Ontario, one of the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, is located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province by a large margin, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all Canadians, and is the second-largest province in total area. Ontario is fourth-largest in total area when the territories of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut are included. It is home to the nation's capital city, Ottawa, and the nation's most populous city, Toronto.
Birth Rate
9.7/1,000 people (2021)[1]
Death Rate
8.1/1,000 people (2021)[1]
Life Expectancy at birth: 81 years (2006 est)[2]
Infant Mortality rate: 5.2 (2007 est)[3]
Age Groups | Total | Percentage | Male | Female | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 to 4 years | 723,016 | 4.91% | 370,982 | 352,034 | |
5 to 9 years | 762,654 | 5.18% | 389,331 | 373,323 | |
10 to 14 years | 792,947 | 5.38% | 403,611 | 389,336 | |
15 to 19 years | 852,405 | 5.79% | 436,529 | 415,876 | |
20 to 24 years | 1,039,661 | 7.06% | 543,213 | 496,448 | |
25 to 29 years | 1,077,433 | 7.31% | 555,954 | 521,479 | |
30 to 34 years | 1,041,952 | 7.07% | 527,137 | 514,815 | |
35 to 39 years | 992,844 | 6.74% | 493,399 | 499,445 | |
40 to 44 years | 921,378 | 6.25% | 446,692 | 474,686 | |
45 to 49 years | 932,058 | 6.33% | 454,915 | 477,143 | |
50 to 54 years | 968,546 | 6.57% | 478,610 | 489,936 | |
55 to 59 years | 1,073,519 | 7.29% | 532,834 | 540,685 | |
60 to 64 years | 961,243 | 6.52% | 469,926 | 491,317 | |
65 to 69 years | 803,962 | 5.46% | 383,637 | 420,325 | |
70 to 74 years | 673,546 | 4.57% | 316,777 | 356,769 | |
75 to 79 years | 461,015 | 3.13% | 212,100 | 248,915 | |
80 to 84 years | 319,548 | 2.17% | 140,109 | 179,439 | |
85 to 89 years | 204,227 | 1.39% | 81,946 | 122,281 | |
90 to 94 years | 98,638 | 0.67% | 33,530 | 65,108 | |
95 to 99 years | 29,527 | 0.20% | 7,515 | 22,012 | |
100 years and over | 3,895 | 0.03% | 701 | 3,194 | |
Total | 14,734,014 | 100% | 7,279,448 | 7,454,566 |
Year | Population | 5 year % change | 10 year % change | % Canadian population | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1824 | 150,066 | - | - | n/a | |
1830 | 213,156 | - | - | n/a | |
1840 | 432,159 | - | 102.7% | 39.93% | |
1851 | 952,004 | - | - | 51.32% | |
1861 | 1,396,091 | - | 46.6% | 55.58% | |
1871 | 1,620,851 | - | 16.1% | 43.9% | |
1881 | 1,926,922 | - | 18.8% | 45.4% | |
1891 | 2,114,321 | - | 9.7% | 48.9% | |
1901 | 2,182,947 | - | 3.2% | 40.6% | |
1911 | 2,527,292 | - | 15.8% | 35.1% | |
1921 | 2,933,662 | - | 16.1% | 33.4% | |
1931 | 3,431,683 | - | 17.0% | 33.1% | |
1941 | 3,787,655 | - | 10.4% | 32.9% | |
1951 | 4,597,542 | - | 21.3% | 32.8% | |
1956 | 5,404,933 | 17.6% | - | 33.6% | |
1961 | 6,236,092 | 15.4% | 35.6% | 34.2% | |
1966 | 6,960,870 | 11.6% | 28.8% | 34.9% | |
1971 | 7,703,105 | 10.7% | 23.5% | 35.7% | |
1976 | 8,264,465 | 7.3% | 18.7% | 35.9% | |
1981 | 8,625,107 | 4.4% | 12.0% | 35.4% | |
1986 | 9,101,695 | 5.5% | 10.1% | 36.0% | |
