1961 Canadian census

The 1961 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was June 16, 1961. On that day, Statistics Canada attempted to count every person in Canada. The total population count of Canada was 18,238,247. This was a 13.4% increase over the 1956 census of 16,080,791.

1961 Canadian census
June 16, 1961 (1961-06-16)
General information
Country	Canada
Authority	Dominion Bureau of Statistics
Results
Total population	18,238,247 ( 13.4%)
Most populous ​province/territory	Ontario (6,236,092)
Least populous ​province/territory	Yukon (14,628)

The previous census was the 1956 census and the following census was the 1966 census. This was the first census since 1901 in which all then-admitted provinces recorded a population of at least 100,000, and the last in which Saskatchewan had a larger population than neighbouring Manitoba.

Canada by the numbers

A summary of information about Canada.

Total population	18,238,247
Men	9,218,893
Women	9,019,354

Population by province

Rank	Province or territory	Population as of 1961 census	Population as of 1956 census	Change	Percent change
1	Ontario	6,236,092	5,404,933	831,159	15.4
2	Quebec	5,259,211	4,628,378	630,833	13.6
3	British Columbia	1,629,082	1,398,464	230,618	16.5
4	Alberta	1,331,944	1,123,116	208,828	18.6
5	Saskatchewan	925,181	880,665	44,516	5.1
6	Manitoba	921,686	850,040	71,646	8.4
7	Nova Scotia	737,007	694,717	42,290	6.1
8	New Brunswick	597,936	554,616	43,320	7.8
9	Newfoundland and Labrador	457,853	415,074	42,779	10.3
10	Prince Edward Island	104,629	99,285	5,344	5.4
11	Northwest Territories	22,998	19,313	3,685	19.1
12	Yukon	14,628	12,190	2,438	20.0
	Canada	18,238,247	16,080,791	2,157,416	13.4

A different definition for the Northwest Territories disregards areas not included within the Mackenzie River Electoral District. If such areas were excluded, the Northwest Territories had 14,895 people in 1961 and 12,492 people in 1956. Under this definition, the Northwest Territories saw an increase of 2,403 people, or 19.2%.