Key Facts
| Population (Q4 2023) | 15,801,768 |
| Rank | 1st |
| % of Canada population | 38.45% |
| Largest city | Toronto |
| Provincial Capital | Toronto |
| Land area (km2) | 908,699 |
| Population Density (km2) | 15.2 |
| House of Commons Seats | 121 |
| Senate Seats | 24 |
How many people live in Ontario in 2022?
The current population of Ontario is 15,801,768. This is based on official data from Statistics Canada.
The population of Ontario at the time of the 2021 census was 14,223,942. This is an increase of 775,448 or 5.8% since the previous census in 2016.
Ontario is the largest province in Canada, and Canada’s richest province. It is home to almost four in every ten (38.45% in 2021) Canadians.
If it were in the United States, Ontario would be the fifth largest US state.
Largest cities in Ontario
Three of the ten largest cities in Canada are in Ontario.
Toronto, the largest city in Ontario is also the largest city in Canada. It is also the provincial capital of Ontario. The population of Toronto is over 5.6 million.
Ottawa-Gatineau is the next largest city in Ontario, and the sixth largest city in Canada. Ottawa-Gatineau is home to 1,068,821 people. It is also the capital city of Canada.
Hamilton remains the third largest city in Ontario.
If Toronto, Brampton and Mississauga were each counted as separate cities, then Mississauga with its population of 717,961 and Brampton with its population of 656,480 would be the fourth and fifth largest cities in Ontario.
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 5,647,656 |
| 2 | Ottawa – Gatineau | 1,068,821 |
| 3 | Hamilton | 729,560 |
| 4 | Kitchener | 522,888 |
| 5 | London | 423,369 |
| 6 | Oshawa | 335,949 |
| 7 | Windsor | 306,519 |
| 8 | St. Catharines – Niagara Falls | 242,460 |
| 9 | Barrie | 154,676 |
| 10 | Guelph | 144,356 |
Ontario population growth
Some data is also available from before the official Canadian census began, showing that the population of Ontario grew from 150,066 people in 1924 to 213,156 in 1830, just six years later. A further ten years to 1840 and the number of people living in Ontario had almost doubled to 1840.
By the time of the first official census in 1851, the population had more than doubled again, to a staggering 952,004 people. It was at this point that Ontario overtook Quebec as the largest province in Canada, a position that it has never lost.
The population of Ontario has increased at every census since then, always closely followed by Quebec.
From then on, population increases of between 10% and 20% every ten years were common, sometimes pushing as high as 35% – for example in the baby boom years of the 1950s.
Over the past ten years, average ten yearly population increases have dipped just below 10% for the first time.
The table below lists the population of Ontario at the point of each census since 1851. Between 1851 and 1951 the census was held every ten years, since then it has been held every five years. The most recent census was in 2021.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1851 | 952,004 |
| 1861 | 1,396,091 |
| 1871 | 1,620,851 |
| 1881 | 1,926,922 |
| 1891 | 2,114,321 |
| 1901 | 2,182,947 |
| 1911 | 2,527,292 |
| 1921 | 2,933,662 |
| 1931 | 3,431,683 |
| 1941 | 3,787,655 |
| 1951 | 4,597,542 |
| 1956 | 5,404,933 |
| 1961 | 6,236,092 |
| 1966 | 6,960,870 |
| 1971 | 7,703,105 |
| 1976 | 8,264,465 |
| 1981 | 8,625,107 |
| 1986 | 9,101,695 |
| 1991 | 10,084,885 |
| 1996 | 10,753,573 |
| 2001 | 11,410,046 |
| 2006 | 12,160,282 |
| 2011 | 12,851,821 |
| 2016 | 13,448,494 |
| 2021 | 14,223,942 |
Ontario projected population
Ontario’s population is projected to continue growing, although the rate of growth is expected to slow considerably, particularly when we reach the 2030s.
Ontario’s population is likely to cross the 15 million threshold in either 2024 or 2025, and the 16 million threshold in either 2034 or 2035.
| Year | Projected Population |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 15,246,800 |
| 2030 | 15,771,700 |
| 2035 | 16,167,100 |
| 2040 | 16,434,000 |
Ontario ethnic demographics
Ontario is one of the most diverse provinces in Canada. In 2016, the number of immigrants in Ontario was 3,852,145 – around 3 in every 10 residents of Ontario.
Ontario Ethnic Origin
67.8% of people living in Ontario reported in the 2016 census that they were of European origin. 11.5% reported that they were South Asian or Middle Eastern, and a further 10% reported that they were East or South East Asian.
Almost 3% of people reported that they were of Aboriginal origin.