1991 | 10,084,885 | 10.8% | 16.9% | 36.9% | |
1996 | 10,753,573 | 10.7% | 18.2% | 37.3% | |
2001 | 11,410,046 | 6.1% | 13.2% | 38.0% | |
2006 | 12,160,282 | 6.6% | 13.1% | 38.4% | |
2011 | 12,851,821 | 5.7% | 12.6% | 38.4% | |
2016 | 13,448,494 | 4.6% | 9.6% | 38.3% | |
2021 | 14,223,942 | 5.8% | 9.7% | 38.5% |
Source: Statistics Canada[5]
City | 2021[7] | 2016[8] | 2011[9] | 2006[10] | 2001[11] | 1996[12] | 1991 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6,202,225 | 5,928,040 | 5,583,064 | 5,113,149 | 4,682,897 | 4,263,757 | 3,898,933 | |||
1,488,307 | 1,323,783 | 1,236,324 | 1,130,761 | 1,063,664 | 1,010,498 | 941,814 | |||
785,184 | 747,545 | 721,053 | 692,911 | 662,401 | 624,360 | 599,760 | |||
575,847 | 523,894 | 477,160 | 451,235 | 414,284 | 382,940 | 356,421 | |||
543,551 | 494,069 | 474,786 | 457,720 | 432,451 | 398,616 | 381,522 | |||
433,604 | 406,074 | 392,184 | 390,317 | 377,009 | 372,406 | 364,552 | |||
422,630 | 329,144 | 319,246 | 323,342 | 307,877 | 278,685 | 262,075 | |||
415,311 | 379,848 | 356,177 | 330,594 | 296,298 | 268,773 | 240,104 | |||
212,856 | 197,059 | 187,013 | 177,061 | 148,480 | 118,695 | 97,150 | |||
172,546 | 161,175 | 159,561 | 152,358 | 146,838 | 143,416 | 136,401 | |||
170,605 | 164,689 | 160,770 | 158,258 | 155,601 | 160,488 | 157,613 | |||
165,588 | 151,984 | 141,097 | 127,009 | 117,344 | 105,420 | 97,667 | |||
144,162 | 134,203 | 135,501 | 124,607 | 86,417 | 100,238 | 97,106 | |||
128,624 | 121,721 | 118,975 | 116,570 | 102,423 | 100,193 | 98,060 | - | ||
123,258 | 121,621 | 121,596 | 122,907 | 121,986 | 125,562 | 124,925 | |||
111,184 | 103,472 | 101,668 | 91,518 | 87,395 | 87,871 | - | |||
104,316 | 102,042 | 104,075 | 108,589 | 107,709 | - | - |
As of 2016 census.[13]
Ethnic group | Responses | % | |
---|---|---|---|
3,109,770 | 23.48 | ||
2,808,810 | 21.21 | ||
2,107,290 | 15.91 | ||
2,095,465 | 15.82 | ||
1,349,255 | 10.19 | ||
1,189,670 | 8.98 | ||
931,805 | 7.04 | ||
849,340 | 6.41 | ||
774,495 | 5.85 | ||
527,750 | 3.99 | ||
523,490 | 3.95 | ||
385,505 | 2.91 | ||
376,440 | 2.84 | ||
337,760 | 2.55 | ||
324,930 | 2.45 | ||
British, not included elsewhere | 323,180 | 2.44 | |
257,055 | 1.94 | ||
220,850 | 1.67 | ||
198,470 | 1.50 | ||
171,145 | 1.29 | ||
163,500 | 1.23 | ||
149,060 | 1.13 | ||
148,555 | 1.12 | ||
140,165 | 1.06 | ||
137,485 | 1.04 |
Note: The table takes dual responses (for example if someone is French-Canadian they would be added to both French and Canadian). Some places of one's ethnic origin do not refer to a single specified country of origin, i.e. Spanish refers to people from Spanish speaking countries such as Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Cuba and others; or East Indian where the respondents origin could be from Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc.; and the list contains about 200 nationalities known to reside in the province. However, there are options for the respondent to identify the country alone.
