What number of people reside within Toronto: The current population of Toronto in 2022 is 2.7 million (2,731,571).
This means that it makes Toronto one of the biggest cities in Canada and the fourth-largest city in North America.
The total Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has a population of 6.4 million. This means that the GTA is the largest metropolitan region within Canada (click here for more information on this total population in Canada) in addition to being the seventh-largest metropolitan region within North America.
In the south of Ontario and close to bordering the US borders, Toronto is Canada’s economic and commercial center.
Today, nearly one-in-five (18.1 percent) Canadians and close to half (44.4 percent) of the population of Ontario reside in or around Toronto. Toronto (in Toronto’s Greater Toronto Area).
Toronto is often referred to as having the largest diversity of cities in the globe. About 50% of the city’s inhabitants are birthed outside Canada and will likely grow to more than 50% over the coming years.
This article includes data from the census of 2011 and 2016, to be updated in 2022 when those results from the census in 2021 are released.
Table of Contents
GTA Population 2022
It is believed that the Toronto Metro Population can be described in many different ways, based upon the criteria you use to define the city’s metropolitan region.
The Greater Toronto Region (GTA) comprises Toronto as a city Toronto and has four adjoining municipal areas, namely Halton, Peel, York, and Durham. The GTA comprises a range of other significant Canadian cities, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan, and Richmond Hill.
It is important to note that the GTA differs slightly from its counterpart, the Toronto Census Metropolitan area. Some towns located in areas like Durham as well as the Halton region are part of GTA but aren’t included in the CMA.
There are also a few towns located in Dufferin County and Simcoe County that are part of the CMA but not part of the GTA.
Click here for a complete list of distinctions between Toronto GTA and the Toronto CMA.
In 2016, the most recent date that data on population is available The Toronto GTA population was 6,417,526 people. The number of people living in that of the CMA of Toronto CMA at the time of 2016 was a bit lower at 5,928,040.
Largest cities in the Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area has 10 major cities within the greater Toronto region that have greater than 100,000 inhabitants. According to the census of 2016, Toronto is of course the biggest city within the GTA. In 2016, the Greater Toronto population was 6,417,526 people.
Mississauga is the next-largest city in Canada, having a population of 713,443. This isn’t bad considering that Mississauga was once an outlying suburban area of Toronto.
Brampton is the only GTA city that has a population of over half a million In 2016, its population was 593,638.
Below is a table that lists the top ten cities that are located in the Greater Toronto region.
Toronto Population Growth
Between the census in 2011 between the census of 2011 and 2016 The population of Toronto was up 4.46 percent, which is greater than 100k people.
The rate of growth in population in Toronto is comparable to the rate of growth in other cities across Canada. For instance, Ottawa grew by 5.76 percent and Vancouver was up by 4.64 percent over the same time.
However, it’s approximately half of the population growth in some cities, for instance, Edmonton increased by 14.82 percent in the same time frame, while Calgary was able to grow by 12.99 percent.
The population of Toronto is expected to grow in the coming years. Estimates predict an increase of around 100,000 per year in Toronto’s Greater Toronto Area (GTA).
The table below provides what the total population is of Toronto for each census year beginning in 1901. The table also shows the number of people living in Toronto’s Toronto Census Metropolitan area for every census year after 1971, and also the Greater Toronto Area for every census year beginning in 1986.
| Year | Toronto | CMA | GTA |
| 1901 | 238,030 | – | – |
| 1911 | 381,383 | – | – |
| 1921 | 521,893 | – | – |
| 1931 | 856,955 | – | – |
| 1941 | 951,549 | – | – |
| 1951 | 1,176,622 | – | – |
| 1961 | 1,824,381 | – | – |
| 1971 | 2,089,729 | 2,628,045 | – |
| 1976 | 2,124,291 | 2,803,101 | – |
| 1981 | 2,137,395 | 2,998,947 | – |
| 1986 | 2,192,721 | 3,427,170 | 3,733,085 |
| 1991 | 2,275,771 | 3,893,933 | 4,235,756 |
| 1996 | 2,385,421 | 4,263,759 | 4,628,883 |
| 2001 | 2,481,494 | 4l682,897 | 5,081,826 |
| 2006 | 2,503,281 | 5,113,149 | 5,555,912 |
| 2011 | 2,615,060 | 5,583,064 | 6,054,191 |
| 2016 | 2,731,571 | 5,928,040 | 6,417,526 |
Toronto Demographics 2022
The rest of this article is filled with information on Toronto’s demographics, Toronto, and the Greater Toronto Area, including details on the population density, language, Toronto ethnic demographics, the immigration process, and religion.
How big is Toronto
Toronto, Canada’s largest city Toronto is spread over 630.21 km2.
