Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada
Canada: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 18.32 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.32 million
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
22nd
of 121 countries
All-time high
18.32 million
in 2025
All-time low
5.39 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada stood at 18.32 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada peaked at 18.32 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.39 million, in 1960.
Canada ranks 22nd of 121 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.39 million | — |
| 1961 | 5.62 million | +4.3% |
| 1962 | 5.83 million | +3.6% |
| 1963 | 6.04 million | +3.7% |
| 1964 | 6.26 million | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 6.49 million | +3.7% |
| 1966 | 6.73 million | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 6.96 million | +3.4% |
| 1968 | 7.20 million | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 7.45 million | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 7.71 million | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 7.96 million | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 8.07 million | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 8.17 million | +1.3% |
| 1974 | 8.28 million | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 8.39 million | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 8.50 million | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 8.62 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 8.74 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 8.87 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 9.00 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 9.13 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 9.30 million | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 9.48 million | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 9.65 million | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 9.83 million | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 10.02 million | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 10.26 million | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 10.50 million | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 10.75 million | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 11.01 million | +2.4% |
| 1991 | 11.26 million | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 11.43 million | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 11.60 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 11.77 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 11.95 million | +1.5% |
| 1996 | 12.13 million | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 12.32 million | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 12.51 million | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 12.70 million | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 12.90 million | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 13.11 million | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 13.32 million | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 13.54 million | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 13.77 million | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 14.00 million | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 14.23 million | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 14.47 million | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 14.72 million | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 14.97 million | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 15.22 million | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 15.47 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 15.68 million | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 15.90 million | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 16.11 million | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 16.34 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 16.56 million | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 16.79 million | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 17.02 million | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 17.21 million | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 17.40 million | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 17.59 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 17.77 million | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 17.96 million | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 18.14 million | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 18.32 million | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.40 million | 5.39 million | 7.45 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 8.33 million | 7.71 million | 8.87 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.79 million | 9.00 million | 10.75 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.87 million | 11.01 million | 12.70 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.90 million | 12.90 million | 14.97 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.23 million | 15.22 million | 17.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.86 million | 17.40 million | 18.32 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 19 Argentina 20.28 million compare
- 20 Vietnam 20.22 million compare
- 21 United Kingdom 19.05 million compare
- 23 Saudi Arabia 18.19 million compare
- 24 Philippines 17.26 million compare
- 25 Australia 16.77 million compare
More urban development data for Canada
- Population in the largest city 18.8% (2025)
- 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, 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 urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Canada was 18.32 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 18.32 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.39 million in 1960.
- How does Canada rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Canada ranks 22nd out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.1%. 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 urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.