Nunavut’s population hits 40,692 people

By Derek Neary Northern

Services

Nunavut’s population stood at 40,692 people as of Jan. 1, 2023 an increase of 1.7 per cent from 40,003 residents one year earlier.

By comparison, Canada’s overall population grew by 2.7 per cent, which marked the highest annual population expansion nationally since 1957, raising the number of people in the country to 39,566,248.

The Government of Nunavut (GN) attributed the territory’s population growth to a high birth rate.

“Nunavummiut women have on average three children over their lifetime, the highest rate in Canada and almost double the national average,” the GN stated.

The territorial government is projecting that Nunavut’s population will reach 40,718 by July 2023.

Ottawa’s funding to Nunavut equates to $49,208 per resident in 2023-24, up from $47,435 per capita the previous year.

Another factor in Nunavut’s growing population in 2021-22 was interprovincial migration, which saw 183 more people relocate to the territory than those who left. That was up from a gain of 77 in 2020-21.

Looking at the three regions, the Qikiqtani climbed to 21,540 people as of July 1, 2022, an increase of 684 people from 20,856, or 3.3 per cent from one year earlier.

The Kivalliq went from 11,449 residents to 11,714 between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022, representing an additional 265 people, or 2.3 per cent growth.

The Kitikmeot rose to 7,272 from 7,098, which was an extra 174 people, or an uptick of approximately 2.5 per cent.

Approximately half of Nunavut’s population is under age 26 and close to one-third of Nunavummiut are under 15, which makes it Canada’s youngest province or territory, according to age. Nationally, 41 is the median age.

Various other demographic details that had been available in the past have not been tracked over a few years due to vacancies at the Nunavut Bureau of Statistics.