As regards ethnic origins and Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) of highest concentration (minimum: 1%):
Ethnic origin | CMA | % of population | |
---|---|---|---|
Chinese | Toronto | 12.0 | |
East Indian | Toronto | 11.0 | |
Filipino | Toronto | 4.7 | |
Jamaican | Toronto | 3.4 | |
Russian | Toronto | 2.4 | |
Pakistani | Toronto | 2.1 | |
Sri Lankan | Toronto | 2.0 | |
Spanish | Toronto | 1.8 | |
Greek | Toronto | 1.7 | |
Iranian | Toronto | 1.7 | |
Korean | Toronto | 1.3 | |
Other African origins, n.i.e | Toronto | 1.1 | |
Jewish | Toronto | 1.0 | |
Haitian | Ottawa-Gatineau | 1.1 | |
Croatian | Hamilton | 1.9 | |
German | Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 21.8 | |
Portuguese | Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 4.1 | |
Romanian | Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 1.9 | |
Swiss | Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 1.5 | |
Belgian | London | 1.1 | |
Lebanese | Windsor | 3.3 | |
Iraqi | Windsor | 2.2 | |
American | Windsor | 1.7 | |
Serbian | Windsor | 1.4 | |
Arab, n.o.s. | Windsor | 1.0 | |
British Isles origins, n.i.e. | Barrie | 3.7 | |
Canadian | Greater Sudbury | 45.6 | |
French | Greater Sudbury | 37.7 | |
Vietnamese | Guelph | 1.6 | |
Dutch | Brantford | 8.0 | |
Hungarian | Brantford | 3.2 | |
English | Peterborough | 39.1 | |
Irish | Peterborough | 32.5 | |
Scottish | Peterborough | 26.3 | |
Welsh | Peterborough | 2.6 | |
Italian | Thunder Bay | 14.0 | |
Ukrainian | Thunder Bay | 13.5 | |
Finnish | Thunder Bay | 11.4 | |
First Nations | Thunder Bay | 10.5 | |
Polish | Thunder Bay | 7.1 | |
Swedish | Thunder Bay | 4.5 | |
Métis | Thunder Bay | 2.9 | |
Norwegian | Thunder Bay | 2.8 | |
Slovak | Thunder Bay | 2.0 | |
Danish | Thunder Bay | 1.1 |
Panethnic group | 2031 | 2036 | 2041 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
European | 9,335,000 | 9,215,000 | 9,044,000 | |||
South Asian | 2,562,000 | 2,992,000 | 3,371,000 | |||
East Asian | 1,444,000 | 1,583,000 | 1,706,000 | |||
African | 1,133,000 | 1,288,000 | 1,433,000 | |||
Middle Eastern | 858,000 | 1,018,000 | 1,168,000 | |||
Southeast Asian | 784,000 | 897,000 | 1,006,000 | |||
Indigenous | 576,000 | 623,000 | 666,000 | |||
Latin American | 355,000 | 398,000 | 438,000 | |||
Other/multiracial | 364,000 | 410,000 | 456,000 | |||
Projected Ontario population | 17,411,000 | 18,424,000 | 19,288,000 | |||
Visible minority and Indigenous population (2021 Canadian census) | 2016 Census | 2011 NHS | 2006 Census | 2001 Census | 1996 Census | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population group | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | Population | % | ||
European | 8,807,805 | 62.8% | 8,982,180 | 8,930,835 | 70.6% | 8,879,900 | 73.8% | 8,944,190 | 79.3% | 8,714,680 | 81.9% | |||
Visible minority group Source:[18] | 1,515,295 | 10.8% | 1,150,415 | 965,990 | 7.6% | 794,170 | 6.6% | 554,870 | 4.9% | 390,055 | 3.7% | |||
820,245 | 5.8% | 754,550 | 629,140 | 5.0% | 576,980 | 4.8% | 481,505 | 4.3% | 391,090 | 3.7% | ||||
768,740 | 5.5% | 627,715 | 539,205 | 4.3% | 473,765 | 3.9% | 411,095 | 3.6% | 356,215 | 3.3% | ||||
363,650 | 2.6% | 311,675 | 275,380 | 2.2% | 203,220 | 1.7% | 156,515 | 1.4% | 117,365 | 1.1% | ||||
284,215 | 2.0% | 210,435 | 151,645 | 1.2% | 111,405 | 0.9% | 88,540 | 0.8% | ||||||
249,190 | 1.8% | 195,950 | 172,560 | 1.4% | 147,135 | 1.2% | 106,835 | 0.9% | 85,745 | 0.8% | ||||
212,185 | 1.5% | 154,670 | 122,530 | 1.0% | 96,615 | 0.8% | 67,100 | 0.6% | ||||||
167,845 | 1.2% | 133,855 | 137,875 | 1.1% | 110,045 | 0.9% | 86,410 | 0.8% | 75,910 | 0.7% | ||||
99,425 | 0.7% | 88,935 | 78,295 | 0.6% | 69,540 | 0.6% | 53,955 | 0.5% | 35,400 | 0.3% | ||||
31,420 | 0.2% | 30,830 | 29,085 | 0.2% | 28,080 | 0.2% | 24,925 | 0.2% | 24,275 | 0.2% | ||||
Arab/West Asian | 118,655 | 1.1% | ||||||||||||
Visible minority, | 124,120 | 0.9% | 81,130 | 81,130 | 0.6% | 56,845 | 0.5% | 78,915 | 0.7% | 52,170 | 0.5% | |||
Multiple visible minority | 181,025 | 1.3% | 97,970 | 96,735 | 0.8% | 77,405 | 0.6% | 42,375 | 0.4% | 35,160 | 0.3% | |||
