Northwest Territories - Demography

Demography

The NWT is one of two jurisdictions in Canada, Nunavut is the other, where Aboriginal peoples are in the majority with 50.3% of the population.

According to the 2006 Canadian census the 10 major ethnic groups were:

  • North American Indian – 36.5%
  • English – 17.2%
  • Canadian – 14.7%
  • Scottish – 14.3%
  • Irish – 11.8%
  • Inuit (Inuvialuit) – 11.1%
  • French – 10.5%
  • German – 8.5%
  • Métis – 6.9%
  • Ukrainian – 3.5%

Population of the Northwest Territories since 1871

Year Population five-year
% change		 ten-year
% change		 Rank among provinces
and territories
1871 48,000 n/a n/a 6
1881 56,446 n/a 17.6 7
1891 98,967 n/a 75.3 7
1901 20,1291 n/a −79.7 11
1911 6,5072 n/a −67.7 11
1921 8,143 n/a 25.1 10
1931 9,316 n/a 14.4 10
1941 12,028 n/a 29.1 10
1951 16,004 n/a 33.1 11
1956 19,313 20.7 n/a 11
1961 22,998 19.1 43.7 11
1966 28,738 25.0 48.8 11
1971 34,805 21.1 51.3 11
1976 42,610 22.4 48.3 11
1981 45,740 7.3 31.4 11
1986 52,235 14.2 22.6 11
1991 57,649 10.3 26.0 11
1996 64,402 11.7 23.2 11
2001 37,3603 −42.0 −35.2 11
2006 41,464 12.0 −35.0 11
2011 41,462 0.0 11.0 11
1.^ Yukon was ceded from the Northwest Territories in 1898.
2.^ Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from parts of the Northwest Territories in 1905.
3.^ Data through 1996 includes Nunavut. Starting with 2001, figures do not include Nunavut.

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