for provincially legislated areas (such as county, municipalité régionale de comté and regional district) or their equivalents. Census divisions are intermediate geographic areas between the province level and the municipality (census subdivision).

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, provincial/territorial law does not provide for these administrative geographic areas. Therefore, Statistics Canada in cooperation with these provinces and territories has created equivalent areas called census divisions for disseminating statistical data. In the Yukon Territory, the census division is equivalent to the entire territory.

Census metropolitan area (CMA)

A census metropolitan area (CMA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a large urban area (known as the urban core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the urban core. To be included in the CMA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the central urban area, as measured by commuting flows derived from census place of work data.

Once an area becomes a CMA, it is retained as a CMA even if the population declines below 100,000 or its urban core population declines below 50,000. The urban areas in the CMA that are not contiguous to the urban core are called urban fringe. Rural areas in the CMA are called rural fringe.

All CMAs are subdivided into census tracts.

In the Census 2006, the CMA of Ottawa-Gatineau (Ontario-Quebec) crossed provincial boundaries. When the geographic level selected is all of Canada, the totals include the CMA on both sides of the provincial border. If a province has been selected, only the part of the CMA in the province chosen is included in the totals.

Components of demographic growth

Any of the classes of events generating population movement variations. Births, deaths and migration are the components responsible for the variation since they alter the total population.

Demographic dependency ratio

The ratio of the combined population aged between 0 to 19 years old and the population aged 65 years and over to the population aged between 20 to 64 years old.

Economic region (ER)

Refers to a group of complete census divisions (with one exception in Ontario) created as a standard geographic unit for analysis of regional economic activity.

Within the province of Quebec, economic regions (“régions administratives”) are designated by law. In all other provinces or territories, economic regions are created by agreement between Statistics Canada and the provinces or territories concerned. Prince Edward Island and the three territories each consist of one economic region. In Ontario, there is one exception where the economic region boundary does not respect census division boundaries: the census division of Halton is split between the ER of Hamilton – Niagara Peninsula and the ER of Toronto. Prince Edward Island and the three territories each consist of one economic region.

Emigrant

Canadian citizen or immigrant who has left Canada to establish a permanent residence in another country.

Error of closure

Difference between the postcensal estimate at the census date and the results of the census adjusted for census net undercoverage (including adjustment for incompletely enumerated Indian reserves).

Immigrant

Within the framework of this publication, the term immigrant refers to landed immigrant. A landed immigrant is a person who is not Canadian citizen at birth but was granted the right by the immigration authorities to live in Canada on a permanent basis.

International migration

International migration represents movement of population between Canada and a foreign country which involves a change of the usual place of residence. A distinction is made with regard to immigrants, emigrants, returning emigrants, net temporary emigration and net non-permanent residents.

Interprovincial migration

Interprovincial migration represents movement between provinces or territories involving a change in of the usual place residence. A person who takes up residence in another province or territory is an out-migrant with reference to the province or territory of origin and an in-migrant with reference to the province or territory of destination.

Intraprovincial migration

Intraprovincial migration represents movement from one region to another within the same province or territory involving a change of the usual place residence. A person who takes up residence in another region is an out-migrant with reference to the region of origin and an in-migrant with reference to the region of destination.

Median age

The median age is an age "x", such that exactly one half of the population is older than "x" and the other half is younger than "x".

Natural increase

Variation of the population size over a given period as a result of the difference between the numbers of births and deaths.

Net internal migration

Sum of net intraprovincial and net interprovincial migration.

Net international migration

Net international migration is obtained according to the following formula: Immigrants + returning emigrants + net non-permanent residents– (emigrants + net temporary emigration).

Net interprovincial migration

Net interprovincial migration represents the difference between in-migrants and out-migrants for a given province or territory.

Net intraprovincial migration

Net intraprovincial migration represents the difference between in-migrants and out-migrants in a given region. A region can be defined as a census division, an economic region or a census metropolitan area.

Net non-permanent residents

Net non-permanent residents represent the variation in the number of non-permanent residents between two dates.

Non-permanent residents

A non-permanent resident belongs to one of the five following groups:

1. persons residing in Canada claiming refugee status;
2. persons residing in Canada who hold a study permit;
3. persons residing in Canada who hold a work permit;
4. persons residing in Canada who hold a minister’s permit;
5. All non-citizens who are dependants on a person claiming refugee status, or holding one of the permit listed above and living in Canada.

Net temporary emigration

Net temporary emigration represents the variation in the number of temporary emigrants between two dates. Temporary emigration includes Canadian citizens and immigrants living temporarily abroad who have not maintained a usual place of residence in Canada.

Population

Estimated population and population according to the census are both defined as being the number of Canadians whose usual place of residence is within that area, regardless of where they happened to be on Census Day. Also included are any Canadians staying in a dwelling in that area on Census Day and having no usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada, as well as those considered non-permanent residents.

Population estimate

1. Postcensal: Population estimate produced by using data from the most recent available census adjusted for census net undercoverage (including adjustment for incompletely enumerated Indian reserves) and estimate of the components of demographic growth since that last census. This estimate can be preliminary, updated or final.
2. Intercensal: Population estimate derived by using postcensal estimates and data adjusted for census net undercoverage (including adjustment for incompletely enumerated Indian reserves) of censuses preceding and following the year in question.

Population growth or total growth

Variation of population size between two dates. It can also be obtained by summing the natural increase, total net migration and if applicable, subtract residual deviation. It can be positive or negative.

Precocity error of the population (rate)

Difference between preliminary and final estimate divide by the final estimate of the relevant geographical area.

Rate

Refers to the ratio of the number of events estimated in a year (t, t+1) to the average populations at the beginning and the end of the period. In this regard, births, deaths, immigration rates, etc are calculated. Generally, the rates are expressed in per 1,000.

Demographic growth or population growth: Ratio of population growth between the year t and t+1, to the average population of both these years. The rate is generally expressed in per 1,000.

Net census undercoverage of population: Difference between undercoverage rate and overcoverage rate.

Overcoverage of population: The ratio of the number of persons who should not have been counted in the census or who were counted more than once to the total number of persons that should have been enumerated in the census. Generally, the rate is expressed in percentage.

Undercoverage of population: The ratio of the estimated number of persons not enumerated in the census (who were intended to have been enumerate) to the total number of persons that should have been enumerated in the census. Generally, the rate is expressed in percentage.

Residual deviation

Difference between demographic population growths calculated using intercensal estimates of population between two dates and that obtained by the sum of the components for the same period. This deviation results from the distribution of the error of closure between years within the quinquennial period. This distribution is calculated by taking into account the number of days within each month.

Returning emigrant

Canadian citizen or immigrant having previously emigrated from Canada and subsequently returned to the country.

Sex ratio

The ratio of the number of men to the number of women. This is not to be confused with the sex ratio at birth, which is the ratio of the number of live-born boys to the number of live-born girls. This ratio is usually expressed as an index, with the number of females taken to be a base of 100.

Sprague coefficients

Series of factors which, when multiplied to a population distributed by multiples age groups, give a distribution of the same population by single years of age.

Total net migration

Sum of net international and net internal migration.

Vital events

Includes all the demographic events (births, deaths, marriages and divorces) for which there exists a legal requirement to inform the Provincial or Territorial Registrar's Office.

Year

Unless otherwise specified, the term “year” refers to the period beginning July 1 of a given year and ending June 30 of the following year.

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