Photo: Chaughten · CC BY-SA 3.0Nain is younger than 99% of Canadian towns: a median age of 29.4
In Nain, 10% of residents said they have no religion, beside 35% across Canada’s towns. With about 1,222 residents in July 2025, Nain counted 245 households at the 2021 Census. The share of one-person households stands at 12%. Compared with other places, residents aged 15 to 24 are common here: 15%, more than in 92% of Canadian towns.
What stands out about the people of Nain
First Nations, Métis and Inuit residents
96% of residents identify as First Nations, Métis or Inuit, more than in 99% of Canadian towns; 1.2% are Registered or Treaty Indians, and 17% have an Indigenous mother tongue. Identity & religion ↓
Younger than most towns
Line Nain’s residents up by age and the one in the middle is 29.4; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 30% are under 15 and 5.9% are 65 or over. Ages ↓
Fewer people than before
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses, Nain went from 1,125 to 847 residents (−25%), slower growth than in 99% of Canadian towns. Population change ↓
Common-law couples
Common-law unions take in 28% of adults, more than in 92% of Canadian towns, while 21% are married. Couples ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
A change of −25% since 2016 leaves Nain behind 99% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. Residents at the 2016 and 2021 censuses and the latest estimate, with the 2016–2021 change beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 44%. The median across Canada’s towns is +4%, and across Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns −2%.
Nain sits below 98% of Canadian towns for residents aged 65 and over (5.9%)
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Children under 15: 30%, above 99% of Canadian towns. Against that, 19% of residents are 65 or over across Canada’s towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
Above 99% of Canadian towns: 20% of households are one-parent families
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
At 3.4 people, the average household compares with 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Measured more widely, 8.2% of households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns.
Nain ranks above 92% of Canadian towns on common-law partners: 28%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Just over a fifth of residents 15 and over are married, against 46% across Canada’s towns. Across Canada’s towns, the share of common-law partners is 11%.
Households in single-detached houses: 86%, a higher share than 81% of Canadian towns
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
27% of homes need major repairs, against a typical 5.8%. The share of renter households stands at 25%. Households in buildings of five or more storeys are rarer here than in 74% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 64% of households live in a single-detached house across Canada’s towns.
The median household brings in $89,000 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. What households took in before tax, at the middle and across income groups.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes sit at the middle in Nain: half had more than $89,000, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The provincial yardstick is $63,600, the median across Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns. Emergency and recovery benefits reached 38% of those with an income, beside a typical 28%.
4.8% of residents lived at another address a year earlier, below 99% of Canadian towns
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 20%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
By its share of residents without Canadian citizenship (1.2%), Nain is below 86% of Canadian towns. Immigrants are rarer here than in 97% of Canadian towns. For comparison, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns.
A higher share of Indigenous residents than 99% of Canadian towns, at 96%
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
81% have English as their mother tongue; 0% also speak French
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Residents whose mother tongue is French are rarer here than in 99% of Canadian towns.
4.8% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, below 99% of Canadian towns
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 35% (typical 9.5%). As a reference point, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
53% of adults were employed in May 2021
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 53% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 5.9% of residents are 65 or over.
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered them. “Visible minority” follows the Employment Equity Act, meaning people other than Indigenous peoples who are non-white in colour or race. We compare these figures across towns; none is a label for a town.
- Against Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of Newfoundland and Labrador’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- What these tables don’t give. The Census Profile has no unpaid care, cars or internet access, and no change by age since 2016; ethnic origins beyond visible minority and Indigenous identity aren’t charted here.
Questions about Nain’s residents
What is the median income in Nain?
Half of Nain’s households had more than $89,000 in 2020, before tax; across Canada’s towns the median was $86,000.
What is the population of Nain?
About 1,222, by Statistics Canada’s estimate for July 2025. The 2021 Census found 847 people in Nain, 25% fewer than 2016.
What is the average age in Nain?
The median age is 29.4. 30% are under 15 and 5.9% 65 or older.
Is Nain bilingual?
English and French: 0% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 99%. French only: 0%. French mother tongue: 0%.
How diverse is Nain?
Immigrants: 1.2% (Canada’s towns: 17%). Visible minority: 0%. Indigenous identity: 96%.
What religion are people in Nain?
10% said they have no religion and 90% that they are Christian; 0% named another faith.
Is Nain good for families?
30% of residents are under 15 (Canada’s towns: 16%); couple families are 43% of households and one-parent families 20%. Schools near Nain are on its Schools page.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).