The population at present in Montreal currently stands at 1.7 million (1,704,694). These are the second-largest cities in Canada (after Toronto and ahead of Calgary) and the biggest cities in Quebec.
The greater total population in the Montreal metropolitan region has reached 4.9 million (4,098,927) (2016 figures) as well as the island population within Montreal has been estimated at two million (2,006,966) (2016 information).
Montreal is a Francophone city. For long periods it was believed that the Montreal metropolitan area was believed to be the second-largest French spoken city.
However, today it is the Montreal metro is fourth in the world, following Kinshasa (DR Congo), Paris (France), and Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Prior to the time that Toronto was merged with six other cities in the year 1998, Montreal was considered to be the biggest city in Canada.
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Montreal Metro Population
While Montreal City has a population of 1,704,694, Montreal City city population was 1,704,694, that of the larger Montreal metropolitan area, which is also referred to as Greater Montreal is much larger.
In 2016, the most recent data that Statistics Canada has released information on the demographic information the Greater Montreal population was 4.1 million (4,098,927).
More than one in ten Canadians reside within Montreal Metropolitan Area. Montreal Metropolitan Area.
Montreal Islands population
The island population of Montreal has crossed 2 million for the very first time ever in the year 2016 reaching a total of 2,006,966 residents. (Source: Institut de la statistique du Quebec).
Montreal Population Growth
Montreal experienced three decades of decline in population in the last decade of the twenty-first century (its population dropped by 1.29 million by 1966, to 1.02 million by 1996. The decrease was caused partly due to the anti-secessionist sentiment in Quebec that caused a lot of English natives (anglophones) to move out of the city.
This decline seemed to be reversed after the city was joined with other municipal areas located in Montreal. In the span of a few hours, Montreal’s official population increased to 1.6 million and has grown slowly since.
Between the censuses in 2011 and 2016, Montreal’s population increased by 3.34 percent and it is among the most slow-growing cities in Canada.
The table below provides how many people lived in Montreal city as well as the Montreal metro region at the time of every Canadian census, beginning with 1871.
| Census Year | City | Metro area |
| 1871 | 130,022 | 174,090 |
| 1881 | 176,263 | 223,512 |
| 1891 | 254,278 | 308,169 |
| 1901 | 325,653 | 393,665 |
| 1911 | 490,504 | 594,182 |
| 1921 | 618,506 | 774,330 |
| 1931 | 818,577 | 1,064,448 |
| 1941 | 903,007 | 1,192,235 |
| 1951 | 1,021,520 | 1,539,308 |
| 1956 | 1,109,439 | 1,745,001 |
| 1961 | 1,201,559 | 2,110,679 |
| 1966 | 1,293,992 | 2,570,985 |
| 1971 | 1,214,352 | 2,743,208 |
| 1976 | 1,080,545 | 2,802,485 |
| 1981 | 1,018,609 | 2,862,286 |
| 1986 | 1,015,420 | 2,921,357 |
| 1991 | 1,017,666 | 3,127,242 |
| 1996 | 1,016,376 | 3,326,447 |
| 2001 | 1,039,534 | 3,426,350 |
| 2006 | 1,620,693 | 3,635,571 |
| 2011 | 1,649,519 | 3,824,221 |
| 2016 | 1,704,694 | 4,098,927 |
Montreal Population Density
Montreal is a city in Canada. Montreal encompasses 365.13 km2. The city’s population was 1,704,694 in 2016, the city’s population density was 3,889.8 people per square meter.
The Montreal Metropolitan area covers 4,098.9 km2. The density of its population as of 2016 stood at 890.2 people per sq km.
Montreal Languages
French is among the frequently spoken languages in Montreal. The greater Montreal Metropolitan area is considered to be the fourth-largest French city that speaks French in the world.
In 2011, 70.4 percent of residents living in Montreal were fluent in French at home. 14.0 percent were fluent in English at home, and 16.6 percent spoke other languages.
In recent times, the percentage of residents in Montreal who speak English or French as their primary language has slowly declined. French has dropped from 71.2 percent in 1996, to 70.4 percent in 2011, and English has decreased from 15.4 percent to 14.0 percent.
Within the same time, the percentage of residents who speak a different home language has increased, going from 13.4 percent in 1996 to 16.6 percent in 2011.
The most widely spoken languages that are not French and English include Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Creole, Greek, and Chinese.
| Language | Montreal | Canada |
| French | 65.8% | 22.0% |
| English | 13.2% | 58.6% |
| Arabic | 3.9% | 1.1% |
| Spanish | 3.1% | 1.3% |
| Italian | 3.1% | 1.3% |
| Creole | 1.5% | 0.2% |
| Greek | 1.1% | 0.4% |
| Chinese | 1.1% | 1.3% |
About half (53.4 percent) of the inhabitants of Montreal are bilingual French-English.
Ethnicity in Montreal
The 2011 Canadian census in Canada recorded information about visible minorities. For Montreal, 20.3% of respondents claimed to be part of a visible minority group that is slightly higher than that of the Canadian median of 19.1 percent. The biggest visible minorities that resided in Montreal included Black, Arab and Latin American.
A complete breakdown of the 2011 census isn’t available, but during 2006, the most significant one-person population within Montreal in Montreal was White (67.7 percent) and was which was followed by Black (9.1 percent) in addition to Arab (6.4 percent). The population of aboriginals in Montreal was reported as 2.5 3.5%.
In 2011, there were 846,600 residents living in Montreal this is 22.6 percent of the city’s total population.
In-depth information about ethnic origins can be found in the census of 2006.
Canadian has been the topmost frequently identified ethnicity – according to 47% of the population in Montreal. The top five included French (26 percent), Italian (7%), Irish (6%), and English (4 4 percent).
Other minor groups worth mentioning include North American Indians (2%) and Quebecois (2 percent).
Religion in Montreal
Due to its French heritage, Montreal is predominately a Roman Catholic city. The census of 2011 indicates that 52.8 percent of residents who live in Montreal reside in Roman Catholic, 5.9% are Protestants and 3.7 percent have been identified as Orthodox Christian.
In the larger religious communities, 65.8% of the Montreal population is Christian. Other religions that are commonly followed include Islam (9.6 percent), Judaism (2.4%), Buddhism (2.0%), and Hinduism (1.4 percent).
Additionally, 18.4 percent of Montreal residents do not have a religion.