Ontario is the most populated province in Canada with population around 14 million people. Ontario’s population account for 38.3 percent of the country’s population. It is home to most populated city in Canada, Toronto. Ontario’s capital city is Ottawa which is also one of the top 10 biggest city in Canada. Ontario is one of the thirteen providences in Canada located in south-east of Canada with area size of 1,076,395 km2.
Based on our research, Ontario population will reach 14,431,807 (around 14.4 million) by the end of 2024.The calculation is based on the average growth rate of 0.90% over last 12 years since 2011. We believe using the recent years’ figures (see the table in next section) will make the estimation more accurate. The estimation will adjust once Statistic Canada publishes census data.
Population Growth of Ontario
Looking back last twelve years of Ontario’s population, the growth rate is very consistent and strong ranging from 0.87% to 0.93%, adding around 116,778 to 127,787 people each year to the overall population. Lot of workers was moving to Ontario to take advantage of employment opportunities there, which contributes to the population growth. On the other hand, Ontario is a very popular city for immigrants. Ontario has recorded the strong population growth in 2012 (0.93%).
Between census year of 2011 and 2016, Ontario’s population has increased 596,673 people or 4.64%.
Year | Population | Growth Rate |
2011 | 12,851,821 | n/a |
2012 | 12,971,155 | 0.93% |
2013 | 13,090,115 | 0.92% |
2014 | 13,206,893 | 0.89% |
2015 | 13,324,826 | 0.89% |
2016 | 13,448,494 | 0.88% |
2017 | 13,566,728 | 0.88% |
2018 | 13,685,068 | 0.87% |
2019 | 13,804,098 | 0.89% |
2020 | 13,924,193 | 0.87% |
2021 | 14,051,980 | 0.92% |
2022 | 14,178,260 | 0.90% |
2023 | 14,303,660 | 0.88% |
Demographics of Ontario
According to Canada census, Ontario is an extremely diverse city, with a huge number of ethnic and cultural groups living there. In 2016, most commonly ethnic origins include South Asians, Caribbeans, Latin Americans, Europeans, Asians, and Africans. Most populations have settled in the larger urban centres.
In terms of language, approximately 97.2 per cent of Ontarians having proficiency in English, although only 69.5 per cent of Ontarians reported English as their mother tongue according to 2016 Census. About 11.2 per cent of the Ontarians can speak both English and French.
The religious makeup of Ontario is: Catholic (31.4%), No religious affiliation (23.1%), Protestant (21.1%), Other Christiann(9.7%), Muslim(4.6%), Hindu(2.9%),Christian Orthodox (2.4%), Jewish (1.5%), Sikh (1.4%),Buddhist (1.3%), Other religions (0.5%).
Population Density of Ontario
Ontario’s population density is 14.65 people per kilo square meter, which is ranking the most populated province in Canada.
Most Populated Cities in Ontario
Based on 2016 Cesus data, here are the most populated cities in Ontario. Canadian Statistics classify them as population are which requires population greater than 1,000 and population density not less than 400 people per square km2. Montreal is by far has the most population compared with other cities in Ontario.
Rank | City | 2016 Census |
1 | Toronto | 5,429,524 |
2 | Ottawa–Gatineau ( ON / QC ) | 989,567 |
3 | Hamilton | 693,645 |
4 | Kitchener | 470,015 |
5 | London | 383,437 |
6 | Oshawa | 308,875 |
7 | Windsor | 287,069 |
8 | St. Catharines – Niagara | 229,246 |
9 | Barrie | 145,614 |
10 | Guelph | 132,397 |
11 | Kingston | 117,660 |
12 | Kanata | 117,304 |
13 | Milton | 101,715 |
14 | Brantford | 98,179 |
15 | Thunder Bay | 93,952 |
16 | Sudbury | 88,054 |
17 | Peterborough | 82,094 |
18 | Sarnia | 72,125 |
19 | Belleville | 67,666 |
20 | Sault Ste. Marie | 66,313 |
Facts About Ontario
- Ontario is Canada’s leading manufacturing region, accounting for 52% of overall domestic manufacturing shipments in 2004.
- Under Ontario traffic rules, it is illegal to drive a horse-drawn sleigh on public roads with less than two sleigh bells attached to it.
- The city of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, with only about 200,000 people, is home to the largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany.
- Women in Ontario are allowed to be topless in public, particularly in the streets of Toronto.
- Ontario covers one million square kilometres. This makes it larger than Spain and France combined!
- It is estimated that Ontario has about 250,000 lakes and 20 percent of the world ‘s freshwater stores.
- Before the close of the War of 1812, Ontario was largely settled by indigenous peoples and settlers from the United States.
- After the 1980s, the declining birth rate has meant that immigration has contributed much more to population growth than natural increases.
References
The following links provide data for this topic:
- Statistics Canada: https://www12.statcan.gc.ca
- Government of Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/government-ontario