Photo: OldYorkGuy · CC BY-SA 3.0Above 95% of Canadian towns: 47% of households live in a building of five or more storeys
With children under 15 at 14%, Toronto is behind nearly three quarters of Canadian towns on that count. The city has more one-person households than 73% of Canadian towns, at 33%. Its population is up 2% on 2016. Locally, 31% of residents said they have no religion.
What stands out about the people of Toronto
More immigrants than most towns
47% of residents are immigrants, against 26% across Ontario’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (56%) or in Europe (21%); 27% of them arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
A city of high-rises
47% of households live in a building of five or more storeys, more than in 95% of Canadian towns; 30% of homes are condominiums. Homes ↓
A mix of backgrounds
56% of residents belong to a visible minority, more than in 88% of Canadian towns; 47% are immigrants. Identity & religion ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
+2% since 2016, a pace below 62% of Canadian towns
The figures are the 2021 Census’s, except where another date is given. 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 17%. For comparison, the median is +4% across Canada’s towns and +6% across Ontario’s towns.
Toronto is younger than 66% of Canadian towns: a median age of 39.6
Every five-year age group as a share of residents; ticks mark the typical town.
The biggest five-year age group is 30–34, with nearly one in ten residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. Locally, 17% of residents are 65 or over. Few places have as many residents aged 15 to 24: 12% here, more than in 62% of Canadian towns.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women.
A higher share of one-parent families than 74% of Canadian towns, at 9.9%
Households by family type and by the number of people in them.
Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Households in Toronto hold 2.4 people on average (Canada’s towns: 2.4). As a yardstick, nearly one in ten households are one-parent families across Canada’s towns.
8% of residents 15 and over live common-law, below 72% of Canadian towns
How adults live as couples, or don’t, with common-law unions shown on their own.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Never married and not common-law: just over a third of adults (typical: 27%). At 42%, the share of married residents 15 and over is lower than in 62% of Canadian towns. The share of common-law partners across Canada’s towns is 11%.
A larger share of renter households than 84% of Canadian towns: 48%
The kinds of homes people live in, who owns and who rents, and how old the homes are. 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
Older homes outnumber new: 29% predate 1961, 24% date from 2001 or later. Renter households make up 25% across Canada’s towns. Few places have so few households in single-detached houses: 23% here, fewer than in 88% of Canadian towns.
Household income, middle of the range: $84,000 a year
The income year is 2020: a year of pandemic benefits such as CERB, which the figures count. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
The middle household in Toronto had $84,000 before tax, near the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The middle household across Ontario’s towns has $91,600 before tax. COVID-19 benefits went to 33% of residents with an income (typical: 28%).
A higher share of immigrants than 90% of Canadian towns, at 47%
Birthplaces and arrival years of immigrants, citizenship and recent moves.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 55%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
Residents who moved in within the year: 13%, above two thirds of Canadian towns. 17% of residents are not Canadian citizens, more than in 87% of Canadian towns. Most immigrants were born in Asia (56%) or in Europe (21%).
A larger share of visible minority residents than 88% of Canadian towns: 56%
Identity and faith, in the census’s categories.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Other faiths: Muslim (9.6%), Hindu (6.2%), Jewish (3.6%) and Buddhist (2.3%). Across Canada’s towns, visible minority residents come to 15%. On Indigenous residents, Toronto sits lower than 85% of Canadian towns: 0.8%.
Toronto ranks above 55% of Canadian towns on bilingual residents: 8.5%
Who can speak English and French, mother tongue, and the language spoken most at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At home, 26% mostly speak another language; 4.5% speak neither English nor French. Toronto has fewer residents whose mother tongue is French than 62% of Canadian towns, at 1.2%. Across Canada’s towns, 7.5% of residents speak English and French.
49% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, a share 84% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Education of residents 25 to 64, by highest credential.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
Holding no credential: 8.6% (typical 9.5%). The wider picture: 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 55%
May 2021 was still a pandemic month: the census’s work figures reflect that. Four labour figures from the census. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
The employment rate of 55% is below the typical 58% across Canada’s towns; 17% of residents are 65 or over.
From a median age of 30 in Bay-Cloverhill to 51 in Markland Wood
The city’s 158 neighbourhoods, youngest first; each links its own page.
Markland Wood is the oldest area, with 28% aged 65 or over; Bay-Cloverhill the youngest (median age 30). Steeles has the largest immigrant share, 70%. Renting is most common in North St.James Town, where 89% of households rent.
Among its 6 nearest neighbours, 3 are older than Toronto
Neighbouring places and their median ages; each name opens its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 3,271,830 | — | 39.6 | 17% | 47% |
| North Toronto | 16,007 | 0.6 km | 35.4 | 11% | 45% |
| Mount Pleasant East | 16,373 | 1.0 km | 42.1 | 17% | 28% |
| Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills | 9,909 | 1.2 km | 50.9 | 28% | 37% |
| Lawrence Park South | 15,018 | 1.4 km | 43.4 | 18% | 24% |
| South Eglinton-Davisville | 23,380 | 1.5 km | 37 | 16% | 41% |
| Yonge-Eglinton | 12,424 | 1.5 km | 38.6 | 16% | 30% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- What these tables don’t give. Unpaid care, car ownership and internet access aren’t in the Census Profile, nor is the change by age since 2016. Ethnic origins other than visible minority and Indigenous identity are left out of the charts.
- The census’s own words. In the census, “visible minority” is the Employment Equity Act’s term for people who are non-white in colour or race and not Indigenous. Like immigrant status, Indigenous identity and religion, which residents reported themselves, it is compared with other towns, never turned into a label.
- Against Ontario’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across Ontario’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
Questions about Toronto’s residents
Is Toronto good for families?
Children under 15 are 14% of residents, against 16% across Canada’s towns. Couple families make up 43% of households and one-parent families 9.9%. Schools near Toronto are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Toronto?
Median total household income in Toronto was $84,000 in 2020, against a median of $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Toronto?
The latest figure is an estimate: 3,271,830 residents in July 2025. At the 2021 Census, Toronto counted 2,794,356, 2% more than 2016.
What is the average age in Toronto?
Half the residents are older than 39.6 and half younger; 14% are children under 15 and 17% are 65 or over.
Is Toronto bilingual?
English and French: 8.5% speak both (Canada’s towns: 7.5%). English only: 87%. French only: 0.1%. French mother tongue: 1.2%.
How diverse is Toronto?
Across Canada’s towns a typical 17% are immigrants; here, 47%. A visible minority makes up 56% and Indigenous residents 0.8%.
What religion are people in Toronto?
Most often Christian (46%) or no religion (31%); other religions make up 23%.
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).