In 2026 the City of Toronto had an estimated 3,358,275 residents. The 2021 census had counted 6,202,225 in the Toronto census metropolitan area. This page collects key figures about the city, each with the year it describes and the source it was read from. Figures of different years or different areas are not mixed: a city count and a metropolitan count describe different territories.
People and population
| Figure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Toronto, population | 3,358,275 (estimate) | 2026, World Population Review | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder (Statistics Canada data) |
| City of Toronto, population | 2,731,571 | 2016 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| City of Toronto, population | 2,615,060 | 2011 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| City of Toronto, population | 2,503,281 | 2006 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| City of Toronto, population | 2,481,494 | 2001 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| Share of Canada’s population, City of Toronto | 7.6% | 2021 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| Toronto census metropolitan area, population | 6,202,225 | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, The Daily, February 9, 2022 |
| Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, population | 7,281,694 | 2021 census | City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounder |
| Ontario, population | 14,223,942 | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, The Daily, February 9, 2022 |
| Canada, population | 36,991,981 | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, The Daily, February 9, 2022 |
| Residents who are immigrants, City of Toronto | 1,286,140 | 2021 census | City of Toronto, immigration and ethnocultural backgrounder |
| Share of population who are immigrants, Toronto census metropolitan area | 46.6% | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, The Daily, October 26, 2022 |
| Share of population who are immigrants, Canada | 23.0% | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, The Daily, October 26, 2022 |
| Residents in a visible minority group, City of Toronto | 1,537,285 (55.7%) | 2021 census | City of Toronto, immigration and ethnocultural backgrounder |
| Residents with a non-official language as mother tongue, City of Toronto | 42.5% | 2021 census | City of Toronto, language backgrounder |
| Residents with English only as mother tongue, City of Toronto | 50.2% | 2021 census | City of Toronto, language backgrounder |
| Employed residents, City of Toronto | 1,308,110 | 2021 census | City of Toronto, education, labour and commuting backgrounder |
The long series of earlier counts, with the boundary changes that affect them, is on the Toronto population by census page, and the language and immigration results are explained in Toronto’s population and languages.
Area, position, and elevation
| Figure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land area, City of Toronto | 631.1 km2 (243.7 sq mi) | 2021 census | Statistics Canada, Focus on Geography Series |
| Total area, City of Toronto | 641 km2 (247.5 sq mi) | City page, read October 2026 | City of Toronto, Toronto at a Glance |
| Land area, City of Toronto (indicators table) | 630 km2 (243.2 sq mi) | 2023 table on the same page | City of Toronto, Toronto at a Glance |
| Position | 43 degrees 39 minutes north, 79 degrees 23 minutes west | Not dated | City of Toronto, Toronto at a Glance |
| Elevation, waterfront weather station | 76.5 m (251 ft) | Not dated | Environment and Climate Change Canada station record; City of Toronto |
| Elevation, Annex weather station | 112.5 m (369 ft) | Not dated | Environment and Climate Change Canada station record |
| Elevation, Pearson airport weather station | 173.4 m (569 ft) | Not dated | Environment and Climate Change Canada station record |
| Highest point in the city, Steeles Avenue West and Keele Street | 209 m (686 ft) | Not dated | City of Toronto, Toronto at a Glance |
The City of Toronto page gives 641 km2 as the city’s area in its text and 630 km2 as land area in a later table, and Statistics Canada gives 631.1 km2 of land area for the 2021 census. The sources therefore differ by about 1 km2 on land area and by about 10 km2 once water is included. See where Toronto begins and ends and Toronto’s elevation and topography.
Climate and weather records
| Figure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean annual temperature, Pearson airport | 8.2 C (46.8 F) | 1981 to 2010 normals | Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals |
| Mean temperature in January, Pearson airport | minus 5.5 C (22.1 F) | 1981 to 2010 normals | Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals |
| Mean temperature in July, Pearson airport | 21.45 C (70.6 F) | 1981 to 2010 normals | Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals |
| Annual snowfall, Pearson airport | 108.46 cm (42.7 in) | 1981 to 2010 normals | Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals |
| Annual precipitation, Pearson airport | 785.85 mm (30.9 in) | 1981 to 2010 normals | Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals |
| Highest daily temperature, downtown station | 40.6 C (105.1 F) | July 8 to 10, 1936 | Environment and Climate Change Canada, daily data |
| Lowest daily temperature, downtown station | minus 32.8 C (minus 27.0 F) | January 10, 1859 | Environment and Climate Change Canada, daily data |
| Greatest daily rainfall, Pearson airport | 121.4 mm (4.8 in) | October 15, 1954 | Environment and Climate Change Canada, daily data |
The normals are a 30-year average for the airport station, not for the whole city. The records come from stations with different histories, which is why downtown and Pearson are labeled separately. More weather history is in Toronto’s weather and climate records.
