Number of airline passengers per year in Canada

Canada: Number of airline passengers per year was 88.62 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
88.62 million
Change on year
up 32.5%
World rank
13th
of 183 countries
All-time high
93.35 million
in 2019
All-time low
10.18 million
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Number of airline passengers per year in Canada, 1970–2023

20.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M197019962023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of airline passengers per year in Canada is 88.62 million, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of up 32.5% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Canada peaked at 93.35 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 10.18 million, in 1970.

Canada ranks 13th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 15.34 million 10.18 million 20.85 million 10
1980s 20.54 million 18.11 million 22.45 million 10
1990s 20.60 million 16.59 million 24.65 million 10
2000s 43.25 million 23.32 million 53.72 million 10
2010s 78.88 million 63.28 million 93.35 million 10
2020s 52.02 million 24.95 million 88.62 million 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 10 Brazil 95.40 million compare
  2. 11 Spain 94.10 million compare
  3. 12 United Arab Emirates 91.06 million compare
  4. 14 Germany 80.20 million compare
  5. 15 Mexico 78.76 million compare
  6. 16 South Korea 76.27 million compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More reference data data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of airline passengers per year in Canada?
Number of airline passengers per year in Canada was 88.62 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 93.35 million in 2019.
What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 10.18 million in 1970.
How does Canada rank for number of airline passengers per year?
Canada ranks 13th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.