More detail is available in the tables and sections below.
| Group | Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| European | 8,982,180 | 67.8% |
| South Asian and Middle Eastern | 1,515,520 | 11.5% |
| East and Southeast Asian | 1,319,845 | 10% |
| African | 627,715 | 4.7% |
| Aboriginal | 374,395 | 2.8% |
| Latin, Central and South American | 195,950 | 1.5% |
| Other | 179,100 | 1.3% |
Ontario Visible Minorities and Aboriginal Population
29.3% of people in Ontario reported that they were from a visible minority.
The largest of these reported groups is South Asian people – a total of 1,150,415 people, making up 8.7% of the population.
This was followed closely by Chinese with 5.7% of the population, and black residents with 4.7% of the population.
No other visible minority group makes up more than 2.5% of the number of people living in Ontario.
| Group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| South Asian | 1,150,415 | 8.7% |
| Chinese | 754,550 | 5.7% |
| Black | 627,715 | 4.7% |
| Filipino | 311,675 | 2.4% |
| Arab | 210,435 | 1.6% |
| Latin American | 195,950 | 1.5% |
| West Asian | 154,670 | 1.2% |
| Southeast Asian | 133,855 | 1% |
| Korean | 88,935 | 0.7% |
| Japanese | 30,830 | 0.2% |
| Visible minority, not included elsewhere | 81,130 | 0.6% |
| Multiple visible minority | 97,970 | 0.7% |
| Total Visible Minority Population | 3,885,585 | 29.3% |
Of the 2.8% of people living in Ontario who reported that they were of Aboriginal origin, almost two thirds classified themselves as First Nations. A further 0.9% were Métis.
Inuit, the third largest group with a population of 3,860 people make up less than 0.1% of the population.
| Aboriginal Group | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| First Nations | 236,680 | 1.8% |
| Métis | 120,585 | 0.9% |
| Inuit | 3,860 | 0% |
| Aboriginal, n.i.e. | 7,540 | 0.1% |
| Multiple Aboriginal identity | 5,730 | 0% |
| Total Aboriginal population | 374,395 | 2.8% |
Toronto language demographics
English is the most commonly spoken language in Ontario – in 2016 97.26% of people reported that they spoke English.
English is also the most common mother tongue of Ontario residents – 67% of people have English as their only mother tongue. A further 2.2% have English and another non-official languages as their mother tongues, and 0.5% have English and French as their mother tongues.
Three percent of residents have French as their mother tongue, and 11.5% of people reported that they could speak French.
There are five other languages spoken by more than 2% of people in Ontario. They are Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, Italian and Punjabi. Only Mandarin and Cantonese are the mother tongues of more than 2% of people in Ontario.
The table below lists the main languages spoken in Ontario (every language spoken by more than 1% of people).
| Language | % |
|---|---|
| English | 97.26 |
| French | 11.49 |
| Mandarin | 2.91 |
| Cantonese | 2.58 |
| Spanish | 2.55 |
| Italian | 2.52 |
| Punjabi | 2.13 |
| Hindi | 1.89 |
| Arabic | 1.86 |
| Tagalog | 1.76 |
| Urdu | 1.75 |
| Portuguese | 1.46 |
| German | 1.43 |
| Tamil | 1.19 |
| Persian | 1.10 |
| Polish | 1.08 |
Religion in Ontario
Christianity is the most common religion in Ontario. In the most recent survey, 64.6% of people reported that they were Christian. That’s 8,167,295 people.
Among Christian groups, Catholics are the largest single denomination. 31% of people in Ontario are Catholic, followed by United Church (7.5%), Anglican (6%), Presbyterian (2.5%).
Almost a quarter of people (23.1%) reported that they had no religious affiliation. This group includes a range of definitions, including people who are atheists and agnostic.
The Muslim population of Ontario is 581,950 (4.6%). This is followed by Hindu (2.9%).
The table below lists the results of the 2011 National Household Survey.
| Religion | Population | % |
|---|---|---|
| Christian | 8,167,295 | 64.6 |
| No Religion | 2,927,790 | 23.1 |
| Muslim | 581,950 | 4.6 |
| Hindu | 366,720 | 2.9 |
| Jewish | 195,540 | 1.5 |
| Sikh | 179,765 | 1.4 |
| Buddhist | 163,750 | 1.3 |
| Traditional Aboriginal | 15,905 | 0.1 |
| Other | 53,080 | 0.4 |
Data in this section is from the 2011 National Household Survey.
Where is Ontario?
Ontario is in the centre and east of Canada. It has boundaries with Quebec in the east, Manitoba in the west, and the Hudson Bay in the north.
To the south of Ontario is the United States. In fact, the province has 2,700km of borders with five US states – Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The St Lawrence River and the Great Lakes form part of the border between Ontario and the United States.
Ontario is unusual in that one of its census metropolitan areas straddles the border between Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa-Gatineau, also known as the National Capital Region, is split between Ottawa in Ontario and Gatineau in Quebec. It is the only CMA to be part of two Canadian Provinces.
