Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada
Canada: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 27.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada stood at 27.6%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada peaked at 27.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Canada 45th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 14.1% | 13.7% | 14.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 15.6% | 15.5% | 15.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 16.3% | 16.1% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 20.3% | 18.3% | 22.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 23.6% | 23.0% | 24.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 24.9% | 24.9% | 25.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 27.6% | 27.6% | 27.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Spring temperature anomalies -4.58 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 2.12 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.47 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -2.57 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 140.97 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Canada was 27.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 27.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Canada rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Canada ranks 45th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.