Total visible minority population | 4,817,360 | 34.3% | 3,885,585 | 3,279,565 | 25.9% | 2,745,205 | 22.8% | 2,153,045 | 19.1% | 1,682,045 | 15.8% | |||
Indigenous group | 251,030 | 1.8% | 236,680 | 338,480 | 2.7% | 311,830 | 2.5% | 131,560 | 1.2% | |||||
134,615 | 1.0% | 120,585 | 89,975 | 0.7% | 81,320 | 0.7% | 48,340 | 0.4% | ||||||
4,310 | 0.0% | 3,860 | 5,310 | 0.0% | 4,250 | 0.0% | 1,380 | 0.0% | ||||||
Multiple Indigenous responses | 7,115 | 0.1% | 5,730 | 7,630 | 0.1% | 6,395 | 0.1% | 1,690 | 0.0% | |||||
Indigenous responses | 9,515 | 0.1% | 7,540 | 5,345 | 0.0% | |||||||||
Total Indigenous population | 406,585 | 2.9% | 374,395 | 441,395[19] | 3.5% | 403,790 | 3.4% | 188,315 | 1.7% | 246,065 | 2.3% | |||
Total population | 14,031,750 | 100.0% | 13,242,160 | 100.0% | 12,651,795 | 100.0% | 12,028,895 | 100.0% | 11,285,550 | 100.0% | 10,642,790 | 100.0% |
The following figures are from the 2016 census.[4] The tables includes languages that were selected by at least 0.99 per cent of respondents. Respondents to the census are able to provide multiple responses for questions relating to knowledge of languages, and mother tongue.
The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses. The following figures are from the 2021 Canadian Census and the 2016 Canadian Census, and lists languages that were selected by at least one per cent of respondents.
2021[22] | 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | |||||
English | 13,650,230 | 12,879,045 | 97.26% | ||
French | 1,550,545 | 1,521,020 | 11.49% | ||
Mandarin | 467,420 | 385,452 | 2.91% | ||
Hindi | 436,125 | 250,095 | 1.89% | ||
Spanish | 401,205 | 337,615 | 2.55% | ||
Punjabi | 397,865 | 282,065 | 2.13% | ||
Cantonese | 352,135 | 341,875 | 2.58% | ||
Arabic | 342,860 | 246,015 | 1.86% | ||
Italian | 312,800 | 333,645 | 2.52% | ||
Urdu | 295,175 | 231,500 | 1.75% | ||
Tagalog | 271,445 | 232,935 | 1.76% | ||
Portuguese | 208,575 | 193,520 | 1.46% | ||
Tamil | 192,890 | 157,700 | 1.19% | ||
German | 158,115 | 189,035 | 1.43% | ||
Russian | 155,340 | N/A | <1% | ||
Gujarati | 143,240 | N/A | <1% | ||
Iranian Persian | 138,910 | 145,465 | 1.10% | ||
Polish | 134,985 | 142,985 | 1.08% |
Language | Responses | % | |
---|---|---|---|
Single responses | |||
English | 8,902,320 | 66.87 | |
French | 490,715 | 3.68 | |
Mandarin | 283,735 | 2.13 | |
Cantonese | 275,315 | 2.07 | |
Italian | 231,040 | 1.74 | |
Punjabi | 197,060 | 1.48 | |
Spanish | 191,025 | 1.43 | |
Arabic | 171,370 | 1.29 | |
Urdu | 152,385 | 1.14 | |
Portuguese | 150,000 | 1.13 | |
Tagalog | 163,415 | 1.23 | |
German | 131,525 | 0.99 | |
Multiple responses | |||
English and French | 54,045 | 0.51 | |
English and non-official language | 288,285 | 2.17 | |
French and non-official language | 12,565 | 0.09 | |
English, French, and non-official language | 11,010 | 0.08 |
2021[23] | 2011[24] | 2001[25] | 1991[26] | 1981[27] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Christianity | 7,315,810 | 8,167,295 | 8,413,495 | 8,160,730 | 7,622,530 | |||||
Irreligion | 4,433,675 | 2,927,790 | 1,841,290 | 1,247,640 | 620,815 | |||||
Islam | 942,990 | 581,950 | 352,525 | 145,560 | 52,110 | |||||
Hinduism | 573,700 | 366,720 | 217,560 | 106,705 | 41,655 | |||||
Sikhism | 300,435 | 179,765 | 104,790 | 50,085 | 16,645 | |||||
Buddhism | 164,215 | 163,750 | 128,320 | 65,325 | 18,595 | |||||
Judaism | 196,100 | 195,540 | 190,795 | 175,640 | 148,255 | |||||
Indigenous spirituality | 15,985 | 15,905 | ||||||||
Other | 88,845 | 53,080 | 36,770 | 25,370 | 8,805 | |||||
Total responses | 14,031,750 | 12,651,795 | 11,285,545 | 9,977,055 | 8,534,260 | |||||
Total population | 14,223,942 | 12,851,821 | 11,410,046 | 10,084,885 | 8,625,107 | |||||
Ontario is a very diverse province. For example, 54.8% of the population of Toronto was born outside Canada,[28] which is the second-largest percentage of immigrants in a single city on Earth, after Miami. Hamilton is ranked the third-most diverse urbanized area in Canada (after Toronto and Vancouver).
