Statistics Canada began releasing population and dwelling data from the 2021 census this week.
According to the agency, Calgary’s population increased by 5.5% compared to 2016. The population increased by 67,564 people, from 1,239,220 to 1,306,784. In comparison, the second largest city in l Alberta, Edmonton, experienced a growth of 77,811 people, a change of 8.3%.
The growth rate of central municipalities across the country, that is, the cities whose census municipal areas are named, increased by 5.5%.
Overall, the province of Alberta grew by 4.8%.
Calgary has seen the largest population increases in communities on the outskirts of the city’s four quadrants. Compared to the same census areas as in 2016, Calgary’s far northeast region, which contains new communities such as Saddle Ridge, Savannah and Skyview Ranch, saw a 94.6% increase. This area of the city saw an increase from 27,138 to 52,806 people.
Northeast Calgary also saw some of the largest percentage declines in the city’s population. Rundle, Temple and Whitehorn all saw declines ranging from -4.1% to -9.7%.
Population change by aggregate census area for Calgary
Solid lines on this map indicate ward boundaries. The dotted lines indicate the boundaries of the aggregated census dissemination areas.
To see a more detailed view of the city’s infrastructure in relation to aggregated census areas, select the “OpenStreetMap” option in the top right selection box. To close the minimap, click the arrow button.
The population of Ward 11 has largely decreased. Meadowland Park and Windsor Park saw the biggest increase at 1.5%, while Mayfair, Kelvin Grove, Eagle Ridge and Chinook Park saw declines of -8.3%.
Calgary’s Downtown and Beltline saw double-digit percentage increases in population, ranging from 19.9% to 24.5%. Overall, in 2021 Calgary had the fourth densest city center in terms of population with 7,778 people per square kilometer. It was 1.6 times the density of downtown Edmonton.
Two of Calgary’s closest neighbors were among the top 25 communities with the fastest population growth. Cochrane saw its population increase by 24.5% and Airdrie by 20.3%. Canmore experienced more modest growth at 14.3%.