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Census Atlas profile

Who lives in Northwest Territories.

41,070 people lived in Northwest Territories in 2021. 10.3% were immigrants (Canada: 23.0%) and 2.0% had arrived from 2016 to 2021.

Data 2021 CensusNext update Census 2026 (from Feb. 2027)

Population, 202141,070-1.7% since 2016
Immigrants10.3%2.0% arrived 2016–2021
Visible minority12.2%
Median household income (2020)$127,000rent $1,450/mo
Map

Northwest Territories, region by region.

6 census divisions (counties, regional districts and similar areas) cover the whole territory. Click an area for its profile.

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Scroll or pinch to zoom · drag to move · click an area for details

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population; boundaries: Statistics Canada 2021 boundary files. Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

Profile

Who lives in Northwest Territories, in charts.

Visible minority groups

Share of the population in private households. Statistics Canada term, defined in the Employment Equity Act.

GroupSharePeople
Filipino4.1%1,665
Black2.6%1,060
South Asian1.9%770
Chinese0.8%335
Southeast Asian0.8%305
Arab0.6%225
Multiple visible minorities0.4%170
Latin American0.3%125
Japanese0.3%105
Korean0.2%75
Visible minority, n.i.e.0.1%50
West Asian0.1%35

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Languages spoken most often at home

Non-official languages, single responses.

GroupSharePeople
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)1.1%465
Punjabi (Panjabi)0.3%120
Vietnamese0.3%115
Arabic0.2%90
Mandarin0.2%75
Yue (Cantonese)0.2%75
Bengali0.2%65
Spanish0.1%45
Hindi0.1%35
Urdu0.1%25

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Top 15 ethnic or cultural origins

People can report more than one origin, so shares add up to more than 100%.

GroupSharePeople
English13.6%5,495
Scottish13.1%5,270
Dene11.7%4,725
Irish11.7%4,720
Canadian8.4%3,380
French8.2%3,320
First Nations (North American Indian)7.2%2,920
German7.0%2,815
Métis6.2%2,520
Filipino3.8%1,550
Inuit3.4%1,375
Cree3.3%1,350
Ukrainian2.6%1,030
Dutch2.3%940
Caucasian (White)2.3%920

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Immigrants: top places of birth

Share of all residents born in each place (immigrants only).

GroupSharePeople
Philippines28.3%1,175
United Kingdom6.6%275
India6.4%265
United States of America4.2%175
Viet Nam4.0%165
Germany2.8%115
China2.4%100
South Africa, Republic of2.2%90
Bangladesh1.8%75
Pakistan1.8%75
Somalia1.6%65
Jamaica1.3%55

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Recent immigrants (2016 to 2021): top places of birth

Share of all residents.

GroupSharePeople
Philippines34.0%275
India11.7%95
Syria4.3%35
France3.7%30
Sudan3.7%30
Eritrea3.1%25
Jamaica2.5%20
Ethiopia2.5%20
Somalia2.5%20
South Africa, Republic of2.5%20

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Immigrants by period of arrival

CategoryShare of residents
Before 19801.4%
1980 to 19900.8%
1991 to 20001.5%
2001 to 20102.5%
2011 to 20152.0%
2016 to 20212.0%

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

Immigrants admitted 1980 to 2021, by category

Share of residents.

CategoryShare of residents
Economic immigrants53.6%
Immigrants sponsored by family32.1%
Refugees13.5%
Other immigrants0.8%

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.

More data

Related

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About this data. Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product. Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population. Counts are randomly rounded to multiples of 5 or 10 and very small areas are suppressed by Statistics Canada; we show those as “not available”. Ethnic or cultural origin allows several answers per person, so shares add up to more than 100%. Origin and language data describe ancestry and language use; they are not a measure of who is Canadian. These pages describe what happened, using official statistics. They do not predict policy, estimate anyone’s chances, or rank communities. See methods and definitions.