British Columbia Population 2024

Canada >> Provinces >> British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada. It is bordered to the west by the Pacific Ocean and the American state of Alaska, to the north by Yukon and the Northwest Territories, to the east by the province of Alberta, and to the south by the American states of Washington, Idaho, and Montana. British Columbia is Canada’s third most populous province and its Fifth-largest province by area. As per the Canada Census Bureau, the population of British Columbia in 2021 is 5,000,879 (5 million or 50 lakh)

Population of British Columbia in 2024 Q2 is 5,646,467 or 5.6 million

Source: Statistics Canada

Demography 2016-2021

British Columbia has a population growth rate of 7.6% during 2016-2021. It has had a population increase of 352,824 since 2016.

British Columbia	Census 2021
Total Population	5,000,879 ( 5 milion)
Percentage Change since 2016	7.6%
Population Rank	3rd
Total Land Area	920,687 km2 (357,216 sq mi)
Area Rank	5th
Population Density	5.4/sq. km (13/sq mi)
Capital City	Victoria
Largest City	Vancouver

Source: Statistics Canada

also read about the Canadian Population

British Columbia Historical Population

From 1851 to 2021, British Columbia experienced substantial demographic changes, characterized by periods of both steady and rapid population growth. In 1851, the population stood at 55,000, and by 2021, it had reached 5.2 million, reflecting an increase of 5 million people. Examining the percentage changes across decades, it is evident that British Columbia’s population saw significant fluctuations, with notable spikes in growth during the early 20th century and again in recent years. The most recent data shows a population growth rate of 7.6% from 2016 to 2021. These demographic trends, meticulously documented by Statistics Canada, provide insights into the historical and evolving population dynamics of British Columbia over the past 170 years.

Census Year	Population	Absolute Change	Percentage Change %
1851	55,000	–	–
1861	51,524	-3,476	-6.32
1871	36,247	-15,277	-29.65
1881	49,459	13,212	36.45
1891	98,173	48,714	98.49
1901	178,657	80,484	81.98
1911	392,480	213,823	119.68
1921	524,582	132,102	33.66
1931	694,263	169,681	32.35
1941	817,861	123,598	17.80
1951	1,165,210	347,349	42.47
1956	1,398,464	233,254	20.02
1961	1,629,082	230,618	16.49
1966	1,873,674	244,592	15.01
1971	2,184,620	310,946	16.60
1976	2,466,610	281,990	12.91
1981	2,744,467	277,857	11.26
1986	2,883,370	138,903	5.06
1991	3,282,061	398,691	13.83
1996	3,724,500	442,439	13.48
2001	3,907,738	183,238	4.92
2006	4,113,487	205,749	5.27
2011	4,400,057	286,570	6.97
2016	4,648,055	247,998	5.64
2021	5,000,879	352,824	7.6

Source: Statistics Canada

Population by Ethnicity

The ethnic origin most often reported in British Columbia was English, followed by Canadian, Scottish, Irish, German, Chinese, French, and Indian. In 2021, more than 1.7 million were identified as members of the visible minority population. Chinese were the single largest visible minority group, accounting for 11.20% of British Columbia’s total population. South Asians were second (10%), followed by Filipino, Korean and Japanese.

Top cities in British Columbia by population

#	City	Population (2021)
1	Vancouver	650,380
2	Surrey	562,565
3	Burnaby	245,725
4	Richmond	208,395
5	Abbotsford	150,800
6	Coquitlam	147,465
7	Kelowna	141,755
8	Delta	102,238
9	Nanaimo	97,020
10	Kamloops	94,560

read about the Top Cities in British Columbia

Sources

British Columbia Population 2024 | Trends from History to 2024