Population in the largest city in Canada
Canada: Population in the largest city was 18.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.8%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
118th
of 153 countries
All-time high
20.2%
in 2016
All-time low
15.8%
in 1976
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Canada, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Canada is 18.8%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Canada peaked at 20.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 15.8%, in 1976.
That places Canada 118th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 16.4% | — |
| 1961 | 16.6% | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 16.6% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 16.6% | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 16.5% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 16.5% | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 16.5% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 16.5% | -0.3% |
| 1968 | 16.5% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 16.5% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 16.6% | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 16.4% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 16.3% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 16.2% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 16.1% | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 16.0% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 15.8% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 15.9% | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 16.0% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 16.2% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 16.2% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 16.3% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 16.4% | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 16.6% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 17.0% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 17.4% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 17.6% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 17.8% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 18.0% | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 18.2% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 18.3% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 18.3% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 18.4% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 18.4% | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 18.6% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 18.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 19.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 19.1% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 19.3% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 19.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 19.4% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 19.5% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 19.8% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 19.9% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 20.0% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 20.1% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 20.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 20.2% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 20.2% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 20.1% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 20.0% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 19.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 19.9% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 19.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 19.3% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 18.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.5% | 16.4% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.2% | 15.8% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.9% | 16.2% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.5% | 18.0% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.5% | 19.1% | 19.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.1% | 20.0% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 18.8% | 19.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 115 Ghana 19.5% compare
- 116 South Sudan 18.9% compare
- 117 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 18.8% compare
- 119 Switzerland 18.7% compare
- 120 Sweden 18.4% compare
- 121 Libya 18.4% compare
More urban development data for Canada
- Population density 4.56 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 6.55 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.4398 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 18.32 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.9868 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 2.04 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 6.49 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 16.3 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 938.36 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Canada?
- Population in the largest city in Canada was 18.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 20.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.8% in 1976.
- How does Canada rank for population in the largest city?
- Canada ranks 118th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.