Demographics of Alberta

Alberta's population growth, 1901 to 2006

Alberta has experienced a relatively high rate of growth in recent years, due in large part to its economy. Between 2003 and 2004, the province saw high birthrates (on par with some larger provinces such as British Columbia), relatively high immigration, and a high rate of interprovincial migration when compared to other provinces.[1] Approximately 81% of the population live in urban areas and only about 19% live in rural areas. The Calgary–Edmonton Corridor is the most urbanized area in Alberta and is one of Canada's four most urban regions.[2] Many of Alberta's cities and towns have also experienced high rates of growth in recent history. From a population of 73,022 in 1901, Alberta has grown to 3,645,257 in 2011 and in the process has gone from less than 1.5% of Canada's population to 10.9%.[3]

Population history

Year Population [4] Five Year
% change		 Ten Year
% change		 Percentage of
Canadian Pop.		 Rank Among
Provinces
1901 73,022 n/a n/a 1.4 9
1911 374,295 n/a 412.6 5.2 7
1921 588,454 n/a 57.2 6.7 5
1931 731,605 n/a 24.3 7.0 4
1941 796,169 n/a 8.8 6.9 5
1951 939,501 n/a 18.0 6.7 4
1956 1,123,116 19.5 n/a n/a 4
1961 1,331,944 18.6 41.8 7.3 4
1966 1,463,203 9.9 30.3 n/a 4
1971 1,627,875 11.3 22.2 7.5 4
1976 1,838,035 12.9 25.6 n/a 4
1981 2,237,724 21.7 37.5 9.2 4
1986 2,365,830 5.7 28.7 9.3 4
1991 2,545,553 7.6 13.8 9.3 4
1996 2,696,826 5.9 14.0 9.3 4
2001 2,974,807 10.3 16.9 9.9 4
2006 3,290,350 10.6 22.0 10.4 4
2011 3,645,257 10.8 22.5 10.9 4

Population geography

Alberta's census divisions by population

Census divisions

Census metropolitan areas

As of the 2011 census, Alberta had two census metropolitan areas (CMAs) recognized by Statistics Canada. The following is a list of the recent population history of the Calgary and Edmonton CMAs.

CMA name [5] 2011 [5] 2006 [6] 2001 [7] 1996 [8] Census division
Calgary 1,214,839 1,079,310 951,395 [CMA 1] 821,628 Division No. 6
Edmonton 1,159,869 1,034,945 937,845 862,597 Division No. 11

CMA notes:

  1. ↑ In the 2006 census, the 2001 population of the Calgary was adjusted to 951,494 due to a boundary expansion.

Census agglomerations

Census subdivisions

Population growth of Alberta's census subdivisions between 2006 and 2011 censuses

As of the 2006 census, Alberta had 453 census subdivisions (municipalities and municipal equivalents) recognized by Statistics Canada. The following is a list of those census subdivisions with a population of 10,000 or greater.

Population centres

Designated places

Ethnic origins

The ethnicities most commonly reported in the 2011 Census are shown in the table below. The percentages add up to more than 100% because of dual responses (e.g. "Irish-Canadian" generates an entry in both the category "Irish" and the category "Canadian").[14]

Ethnic Group Total Percentage
English 886,760 24.9%
Canadian 776,695 21.8%
German 683,835 19.2%
Scottish 670,950 18.8%
Irish 565,120 15.8%
French 396,230 11.1%
Ukrainian 345,405 9.7%
Dutch (Netherlands) 182,265 5.1%
First Nations 177,140 5.0%
Polish 174,380 4.8%
Chinese 155,965 4.4%
Norwegian 152,645 4.3%
Indian (South Asian) 125,105 3.5%
Filipino 113,210 3.2%
Russian 99,775 2.8%
Swedish 96,890 2.7%
Métis 94,615 2.7%
Italian 88,710 2.5%
British n.i.e. 79,300 2.2%
Welsh 75,870 2.1%

Other Ethnic Groups

In addition to the groups listed above, the next most commonly reported (counting both single and multiple responses) were:

