Calgary had 1,306,780 residents in the 2021 Census, up 5.5% from 1,239,220 in 2016. The city’s housing stock grew faster than its population over the same period, while its 65-and-over population increased 28%. Later City of Calgary estimates and forecasts put the population at 1,422,800 on April 1, 2023, with a forecast of 1,608,700 for 2029.
Contents
- Population and dwelling baseline
- Age profile
- Households and families
- Housing tenure and need
- Immigration and Indigenous identity
- Languages and income
- Population outlook and change
Population and dwelling baseline
The City of Calgary’s Data about Calgary’s population profile reports these city-level Census of Canada results:
| Measure | 2016 Census | 2021 Census | Change or context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,239,220 | 1,306,780 | Up 5.5% from 2016 to 2021 |
| Private dwellings | 489,650 | 531,062 | Up 8.5% from 2016 to 2021 |
| Dwellings occupied by usual or permanent residents | — | 502,301 | 2021 count |
| Dwellings unoccupied or occupied only by temporary residents | — | 28,761 | 2021 count |
The population figures measure Calgary in the 2016 and 2021 censuses. The dwelling figures describe private dwellings in the same census periods. In 2021, 502,301 dwellings were occupied by usual or permanent residents, while 28,761 were unoccupied or occupied only by temporary residents.
The 8.5% increase in private dwellings was greater than the 5.5% population increase between the two censuses. These are reported changes from the City profile; they do not by themselves explain why dwelling and population growth differed.
This baseline is useful because it keeps several commonly combined measures separate. A resident count is not a dwelling count, and a private dwelling is not necessarily occupied by usual or permanent residents. The 2021 Census figures also give two different views of the city at one point in time: 1,306,780 residents and 531,062 private dwellings. The occupancy breakdown identifies 502,301 dwellings with usual or permanent residents and 28,761 with no usual residents or temporary residents only.
Age profile
Calgary’s older population grew substantially over the census periods. The city had 177,405 residents aged 65 and over in 2021, compared with 138,405 in 2016 and 81,150 in 2001. The 2021 count was 28% higher than the 2016 count, and residents aged 65 and over represented 14% of Calgary’s population in 2021.
The 2021 Census counted 240,245 Calgary residents aged 15 to 29. This age group decreased 3% between 2016 and 2021. Calgary’s median age was 38 years in 2021.
Taken together, these figures show different movements across age groups during 2016–2021: the 65-and-over population increased, the 15-to-29 population decreased, and the median age was 38 in 2021. The historical 2001 figure is a census count, not a projection.
Households and families
Calgary had 502,305 households in 2021, and the average household contained 2.6 persons. Household size differed by dwelling type. Single-detached Calgary homes had an average household size of 3.0 persons, while apartments in buildings with five or more storeys had an average household size of 1.6 persons.
The 2021 Census counted 356,225 census families in private households. The average Calgary census family contained about 3 people. Family size was distributed across three broad groups:
- About 46% of Calgary families had 2 people.
- About 44% had 3 or 4 people.
- About 9% had 5 or more people.
The percentages are reported as approximate shares in the City profile and may not total exactly 100% because of rounding. Household and census-family measures are different: the household total covers private households, while a census family is a family unit in a private household.
The dwelling-type figures add another dimension to the household profile. A single-detached home averaged 3.0 household members, 0.4 more than Calgary’s overall 2.6-person household average. An apartment in a building with five or more storeys averaged 1.6 people. Those averages describe the dwelling types named in the source and should not be extended to every housing form in Calgary.
Housing tenure and need
Of Calgary’s 502,305 households in 2021, 345,690 were owner households and 156,615 were renter households. Among owner households, 65.2% had mortgages. The median monthly shelter cost for owned dwellings was $1,720 in 2021.
The median monthly shelter cost for rented dwellings was $1,350. Subsidized housing accommodated 9.0% of Calgary renter households in 2021. These are median costs and a renter-household share for the 2021 Census; they are not current market-rent measures.
Calgary had 49,860 households in core housing need in 2021. This measure should be read as a household count for that census period, alongside the owner, renter and shelter-cost figures above.
The tenure figures also provide a useful view of the city’s housing mix. Owner households outnumbered renter households in 2021, and the owner group included a mortgage for 65.2% of households. The City profile’s reported counts are 345,690 owners and 156,615 renters; the article does not infer additional tenure categories or calculate unsupported rates from them.
Immigration and Indigenous identity
The 2021 Census counted 41,350 Calgary residents with an Indigenous identity, compared with 35,195 in 2016. The City profile reports a 17% increase from 2016 to 2021. Within the 2021 Indigenous-identity population, 18,440 people were First Nations and 20,855 were Métis.
Immigrants represented 33.3% of Calgary’s population in 2021, compared with 31% in 2016. Calgary received 81,315 recent immigrants between 2016 and May 11, 2021. The recent-immigrant period therefore ends on a specific date and should not be treated as a full calendar-year measure.
These identity and immigration statistics use the categories and geography reported in the City’s population profile, primarily based on the 2021 Census of Canada. The Indigenous-identity count is not presented as a measure of ancestry beyond the categories stated by the source.
Languages and income
Knowledge of English was reported by 97.4% of Calgary’s population in private households in 2021. The same profile counted 33,345 residents with no knowledge of English. People aged 65 and over made up 43% of Calgary residents with no knowledge of English.
Income figures refer to different years. Calgary’s median before-tax individual income was $44,440 in 2020, compared with $43,600 in 2019. The median before-tax household income was $98,000 in 2020.
In 2020, 115,560 people in Calgary were classified as low income under the after-tax Low-income measure. The reported share was 8.9% of Calgary’s population. The income year is 2020, and the low-income definition is the after-tax Low-income measure named by the City profile.
The language measure covers knowledge of English among people in private households, while the no-knowledge count and age share describe a specific subgroup. The individual and household income medians should not be compared as though they measured the same unit.
Population outlook and change
The Spring 2024 Calgary and Region Population Outlook 2024–2029 gives estimates and forecasts that are separate from the census counts. It estimated Calgary’s population at 1,422,800 as of April 1, 2023, and reported an estimated population growth rate of 5.6% for 2023, measured from April to March.
| Outlook point | Population | Status and timing |
|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2023 | 1,422,800 | Estimate |
| 2024 | 1,491,900 | Forecast, as of April |
| 2026 | 1,544,500 | Forecast, as of April |
| 2029 | 1,608,700 | Forecast, as of April |
The outlook forecast 1,491,900 people for 2024, 1,544,500 for 2026 and 1,608,700 for 2029, with the forecast points described as of April. These are forecasts completed in June 2024, not observed 2026 or 2029 measurements.
For the 2023 estimate period, total net migration was 67,300 people. The outlook also estimated 15,600 births and 7,800 deaths. The outlook reports these migration, births and deaths figures in thousands of people, and labels the 2023 values as estimates for the April-to-March period.
The outlook therefore combines a city population estimate dated April 1, 2023 with a 2023 growth-rate period and later forecast points. Comparing these figures with the 2021 Census requires keeping the measurement type and date visible: the census provides an observed count, the April 1 figure is an estimate, and 2024–2029 values are forecasts from the spring 2024 outlook.