Population counts

 Chart 1 Population counts by Aboriginal identity, 2006

Aboriginal population surpasses the one-million mark

A total of 1,172,790 people identified themselves as an Aboriginal person, that is, North American Indian (hereafter referred to as First Nations people in this report), Métis or Inuit in the 2006 Census of Population. The census counted 976,305 Aboriginal people in 2001 and 799,010 in 1996. There were nearly 700,000 First Nations people identified in 2006 as well as approximately 390,000 Métis and just over 50,00 Inuit.

Related data:

Census highlight tables provide population counts for Aboriginal identity for Canada, as well as provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and census subdivisions.

Topic-based tabulations provide counts for Aboriginal ancestry and registered Indian status.

Related articles:

2006 Census: Aboriginal Peoples in Canada in 2006: Inuit, Métis and First Nations, 2006 Census

This article reveals that the number of people who identified themselves as an Aboriginal person has surpassed the one-million mark, and provides information on age distribution, Aboriginal languages, living arrangements, housing characteristics and geographic mobility. Data are provided for Inuit, Métis and First Nations people.