Visible minorities and Aboriginals

Visible minority and Aboriginal population (Canada 2011 Census)
Population group Population % of total population
White 2,690,955 75.4%
Visible minority group
Source:[15] 		South Asian 156,665 4.4%
Chinese 133,390 3.7%
Black 74,435 2.1%
Filipino 106,035 3%
Latin American 41,305 1.2%
Arab 34,920 1%
Southeast Asian 41,025 1.1%
West Asian 16,030 0.4%
Korean 15,000 0.4%
Japanese 12,415 0.3%
Visible minority, n.i.e. 6,270 0.2%
Multiple visible minority 18,840 0.5%
Total visible minority population 656,325 18.4%
Aboriginal group
Source:[16] 		First Nations 116,670 3.3%
Métis 96,870 2.7%
Inuit 1,985 0.1%
Aboriginal, n.i.e. 3,300 0.1%
Multiple Aboriginal identity 1,870 0.1%
Total Aboriginal population 220,695 6.2%
Total population 3,567,975 100%

Languages

Of the 3,547,680 singular responses to the 2011 census question concerning mother tongue, the languages most commonly reported were:[17]

2011 % 2006 % 2001 %
1. English 2,780,200 78.37% 2,576,670 79.99% 2,379,515 81.84%
2. Chinese 105,470 2.97% 97,275 3.02% 78,205 2.69%
Cantonese 34,985 0.99% 32,485 1.01% 26,255 0.90%
Mandarin 19,325 0.54% 12,135 0.38% 5,580 0.19%
Hakka 325 0.01% 425 0.01% 570 0.02%
Fukien 445 0.01% 385 0.01% N N
Taiwanese 340 0.01% 330 0.01% N N
3. German 80,905 2.28% 84,505 2.62% 78,040 2.68%
4. French 68,545 1.93% 61,225 1.90% 58,645 2.02%
5. Tagalog (Filipino/Pilipino) 60,085 1.69% 29,740 0.92% 11,705 0.40%
6. Panjabi (Punjabi) 49,940 1.41% 36,320 1.13% 22,535 0.78%
7. Spanish 44,020 1.24% 29,125 0.90% 19,820 0.68%
8. Arabic 28,000 0.79% 20,495 0.64% 15,390 0.53%
9. Ukrainian 24,575 0.69% 29,455 0.91% 33,970 1.17%
10. Selected Aboriginal languages 22,005 0.62% 20,890 0.65% 18,470 0.64%
Cree 16,745 0.47% 17,215 0.53% 15,105 0.52%
Blackfoot 3,035 0.09% 3,015 0.09% 2,630 0.09%
Dene 1,680 0.05% 1,585 0.05% 1,495 0.05%
Ojibway 455 0.01% 615 0.02% 645 0.02%
11. Vietnamese 21,195 0.60% 19,350 0.60% 16,680 0.57%
12. Urdu 19,900 0.56% 11,275 0.35% 4,910 0.17%
13. Polish 19,890 0.56% 21,990 0.68% 20,635 0.71%
