Demographics of Nunavut

 

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Demographics of Canada's provinces and territories

Nunavut is a territory of Canada. It has a land area of 1,877,787.62 km² (725,017.85 sq mi). In the 2011 census the population was 31,906, up 8.3% from the 2006 census figure of 29,474. In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, 24,630 people identified themselves as Inuit (84.1% of the total population), 100 as North American Indian (0.3%), 130 Métis (0.4%) and 4,410 as non-aboriginal (15.1%).

Nunavut's small and sparse population makes it unlikely the territory will be granted provincial status in the foreseeable future, although this may change if the Yukon, which is only marginally more populous, becomes a province.

Communities with more than 1,000 people

Municipality	2011	% change	2006	% change	2001	% change
Iqaluit	6,699	8.3	6,184	18.1	5,236	24.1
Arviat	2,318	12.5	2,060	8.5	1,899	21.8
Rankin Inlet	2,266	-3.9	2,358	8.3	2,177	5.8
Baker Lake	1,872	8.3	1,728	14.7	1,507	8.8
Cambridge Bay	1,608	8.9	1,477	12.8	1,309	-3.1
Pond Inlet	1,549	17.8	1,315	7.8	1,220	5.7
Igloolik	1,454	-5.5	1,538	19.6	1,286	5.5
Kugluktuk	1,450	11.4	1,320	7.4	1,212	0.9
Pangnirtung	1,425	7.5	1,325	3.8	1,276	2.7
Cape Dorset	1,363	10.3	1,236	7.7	1,148	2.7
Gjoa Haven	1,279	20.2	1,064	10.8	960	9.2

Language

The 2006 Canadian census showed a population of 29,474.

Of the 29,025 singular responses to the census question concerning 'mother tongue' the languages most commonly reported were:

1.	Inuktitut	20,185	69.54%
2.	English	7,765	26.75%
3.	French	370	1.27%
4.	Inuinnaqtun	295	1.02%
5.	Malayo-Polynesian languages	65	0.22%
	Tagalog	45	0.16%
6=	Chinese languages	40	0.14%
	Cantonese	10	0.03%
	Mandarin	10	0.03%
6=	German	40	0.14%
8.	Spanish	30	0.10%
9=	Algonquian languages	20	0.07%
	Cree	20	0.07%
9=	Athabaskan languages	20	0.07%
	Dogrib	10	0.03%

There were also 260 responses of both English and a 'non-official language' (mainly Inuktitut); 20 of both French and a 'non-official language; 20 of both English and French; and about 140 people who either did not respond to the question, or reported multiple non-official languages, or else gave some other unenumerated response. Only English and French were counted as official languages in the census. Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.

Visible minorities and Aboriginals

Visible minorities and Aboriginal population
Canada 2006 Census		Population	% of total population
Visible minority group	South Asian	85	0.29
	Chinese	80	0.27
	Black	100	0.34
	Filipino	80	0.27
	Latin American	25	0.09
	Arab	15	0.05
	West Asian	10	0.03
	Japanese	10	0.03
	Mixed visible minority	15	0.05
	Other visible minority	10	0.03
Total visible minority population		430	1.47
Aboriginal group	North American Indian	100	0.34
	Métis	130	0.44
	Inuit	24,635	84.15
Total Aboriginal population		24,915	84.96
White		3,980	13.7
Total population		29,325	100

Religion

The three dominant religions in Nunavut are Catholicism, Anglicanism and Pentecostalism.

Traditionally, Inuit shamanism has always been a taboo subject in Inuit culture, not openly talked about. Shamans didn't make it known they were one, but the group or clan they were a part of knew.

Religious beliefs in the 2001 census
Religion	Adherents	% of the population
Catholic	6,215	23.30
Protestant	17,785	66.69
Christian Orthodox	20	0.07
Other Christian	835	3.13
Muslim	25	0.09
Jewish	10	0.04
Buddhist	15	0.06
Eastern religions	60	0.22
Other religions	40	0.15
No religious affiliation	1,655	6.21
Total	26,670	100.00

Migration

While there is some internal migration from the rest of Canada to Nunavut (usually on a temporary basis), there is very little external migration from outside of Canada to Nunavut.

The 2006 census counted a total of only about 450 immigrants in Nunavut, including about 80 from the United Kingdom, about 40 each from the United States and the Philippines, about 30 from Germany, about 20 each from China and India, and just over 10 each from Jamaica and South Africa.

A total of 4,940 people moved to Nunavut from other parts of Canada between 1996 and 2006 while 5,615 people moved in the opposite direction. These movements resulted in a net influx of 355 from Newfoundland and Labrador; and a net outmigration of 355 to Alberta, 295 to the Northwest Territories, 235 to Ontario and 160 to Quebec. There was a net outmigration of 150 francophones from Nunavut to Quebec during this period. (All net inter-provincial and official minority movements of more than 100 persons are given).

See also

• List of communities in Nunavut
• Demographics of Canada
• List of Canadian provinces and territories by population

Notes

• ^a Iqaluit is both the capital of Nunavut and the regional centre for the Qikiqtaaluk Region, while Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay are the regional centres for the Kivalliq and Kitikmeot Regions respectively.
• ^b Official language of Nunavut