The Greater Toronto Area covers an area of 7,124.15 km2.
Toronto Population Density
Based on the population count of 2,731,571 and the above-mentioned area the density of Toronto in Toronto has been estimated to be 4,334.4 people per sq km.
Based on the 2016 census population of 6,417,526 and the above size information it is estimated that the Greater Toronto Area population density was 849 people per square kilometer.
Toronto Languages
English is among the frequently spoken native language in Toronto. In 2011, 53.8 percent of the people living in Toronto stated that their mother spoken language was English. Furthermore, more than two-thirds (67.0 percent) of the people living in Toronto stated their primary language used most of the time in their homes was English.
A small percentage of people in Toronto can speak French. Just 1.1 percent of Toronto residents said that it was their primary language and only 0.5 percent of them claimed that this was the one they used most often at home.
About four out of 10 residents of Toronto are native speakers of a language that isn’t English or French. Overall, 41.8 percent of Toronto residents reported that they spoke a non-official mother tongue. 25.3 percent of them stated as their primary language used often at home was not English or French.
The most widely spoken non-official mother languages in Toronto include Italian, Cantonese, and Punjabi. The following table lists the most frequently spoken mother tongues in Toronto.
| Language | Number | Percentage |
| English | 2,980,215 | 53.8% |
| Italian | 178,750 | 3.2% |
| Cantonese | 177,735 | 3.2% |
| Punjabi (Panjabi) | 164,855 | 3.0% |
| Chinese | 162,890 | 2.9% |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | 140,005 | 2.5% |
| Spanish | 127,825 | 2.3% |
| Urdu | 124,110 | 2.2% |
| Tamil | 114,725 | 2.1% |
| Portuguese | 110,905 | 2.0% |
Toronto Ethnic Demographics 2022
Nearly half (47.0 percent) of the residents who reside in Toronto say they belong to visible minorities. This is more than double the median percentage across Canada is 19.1 percent. It’s roughly similar to the proportion for visible minorities living in Vancouver (45.2 percent) however it is much more so than the other significant Canadian cities.
The census of 2011 asked the population was asked to reveal their ethnicity. The three most frequent ethnic groups that were mentioned to the city of Toronto comprised of English (12.9 percent), Chinese (12.0%), and Canadian (11.3 11.3 %). The following table lists ethnic origins that are reported by more than five percent of the people of Toronto.
| Ethnic Origin | Population | Percentage |
| English | 333,20 | 12.9% |
| Chinese | 308,690 | 12.0% |
| Canadian | 291,665 | 11.3% |
| Irish | 250,460 | 9.7% |
| Scottish | 245,545 | 9.5% |
| East Indian | 177,065 | 7.5% |
| Italian | 177,065 | 6.9% |
| Filipino | 140.420 | 5.5% |
In the 2011 National Household Survey people were asked to define their race. The most frequently mentioned races within Toronto included White (50.2 percent), East Asian (12.7 percent), South Asian (12.3 percent), and Black (8.5 percent).
| Race | Percentage |
| White | 50.2% |
| East Asian | 12.7% |
| South Asian | 12.3% |
| Black | 8.5% |
| southeast Asian | 7.0% |
| Latin American | 2.8% |
| West Asian | 2.0% |
| Arab | 1.1% |
| Aboriginal | 0.7% |
Of the people who declared the race of their choice as Aboriginal, 0.5% were First Nations and 0.2% were Metis.
Immigrants from Toronto
It is estimated that the population in Toronto is roughly evenly split between those who have emigrated to Canada as well as those originally born to Canada.
In 2011, residents of Toronto stated that they weren’t immigrants. Of the residents, 1,102.465 were born in Ontario. Ontario. The remainder of the residents were born outside of Canada.
The same year 1,252,215 Canadians declared themselves immigrants. Another 64,945 claimed that they were not Permanent residents in Canada.
A higher proportion of Toronto residents of Toronto are Canadian citizens. In 2011, 2,214,540 Toronto citizens included Canadian citizens. The remaining 361,485 weren’t Canadian citizens.
Religion in Toronto
Christianity is the most significant one-time religion group in Toronto. It is estimated that 54.1 percent of the people living in Toronto are Christian.
The next smallest category of people is the one who says that they do not have a religion (24.2 percent). They are followed by those who say they are Muslim (8.2 percent), Hindu (5.6%), Jewish (3.8%), and Buddhist (2.7 percent).
Within the community of Christians in Toronto, the most significant single religion that is single is Roman Catholic (28.2%).
The next group is Protestants (11.9 percent) along with Orthodox Christians (4.3%). Another 9.7 percent of residents in Toronto belong to another Christian faith.