14. Dutch 17,950 0.51% 19,980 0.62% 19,575 0.67%
15. Italian 11,960 0.34% 13,095 0.41% 13,935 0.48%
16. Korean 13,885 0.39% 10,845 0.33% 6,330 0.22%
17. Hindi 12,290 0.35% 8,985 0.28% 6,315 0.22%
18. Persian 10,655 0.30% 7,700 0.24% 3,700 0.13%
19. Serbo-Croatian (all) 10,195 0.29% 10,235 0.32% 9,500 0.33%
Croatian 3,960 0.11% 4,150 0.13% 4,195 0.14%
Serbian 3,560 0.10% 3,090 0.10% 2,125 0.07%
Bosnian 1,745 0.05% 1,745 0.05% N N
Serbo-Croatian 930 0.03% 1,250 0.04% 3,180 0.11%
20. Gujarati 8,675 0.24% 6,280 0.19% 4,910 0.17%
21. Portuguese 7,380 0.21% 7,205 0.22% 6,110 0.21%
22. Hungarian 6,700 0.19% 6,770 0.21% 6,985 0.24%
23. Romanian 6,550 0.18% 4,370 0.14% 2,890 0.10%
24. Somali 5,515 0.16% 3,130 0.10% 810 0.03%
25. Amharic 5,110 0.14% 2,785 0.09% 1,100 0.04%
26. Bengali 5.030 0.14% 2,710 0.08% 1,190 0.04%
27. Scandinavian languages 4,935 0.14% 6,045 0.19% 6,795 0.23%
Danish 2,805 0.08% 3,510 0.11% 3,615 0.12%
Norwegian 1,180 0.03% 1,245 0.04% 1,670 0.06%
Swedish 950 0.03% 1,145 0.04% 1,345 0.05%
28. Japanese 4,560 0.13% 4,555 0.14% 3,625 0.12%
29. African languages n.i.e. 3,380 0.10% 2,525 0.08% 930 0.03%
30. Bisayan languages 3,255 0.09% 1,370 0.04% N N
31. Ilocano 3,010 0.08% 1,885 0.06% N N
32. Greek 2,965 0.08% 3,305 0.10% 2,765 0.10%
33. Czech 2,880 0.08% 3,100 0.08% 3,520 0.12%
34. Malayalam 2,760 0.08% 1,550 0.05% 1,055 0.04%
35. Tamil 2,645 0.07% 1,385 0.04% 1,110 0.04%
36. Sindhi 2,560 0.07% 2,000 0.06% 1,990 0.07%
37. Turkish 2,460 0.07% 1,605 0.05% 810 0.03%
38. Afrikaans 2,420 0.07% N N N N
39. Tigrigna 2,340 0.07% 1,170 0.04% 800 0.03%
40. Slovak 2,145 0.06% 2,430 0.08% 1,605 0.06%
41 Niger-Congo languages, n.i.e. 2,075 0.06% N N N N
42 Sinhalese 1,940 0.05% 835 0.03% N N
43. Pashto 1,850 0.05% 1,175 0.04% 275 0.01%
44. Khmer (Cambodian) 1,745 0.05% 1,740 0.05% 1,450 0.05%
45. Albanian 1,685 0.05% N N N N
46. Nepali 1,605 0.05% N N N N
47. Swahili 1,455 0.04% 850 0.03% 380 0.01%
48. Oromo language 1,405 0.04% N N N N
49. Thai 1,310 0.04% N N 85 0.003%
50. Bulgarian 1,280 0.04% 1,020 0.03% 400 0.01%