1851 | 399,494 | 952,004 | ||
1861 | 493,212 | 1,396,091 | ||
1881 | 427,508 | 1,926,922 | ||
1891 | 403,389 | 2,114,321 | ||
1901 | 324,160 | 2,182,947 | ||
1911 | 507,846 | 2,527,292 | ||
1921 | 641,683 | 2,933,662 | ||
1931 | 804,285 | 3,431,683 | ||
1941 | 733,282 | 3,787,655 | ||
1951 | 849,965 | 4,597,542 | ||
1961 | 1,353,157 | 6,236,092 | ||
1971 | 1,707,400 | 7,703,110 |
The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 4,206,585 persons or 30.0 percent of the total population of Ontario.
2021[33] [34] | 2016[35] | 2011[36] [37] | 2006[38] [39] | 2001[40] [41] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
India | 495,750 | 360,545 | 310,410 | 258,530 | 174,560 | ||||||
China | 355,955 | 317,220 | 267,780 | 229,950 | 164,885 | ||||||
Philippines | 268,575 | 231,760 | 204,035 | 151,375 | 119,215 | ||||||
United Kingdom | 239,485 | 264,120 | 291,935 | 321,645 | 342,900 | ||||||
Pakistan | 165,530 | 142,265 | 114,595 | 100,940 | 60,385 | ||||||
Italy | 135,640 | 157,815 | 170,710 | 198,315 | 210,540 | ||||||
Jamaica | 122,770 | 119,840 | 111,475 | 109,360 | 105,410 | ||||||
Sri Lanka | 112,730 | 109,855 | 110,800 | 89,610 | 72,990 | ||||||
United States | 111,390 | 109,005 | 115,045 | 106,405 | 98,190 | ||||||
Hong Kong | 108,480 | 108,035 | 105,855 | 111,630 | 119,615 | ||||||
Total immigrants | 4,206,585 | 3,852,145 | 3,611,365 | 3,398,725 | 3,030,075 | ||||||
Total responses | 14,031,750 | 13,242,160 | 12,651,795 | 12,028,895 | 11,285,545 | ||||||
Total population | 14,223,942 | 13,448,494 | 12,851,821 | 12,160,282 | 11,410,046 |
The 2021 Canadian census counted a total of 584,680 people who immigrated to Ontario between 2016 and 2021.[34]
Recent immigrants to Ontario by country of birth (2016 to 2021) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Country of birth | Population | % recent immigrants | |
India | 139,655 | ||
China | 54,645 | ||
Philippines | 45,235 | ||
Syria | 30,180 | ||
Pakistan | 23,970 | ||
United States | 17,940 | ||
Nigeria | 16,575 | ||
Iran | 13,215 | ||
Iraq | 12,940 | ||
Jamaica | 9,975 | ||
Total | 584,680 |
See main article: Interprovincial migration in Canada. Ontario's interprovincial migration rate have shifted over the years. It was negative in the 1970s, positive in the 1980s, but then negative again in the 1990s. It went back to the positive in around the time of the turn of the millennium for a few years, but has been in the negatives constantly from 2003 to 2015, and has been in the positives since then. Over the period from 1971 to 2015, Ontario was the province which experience the second lowest levels of interprovincial in-migration and out-migration, second only to Quebec.[42]
2008–09 | 57,458 | 73,059 | -15,601 | |
2009–10 | 59,741 | 64,403 | -4,662 | |
2010–11 | 58,317 | 62,324 | -4,007 | |
2011–12 | 60,459 | 71,070 | -10,611 | |
2012–13 | 54,678 | 68,579 | -13,901 | |
2013–14 | 57,415 | 71,979 | -14,564 | |
2014–15 | 62,874 | 71,569 | -8,695 | |
2015–16 | 71,790 | 62,713 | 9,077 | |
2016–17 | 71,717 | 58,335 | 13,382 | |
2017–18 | 69,918 | 59,974 | 9,944 | |
2018–19 | 77,281 | 65,550 | 11,731 | |
2019–20 | 97,031 | 89,210 | 7,821 |