
The current population of Vancouver was 631,486. Vancouver is the 8th biggest city in Canada and the most populous city in British Columbia. Vancouver is the city that Vancouver is home to one of every seven residents in BC.
The greater Metro Vancouver population is 2,463,431 which makes it the third-largest metropolitan region in Canada in Canada, following Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Montreal. The city is the largest metropolitan region within North America.
Humans have lived in and within Vancouver for between 8 and 10,000 years. However, Vancouver is a city. Vancouver was initially settled in 1862 by European colonists around 1862, along the Fraser River, located in the present modern-day Marpole. The city was first incorporated on April 6, 1886.
Today, Vancouver is considered to be one of the cities with the highest diversity in Canada as well as the entire region of North America. About half of the inhabitants are part of an ethnic minority, and less than half are not native English or native French speakers.
The city is green that is regarded by many as one of the top cities to reside in. The city is the highest priced in Canada to reside in and is one of the priciest cities to purchase houses around the globe.
This article provides information on the larger population demographics of Vancouver and its population growth over time, the various language is spoken as well as ethnicity, immigration, and religion.
Table of Contents
Vancouver Population Growth
Vancouver’s population has risen dramatically over the last 100 years, but it isn’t the speed it was in the 20th century. The following table details the population of Vancouver by the year of the census.
Year | Population | Percentage |
---|---|---|
1891 | 13,709 | n/a |
1901 | 26,133 | +90.6% |
1911 | 100,401 | +284.2% |
1921 | 117,217 | +16.7% |
1931 | 246,593 | +110.4% |
1941 | 275,353 | +11.7% |
1951 | 344,833 | +25.2% |
1956 | 365,844 | +6.1% |
1961 | 384,522 | +5.1% |
1966 | 410,375 | +6.7% |
1971 | 426,256 | +3.9% |
1976 | 410,188 | -3.8% |
1981 | 414,281 | +1.0% |
1986 | 431,147 | +4.1% |
1991 | 471,644 | +9.4% |
1996 | 514,008 | +9.0% |
2001 | 545,671 | +6.2% |
2006 | 578,041 | +5.9% |
2011 | 603,502 | +4.4% |
2016 | 631,486 | +4.6% |
Vancouver Population Growth By Year Table
Vancouver’s population has grown during every census, with the exception of between 1971 and 1976, which saw the population decline by 3.8 percent. This was followed by another stretch of continuous increase since the 1980s.
Greater Vancouver Population
In total, the Greater Vancouver population is 2,463,431. Greater Vancouver is the home of more than half of the people who live in Canada’s province British Columbia.
It is the Greater Vancouver area is made by a variety of smaller cities. The biggest of them are the cities of Vancouver in itself (population 631,486) which is closely followed by Surrey (population 517,887). There are four additional cities within the metro region that have a population of over 100,000: Burnaby, Richmond, Abbotsford, and Coquitlam.
Largest cities in Metro Vancouver
Metro Vancouver is made up of 23 different areas, comprised of municipalities, cities, and villages, with the one Treaty First Nation as well as one Regional District Election Area is known as “Electoral Area A’.
The biggest city in the Metro Vancouver area is the city of Vancouver in itself. It is however close to Surrey, the capital city. Surrey has an estimated population of half a million. Other cities that are major include Burnaby, Richmond, Coquitlam as well as The Township of Langley and Delta City.
Below is a table that lists every region and its population.
Member | Type | Population |
---|---|---|
Vancouver | City | 631486 |
Surrey | City | 517887 |
Burnaby | City | 232755 |
Richmond | City | 198309 |
Coquitlam | City | 139284 |
Township of Langley | District municipality | 117285 |
Delta | City | 102238 |
District of North Vancouver | District municipality | 85935 |
Maple Ridge | City | 82256 |
New Westminster | City | 70996 |
Port Coquitlam | City | 58612 |
The City of North Vancouver | City | 52898 |
West Vancouver | District municipality | 42473 |
Port Moody | City | 33551 |
City of Langley | City | 25888 |
White Rock | City | 19952 |
Pitt Meadows | City | 18573 |
A Electoral Zone | The electoral area of the regional district | 16133 |
Bowen Island | Island municipality | 3680 |
Anmore | Village | 2210 |
Lions Bay | Village | 1334 |
Tsawwassen | First Nation | 816 |
Belcarra | Village | 643 |
Visible Minorities and ethnicity
Vancouver is among the cities with the highest diversity in Canada. According to the most recent census over half of the residents of Vancouver are part of visible minorities. The visible minority is defined by the Government of Canada as “persons that aren’t aboriginal who are not Caucasian in race or color”.
The table below gives the details of the population of Vancouver according to the visible minorities’ status.
Group | Population |
---|---|
South Asian | 37130 |
Chinese | 167180 |
Black | 6345 |
Filipino | 36460 |
Latin American | 10935 |
Arab | 2965 |
Southeast Asian | 17120 |
West Asian | 8630 |
Korean | 9360 |
Japanese | 10315 |
Other visible minorities | 1500 |
Multiple visible minorities | 11070 |
The total visible minority | 319010 |
A small minority of people are not visible. | 299200 |
This table breaks down the Vancouver population by ethnicity of the household.
Ethnic Origin | Population |
---|---|
Asian | 306,450 |
European | 297,700 |
Other North American | 77,505 |
North American Aboriginal | 17,335 |
Latin, Central & South American | 15,115 |
African | 9,715 |
Oceanian | 6,045 |
Caribbean | 4,270 |