Transit
| Figure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 Yonge-University, one-way length | 38.4 km (23.9 mi) | 2025 | TTC, 2025 Operating Statistics |
| Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, one-way length | 26.2 km (16.3 mi) | 2025 | TTC, 2025 Operating Statistics |
| Line 4 Sheppard, one-way length | 5.5 km (3.4 mi) | 2025 | TTC, 2025 Operating Statistics |
| Lines 1, 2, and 4 together (sum of the three figures above) | 70.1 km (43.6 mi) | 2025 | Calculated from TTC, 2025 Operating Statistics |
| Line 6 Finch West light rail, one-way length | 10.4 km (6.5 mi) | 2025 | TTC, 2025 Operating Statistics |
The TTC operating statistics give subway and light rail lengths in one-way kilometres. The sum of Lines 1, 2, and 4 is a calculation made for this page. For the history of the system, see the history of public transit in Toronto.
Historical figures
| Figure | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| York founded as a town | August 27, 1793 | 1793 | City of Toronto Archives |
| Incorporated as the City of Toronto | March 6, 1834 | 1834 | City of Toronto Archives |
| Irish famine migrants passing through a town of about 20,000 | Nearly 40,000 | 1847 | Plaque text, Irish Immigrants and the Fever Sheds, 1847 |
| Deaths in the fever sheds | 863 | 1847 | Plaque text, Irish Immigrants and the Fever Sheds, 1847 |
| Area burned in the Great Fire | Nearly 20 acres (about 8 ha) | April 19, 1904 | Archives of Ontario |
| Deaths from influenza in the autumn wave, estimated | About 1,750 in 150,000 cases, probably an underestimate | 1918 | Study in PubMed Central, as cited in the 1918 influenza article |
| First subway line, Union to Eglinton | 7.4 km, 12 stations | Opened March 30, 1954 | Parks Canada |
| Deaths in Hurricane Hazel in southern Ontario | 81 | October 1954 | Environment and Climate Change Canada archive |
| Municipalities in Metropolitan Toronto at its start | 13, reduced to six on January 1, 1967 | 1953 to 1967 | City of Toronto Archives; City of Toronto |
| Six municipalities amalgamated into one city | January 1, 1998 | 1998 | City of Toronto Archives |
| Settlement of the Toronto Purchase claim | CAD 145 million, together with a second claim | 2010 | Government of Canada and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, as summarized in the Toronto Purchase article |
| Insured damage from the July 8 storm | Over CAD 850 million | 2013 | Toronto Public Library local history blog |
| Length of Yonge Street in the Guinness World Records entry | 57 km (35.4 mi) | Entry read October 2026 | Guinness World Records |
Counts of buildings, deaths, and damage in historical events vary between sources. The linked articles show the competing figures: the Great Fire of 1904, the 1847 typhus epidemic, the 1918 influenza epidemic, and the Toronto Purchase.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Toronto?
The City of Toronto had an estimated 3,358,275 residents in 2026. The census metropolitan area, which includes suburbs, had 6,202,225 in the same census.
How large is Toronto in area?
Statistics Canada gives 631.1 km2 of land area for the 2021 census, and the City of Toronto gives 641 km2 for the city. The small difference comes from the sources, and the table above shows both.
Why are some figures from decades ago?
Weather normals cover 1981 to 2010, and record values date from the year they occurred. Each row states its year so that older figures are not mistaken for current ones.
Last verified: October 2026
Related reading
- Toronto population by census
- Toronto facts: location, population, geography, and weather
- Toronto timeline
- Toronto’s economy: industries, port, and housing
- Immigration and communities in Toronto
Sources
- Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, and The Daily releases of February 9, 2022, and October 26, 2022
- City of Toronto, 2021 census backgrounders (population, language, immigration, labour) and Toronto at a Glance
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, climate normals 1981 to 2010, daily climate data, and the Hurricane Hazel archive
- Toronto Transit Commission, 2025 Operating Statistics
- City of Toronto Archives, Archives of Ontario, Parks Canada, and Guinness World Records, for the historical rows
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Toronto in Numbers: Key Figures With Year and Source. https://historyoftoronto.ca/toronto-in-numbers
MLA: “Toronto in Numbers: Key Figures With Year and Source.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/toronto-in-numbers. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto in Numbers: Key Figures With Year and Source.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/toronto-in-numbers.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.