Note: "n.i.e.": not included elsewhere

Other Languages

In addition to the table above, other mother tongues include:

Mother tongues of more than 355 persons (0.01%) are listed.


In addition to the single-language responses detailed above, about 62,505 people reported having more than one mother tongue. There were 49,970 responses of both English and a non-official language; 2,945 of both French and a non-official language; 8,410 of both English and French; and 1,185 of English, French and a non-official language.

Migration

Immigration

The 2011 Canadian census counted a total of 644,115 immigrants living in Alberta, 257,230 of whom arrived after 2001.
The most common countries of birth for immigrants living in Alberta were:[18]

Rank Place of Origin Total
1. Philippines 69,575
2. India 59,020
3. United Kingdom 58,245
4. China 49,595
5. United States 31,050
6. Vietnam 26,020
7. Germany 20,085
8. Pakistan 19,110
9. Hong Kong 17,300
10. Poland 16,335
11. Netherlands 15,290
12. Mexico 10,755
13. South Korea 9,575
14. Lebanon 8,390
15. Italy 8,050
16. Colombia 6,860
17. Ukraine 6,430
18. Ethiopia 6,375
19. Romania 6,235
20. South Africa 6,010

Other Places of Origin

In addition to the countries listed in the table above, there were also about:

{Countries of birth for more than 1,784 persons (0.05%) are shown.}

Internal migration

A total of 469,095 people moved to Alberta from other parts of Canada between 1996 and 2006 while 261,500 people moved in the opposite direction. These movements resulted in a net influx of 51,235 people from British Columbia, 42,180 people from Saskatchewan, 31,425 people from Ontario, 23,875 people from Manitoba, 18,820 people from Newfoundland and Labrador, 11,925 people from Nova Scotia, 11,720 people from Quebec, and 8,410 people from New Brunswick. During this period there was a net influx of 2,710 francophones from Quebec, 1,545 francophones from Ontario, 1,355 francophones from New Brunswick, 775 francophones from Saskatchewan, 575 francophones from Manitoba, 500 francophones from British Columbia, 340 francophones from Nova Scotia, and 5,585 anglophones from Quebec. (All net inter-provincial movements of more than 5,000 persons and net official language minority movements of more than 100 persons are given.)[19][20]

Religion

Over 60 percent of Albertans identify as Christian, while almost 32 percent of residents identify with no religion. The largest denominations are the Roman Catholic, United, Anglican, Lutheran, and Baptist Churches.

Almost 2 percent of Albertans are Mormons descended from pioneers who emigrated from Utah around the turn of the 20th century; there are three temples in the province. Alberta also has large numbers of Pentecostal, Presbyterians, and evangelical Christians.

There are significant numbers of Mennonites and Hutterites, which are communal Anabaptist sects. There are also many Jehovah's Witnesses and Reformed Christians, as well a significant population of Seventh-day Adventists in and around Lacombe where the Canadian University College is located.

Alberta is also home to several Eastern Rite Churches as part of the legacy of Eastern European immigrants, including the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Diocese of Edmonton and Western Canada. There are 500 Doukhobors living in their few communities across Southern Alberta.

Many people of the Hindu, Sikh, and Muslim faiths also make Alberta their home; one of the largest Sikh temples in Canada is located just outside Edmonton. Most of Alberta's 11,000-some Jews live in Calgary (5,995) and Edmonton (3,445).

Religion Denomination Congregation Proportion
Christian 2,152,200 60.3%
Catholic 866,305 24.3%
United Church 268,275 7.5%
Anglican Church 140,665 3.9%
Lutheran 119,345 3.3%
Baptist 66,635 1.9%
Pentecostal 60,960 1.7%
Christian Orthodox 51,340 1.4%
Presbyterian 36,765 1.0%
Other Christian 541,520 15.2%
Muslim 113,445 3.2%
Sikh 52,335 1.5%
Buddhist 44,410 1.2%
Hindu 36,845 1.0%
Jewish 10,900 0.3%
Other Religions 16,605 0.5%
Aboriginal spirituality 15,100 0.4%
No religious affiliation 1,126,130 23.62%

Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (2,941,150 in 2001)
Only groups of more than 0.025% are shown[21]

See also

Demographics of Canada's provinces and territories

References

  1. ↑ StatCan - Alberta population
  2. ↑ "2001 Census Analysis Series - A profile of the Canadian population : where we live" (PDF). Statistics Canada. p. 6. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  3. ↑ - Statistics Canada
  4. ↑ "Population, urban and rural, by province and territory (Alberta)". 2009-09-22. Retrieved 2011-04-11.
  5. 1 2 "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2011 and 2006 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2011-02-06. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
  6. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations, 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
  7. ↑ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  8. ↑ A National Overview: Population and Dwelling Counts (1996 Census ed.). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. April 1997. ISBN 0-660-59283-5.
  9. 1 2 "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2010-01-06. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  10. ↑ "2011 Municipal Codes" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  11. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2011-04-10.
  13. ↑ "1996 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
  14. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/Page.cfm? Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Alberta&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=48
  15. ↑ , Community Profiles from the 2011 Census, Statistics Canada - Province/Territory
  16. ↑ , Aboriginal Population Profile from the 2011 Census, Statistics Canada - Province/Territory
  17. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=48&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=alberta&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1
  18. ↑ http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=48&Data=Count&SearchText=Alberta&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=48
  19. ↑ Province or Territory of Residence 5 Years Ago (14), Mother Tongue (8), Age Groups (16) and Sex (3) (2006 Census)
  20. ↑ Province or Territory of Residence 5 Years Ago (14), Mother Tongue (8), Age Groups (16) and Sex (3) (2001 census)
  21. ↑ "Religion (95) and Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (11) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 Census - 20% Sample Data (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2011-12-29. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
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