The population of Iqaluit is 7,429. Iqaluit is the capital, largest, and only city of the territory of Nunavut.
Iqaluit, which means ‘The Place of Many Fish’ was first settled in 1942 during the Second World War. From 1942 to 1987 the city was called Frobisher Bay, after the bay on which it sits. It became the capital of the newly formed territory of Nunavut in 1999, following a referendum in 1995.
Iqaluit population growth
Iqaluit’s population has grown rapidly in recent years. Much of the incoming population is non-Inuit, which creates challenges and tensions. Much of this growth has come since Iqaluit became the capital of Nunavut in 1999.
| Year | Population | Percentage change |
| 1971 | 2,014 | n/a |
| 1981 | 2,333 | 15.8% |
| 1991 | 3,552 | 52,3% |
| 1996 | 4,220 | 18.8% |
| 2001 | 5,236 | 24.1% |
| 2006 | 6,184 | 18.1% |
| 2011 | 6,699 | 8.3% |
| 2016 | 7,740 | 15.5% |
| 2021 | 7,429 | -4.0% |
Iqaluit population density
Iqaluit covers an area of 52.5km2 and, based on its population from the 2016 census, has a population density of 150/km2. In miles squared, that’s an area of 20.27 square miles, and a population density of 380 people per square mile.
Languages in Iqaluit
In the 2016 census, 45.4% of people in Iqaluit reported that their mother tongue was Inuktitut. Another 45.4% of people reported that their mother tongue was English. French was the mother tongue of a further 4.8% of Iqaluit residents.
When asked which language they spoke most often at home, 69% reported that they spoke English, 24.0% reported that they spoke Inuktitut, and 3.4% reported that they spoke French.
The vast majority of people in the city of Iqaluit are able to speak English (92.7%). Just 1.1% of the population was able to speak neither English nor French.
Race and Ethnicity in Iqaluit
More Inuit people live in Iqaluit than in any other single Canadian city. In total, Iqaluit is home to 3,900 Inuit. In total 59.4% of the population is indigenous, this is made up of 53.6% Inuit, 1.4% First Nations, and 1.2% Metis.
A further 34.3% are white, 3.0% are black, and 2.2% are Southeast Asian.
Religion in Iqaluit
Three in every four people in Iqaluit are Christian, a further 22.9% report that they are not affiliated to any religion.
Sources
Unless otherwise noted, data is from Statistics Canada.
