Canada's largest cities, 1975 to 2050

Toronto is Canada's largest city at about 5.49 million in 2025, more than double Montreal's 2.67 million; in 1975 the two were close.

Make this video Download data (CSV)

Free to edit and export · No signup to start

What the data shows

In 2025, Toronto ranks #1 with 5.49M, ahead of Montreal (2.67M) and Vancouver (1.71M).
By 2050, on the UN's projections, Toronto is projected to rank #1 with 6.17M, ahead of Montreal (2.77M) and Vancouver (1.87M).
Toronto holds #1 for the whole period, 1975 to 2025.
Biggest climber: Calgary, from #13 in 1985 to #4 in 2050.
Toronto grew 2.8× between 1975 and 2025.
Calgary and Edmonton weren't on the board in 1975 but are in the top 5 by 2050.

About this chart

Toronto and Montreal started out nearly level. In 1975 the UN counts about 1.98 million people in Toronto and 1.68 million in Montreal. By 2025 Toronto has about 5.49 million and Montreal about 2.67 million, and the UN projects Toronto at 6.17 million by 2050 against 2.77 million for Montreal. Vancouver is third at about 1.71 million, up from 0.5 million in 1975.

The Prairie cities show the steepest relative growth. Calgary was first recorded at 0.12 million in 1985 and reaches about 1.2 million in 2025, with a projected 1.6 million in 2050. Edmonton goes from 0.12 million in 1980 to about 0.98 million. All figures use the UN's Degree of Urbanization, so they differ from city-proper or metro counts. Values after 2025 are projections.

The data

Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts.

Canada's largest cities, Population in millions, 1975 to 2050, 1975–2050
Date	🇨🇦 Toronto	🇨🇦 Montreal	🇨🇦 Vancouver	🇨🇦 Calgary	🇨🇦 Edmonton	🇨🇦 Winnipeg	🇨🇦 Ottawa	🇨🇦 Quebec	🇨🇦 Surrey	🇨🇦 Hamilton	🇨🇦 Longueuil	🇨🇦 Regina	🇨🇦 Halifax
1975	1.98M	1.68M	0.50M			0.37M	0.28M	0.17M	0.13M	0.26M	0.25M	0.10M	0.09M
1980	2.25M	1.69M	0.54M		0.12M	0.43M	0.31M	0.19M	0.17M	0.27M	0.25M	0.11M	0.13M
1985	2.52M	1.78M	0.66M	0.12M	0.24M	0.47M	0.35M	0.21M	0.20M	0.28M	0.26M	0.16M	0.14M
1990	3.10M	1.98M	0.84M	0.16M	0.33M	0.50M	0.39M	0.28M	0.24M	0.32M	0.28M	0.17M	0.15M
1995	3.43M	2.07M	1.07M	0.22M	0.36M	0.51M	0.42M	0.33M	0.29M	0.34M	0.29M	0.17M	0.17M
2000	3.79M	2.12M	1.18M	0.50M	0.40M	0.51M	0.45M	0.33M	0.32M	0.37M	0.30M	0.17M	0.18M
2005	4.25M	2.32M	1.28M	0.65M	0.52M	0.52M	0.48M	0.36M	0.34M	0.39M	0.31M	0.17M	0.18M
2010	4.66M	2.42M	1.43M	0.80M	0.66M	0.55M	0.52M	0.39M	0.38M	0.40M	0.33M	0.18M	0.19M
2015	4.98M	2.48M	1.53M	0.95M	0.78M	0.59M	0.56M	0.46M	0.41M	0.41M	0.33M	0.20M	0.21M
2020	5.24M	2.57M	1.64M	1.09M	0.91M	0.66M	0.59M	0.48M	0.44M	0.42M	0.35M	0.23M	0.22M
2025	5.49M	2.67M	1.71M	1.20M	0.98M	0.68M	0.61M	0.49M	0.45M	0.43M	0.35M	0.23M	0.22M
2030	5.72M	2.71M	1.76M	1.29M	1.04M	0.69M	0.62M	0.50M	0.48M	0.44M	0.36M	0.24M	0.22M
2035	5.86M	2.73M	1.80M	1.36M	1.10M	0.70M	0.63M	0.51M	0.49M	0.44M	0.36M	0.24M	0.22M
2040	5.98M	2.76M	1.83M	1.43M	1.16M	0.70M	0.66M	0.51M	0.49M	0.45M	0.37M	0.24M	0.22M
2045	6.08M	2.77M	1.85M	1.50M	1.20M	0.71M	0.71M	0.51M	0.50M	0.45M	0.37M	0.25M	0.22M
2050	6.17M	2.77M	1.87M	1.60M	1.24M	0.71M	0.72M	0.52M	0.50M	0.45M	0.37M	0.25M	0.22M

Post it

Suggested caption: “In 1975 Toronto and Montreal were close. Not anymore.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

Make it yours

Switch between bar, line, column and donut races with one click.
Pick 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 4:5 for the feed or 16:9 for YouTube.
Change the theme, font, colors and race length, and add your own captions.
Paste your own numbers from Excel or Google Sheets. See the bar chart race maker for tips.

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest city in Canada?

In 2025, Toronto ranks #1 with 5.49M, followed by Montreal (2.67M) and Vancouver (1.71M). Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025).

What is the largest city in Canada?

Toronto is the largest city in Canada in 2025, with about 5.49 million people under the UN's Degree of Urbanization definition. Montreal is second at about 2.67 million and Vancouver third at about 1.71 million.

How fast is Toronto growing?

Toronto grew from about 1.98 million in 1975 to about 5.49 million in 2025. The UN projects it will reach about 6.17 million by 2050. Over the same projection, Montreal is expected to stay near 2.77 million.

Why don't these match Toronto's city or metro population?

The UN defines a city as a contiguous dense urban area. That is neither the municipal boundary nor an official metro area, so the figure can differ from both. This ranking applies one definition to every city, which keeps the comparison fair.

Where does this data come from?

UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects: The 2025 Revision (File 21), city population, millions, 1975–2050 (projected after 2025). Retrieved November 4, 2026. Cities as defined by the Degree of Urbanization (contiguous dense areas), so figures differ from city-proper or metro counts. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

Can I turn this chart into a video?

Yes. Open it in the editor, change the title, theme, colors or format (9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for YouTube), and export an MP4. Free exports are 720p with a small watermark; Pro ($11.99/month) removes it and adds 1080p, 4K and 60 fps.

Related data

All cities charts

WorldReal data

Canada's population

Canada grew from 13.7 million people in 1950 to 39.3 million in 2023, and the UN projects 53.6 million by 2100.

MoneyReal data

Canada's GDP

Canada's GDP hit a record $2.32 trillion in 2025, but its world rank slipped from 7th in 1980 to 10th, close behind Russia and Italy.

CitiesReal data

Indonesia's largest cities

Jakarta is Indonesia's largest city at about 41.9 million in 2025, nearly five times Bandung (8.9 million), and is projected to reach 51.8 million by 2050.