The term largest province in Canada can refer to either the most populous province, or the largest province by territory.
Table of provinces and territories
The table below includes each territory or province in Canada, alongside its population, area, and its proportion of the total Canadian population.
| Province / Territory | Capital | Population | Proportion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Toronto | 14,223,942 | 38.45% |
| Quebec | Quebec City | 8,501,833 | 23.98% |
| British Columbia | Victoria | 5,000,879 | 13.52% |
| Alberta | Edmonton | 4,262,635 | 11.52% |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg | 1,342,153 | 3.63% |
| Saskatchewan | Regina | 1,132,505 | 3.06% |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax | 969,383 | 2.62% |
| New Brunswick | Fredericton | 775,610 | 2.09% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St John's | 510,550 | 1.38% |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 154,331 | 0.42% |
| Northwest Territories | Yellowknife | 41,070 | 0.11% |
| Yukon | Whitehorse | 40,232 | 0.11% |
| Nunavut | Iqaluit | 36,858 | 0.10% |
Most populous Province/Territory
Ontario is the most populated province in Canada, with a population of 14,223,942 people (2021 census).
That’s almost four in every ten people who live in Canada. Toronto is the largest city in Ontario and Canada as a whole. Ontario is followed by Quebec, with a population of 8,501,833.
British Columbia is the third largest province by population, home to 5,000,879 people, followed by Alberta, currently in fourth place with a population of 4,262,635.
The smallest state by population in Canada is Prince Edward Island, with a 2021 population of 154,331.
The most populous territory in Canada is the Northwest Territories, with a 2021 population of 41,070 people (0.11% of Canada’s population). The least populous territory in Canada is Nunavut, home to 36,858 people.
Biggest Province/Territory
The largest province in Canada by area is Quebec, with a total area of 1,356,625.27 sq km. In total, Quebec covers 15% of the total land area of Canada. Quebec is almost 50% larger than the next largest province, Ontario, which has a total land area of 908,699 sq km.
Neither province comes close to the size of Canada’s largest territory however. Nunavut, in the north of Canada has a total area of 1,877,778 sq km and makes up 21% of Canada’s total area. This makes Nunavut the fifth largest territory or state in the world, after Sakha Republic (Russia, 3,103,200 km2), Western Australia (Australia, 2,615,602 km2), Krasnoyarsk (Russia, 3,339,700) and Greenland (Denmark, 2,166,086).
Source: Statistics Canada.
