List of Canadian Cities by Population

A list of Canadian cities by population ranks cities by how many people live in each municipality or urban area, depending on the methodology used.

A list of Canadian cities by population ranks cities by how many people live in each municipality or urban area, depending on the methodology used. The largest Canadian city in most standard city-proper rankings is Toronto, followed by Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, and Edmonton. This topic is directly relevant to Canadian readers because it describes how Canada’s population is distributed across its largest urban centres and highlights differences between municipal and metropolitan population counts.

Methodology

City population lists in Canada are not always directly comparable because sources may count municipal boundaries, urban areas, or census metropolitan areas. This is the main reason different rankings can place cities such as Vancouver, Ottawa, or Mississauga differently.

Largest cities

Using 2021 census city-proper figures, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg are among the largest Canadian cities. Sources using urban-area or 2025 estimates may show different totals and slightly different rank order.

Use in Canadian demographics

Population rankings help describe urban concentration and regional growth across Canada. They are commonly used in discussions of transportation, housing, infrastructure, and provincial population distribution.

Source variation

Reputable sources may disagree because they are answering slightly different questions. A city proper list is best for municipal comparisons, while metropolitan or urban-area lists are better for describing the broader built-up city region.