Toronto Population History: 1834 to the 2021 Census

Toronto was incorporated as a city in 1834, and in 2026 the City of Toronto, as it is bounded today, had an estimated 3,358,275 residents. Census figures before 1998 describe a much smaller area, the former City of Toronto, so a straight line from one number to the other mixes two different places. This article sets the figures side by side with the boundary changes that explain the gaps.

Counts for the old city, 1861 to 1971

The older figures come from Statistics Canada’s Canada Year Books. For 1881 to 1931, the Year Book of 1947 gives counts adjusted to the city’s 1941 area, so they are consistent with one another but are not the numbers originally enumerated. The population rose from 44,821 in 1861 to 218,504 in 1901 and passed half a million by 1921. After that, growth within the old limits nearly stopped: 667,457 in 1941 and 675,754 in 1951, then 672,407 in 1961 and 712,786 in 1971.

The flat line after 1941 does not mean the region stopped growing. People were settling outside the old city limits, in neighbouring municipalities that were counted separately.

Census counts at a glance

Census year	Population	Area counted	Source
1861	44,821	City as enumerated in 1861	Canada Year Book 1867
1881	96,196	Old city, adjusted by Statistics Canada to its 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1891	181,215	Old city, 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1901	218,504	Old city, 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1911	381,333	Old city, 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1921	521,893	Old city, 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1931	631,207	Old city, 1941 area	Canada Year Book 1947
1941	667,457	Old city as at the 1941 census	Canada Year Book 1947
1951	675,754	Old city as at the 1951 census	Canada Year Book 1968
1961	672,407	Old city as at the 1961 census	Canada Year Book 1973
1971	712,786	Old city as at the 1971 census	Canada Year Book 1973
1991	2,275,771	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	City of Toronto City Planning, from Statistics Canada
2001	2,481,494	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	City of Toronto City Planning, from Statistics Canada
2011	2,615,060	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	City of Toronto 2011 Census backgrounder
2016	2,731,571	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	City of Toronto 2016 Census backgrounder
2021	2,794,356	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	City of Toronto 2021 Census backgrounder
2026	3,358,275	Amalgamated city, present boundaries	World Population Review estimate

Counts for 1976 to 1986 and for 1851 and 1871 are left out because no source read for this article gave them on a clear, consistent boundary. Counts are not adjusted for undercoverage. The break between 1971 and 1991 marks the change of area, not a lack of growth.

The 1954 Metro federation

According to the City of Toronto Archives timeline, Toronto became one of 13 municipalities in the new Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in 1953, with the federation taking effect on January 1, 1954. The old city kept its own census count, which is why tables through 1971 still list Toronto at between 672,407 and 712,786 people while a far larger Metro population surrounded it. Comparing 1961 with 1991 therefore needs care: the 1991 number belongs to the amalgamated city, and the 1961 number does not. For the federation itself, see the article on Metropolitan Toronto.

The 1998 amalgamation

On January 1, 1998, the Metropolitan government was abolished and Toronto, East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York were merged into one City of Toronto, as the City of Toronto Archives and the Archives of Ontario record. From 1991 onward, the tables used here count the whole amalgamated area: 2,275,771 in 1991, 2,481,494 in 2001, 2,794,356 in 2021, and 3,358,275 in 2026.

Growth after amalgamation has slowed. The city added 116,511 residents between 2011 and 2016 (4.5 percent) and 62,785 between 2016 and 2021 (2.3 percent), according to the City of Toronto’s census backgrounder.

Frequently asked questions

How many people lived in Toronto when it was incorporated in 1834?

This article gives no figure, because no census volume read here counted the city in 1834. The earliest count used is 1861.

Why did Toronto’s population jump between 1971 and 1991?

The tables switch from the old city to the amalgamated city. The change of boundary, not a sudden arrival of residents, explains the jump from 712,786 to 2,275,771.

Is 3,358,275 the whole Toronto area?

No. It is the City of Toronto. The Toronto census metropolitan area, which includes suburbs such as Mississauga and Markham, was larger at 6,202,225 in 2021.

When is the next census count?

The 2026 Census results had not been released when this page was checked, so 2021 is the latest full count.

Last verified: October 2026

Sources

City of Toronto City Planning, 2021 Census Backgrounder: Population and Dwelling Counts, February 2022
City of Toronto Archives, resources on former municipalities (timeline of municipal changes)
Statistics Canada, Canada Year Book 1947, 1968, and 1973, tables of populations of cities
Statistics Canada, Canada Year Book 1867 (1861 census)
Statistics Canada, The Daily, February 9, 2022, 2021 Census population counts

Cite this page

APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 27). Toronto’s Population from 1834 to the 2021 Census. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-growth-and-transformation-of-torontos-population-from-humble-beginnings-to-a-thriving-metropolis

MLA: “Toronto’s Population from 1834 to the 2021 Census.” History of Toronto, 27 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-growth-and-transformation-of-torontos-population-from-humble-beginnings-to-a-thriving-metropolis. Accessed .

Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto’s Population from 1834 to the 2021 Census.” Last modified October 27, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-growth-and-transformation-of-torontos-population-from-humble-beginnings-to-a-thriving-metropolis.

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