Note: terms were drawn from The 2021 Census of Population Dictionary.
- Census of Population
- The Census of Population is a survey conducted to enumerate (or count) the entire Canadian population based on a "usual place of residence," that is, by the location where a person lives most of the time.
Census enumeration involves listing all usual residents of a dwelling on Census Day.
The Census of Population helps paint a statistical portrait of Canada's diverse population and the places where we live by collecting demographic, social and economic information from households across Canada. - Dwelling
- A dwelling is defined as a set of living quarters. In other words, the building where you live (e.g., the apartment building or house you live in).
- Household
- Household refers to a person or group of persons who occupy the same dwelling and do not have a usual place of residence elsewhere in Canada or abroad. For example, an apartment building it made up of many households, as each apartment is its own unique household. This includes family and/or friends living together. Typically, one census is completed per household.
- Non-permanent resident
- Non-permanent resident refers to a person from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada (i.e., someone who is currently living in Canada) and who has a work or study permit or who has claimed refugee status (asylum claimant).
Family members living with work or study permit holders are also included, unless these family members are already Canadian citizens or landed immigrants or permanent residents. - Immigrant
- Immigrant refers to a person who is, or who has ever been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident (i.e., if you were born and lived in another country and then moved to Canada). So, someone who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities.
Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group. - Occupation
- Occupation refers to the kind of work performed in a job a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete his or her duties. In other words, what type of job someone has, such as a teacher, plumber or civil engineer,
- Commuting duration
- Commuting duration refers to the length of time, in minutes, usually required by a person to travel to their place of work.
- Ethnic or cultural origin
- Ethnic or cultural origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the person's ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries. Ancestors refer to the people that a person has descended from (e.g., grandparents, great grandparents, etc.). For example, if your grandparents are from Greece, your ethnic or cultural origin would be Greek.
- Marital status
- Marital status refers to whether or not a person is living in a common‑law union as well as the legal marital status of those who are not living in a common‑law union. In other words, whether adults living together are married, common-law, separated, divorced, or widowed.
- Sex at birth
- Sex at birth refers to sex assigned at birth. Sex at birth is typically assigned based on a person's reproductive system and other physical characteristics.
Sex at birth may also be understood as the sex recorded at a person's birth (for example, what was recorded on their birth certificate – male or female). - Population group
- Population group refers to whether the person reports being White, South Asian, First Nations, Métis or Inuk (Inuit), Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean, Japanese and/or another population group. These specific groups are the mark‑in categories used in a question which collects data on the visible minority population for employment equity purposes.
- Indigenous group
- Indigenous group refers to whether the person is First Nations (North American Indian), Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit). A person may be included in more than one of these three specific groups. Aboriginal peoples of Canada (referred to here as Indigenous peoples) are defined in the Constitution Act, 1982, Section 35 (2) as including Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples.
First Nations (North American Indian) includes Status and non-Status Indians. - Religion
- Religion refers to the person's self-identification as having a connection or affiliation with any religious denomination, group, body, or other religiously defined community or system of belief. Religion is not limited to formal membership in a religious organization or group. For example, Roman Catholic, Muslim, United Church, Anglican, Hindu, Sikh, Baptist, Pentecostal, Buddhist, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Greek Orthodox, etc.
For infants or children, religion refers to the specific religious group or denomination in which they are being raised, if any. Persons without a religious connection or affiliation can self-identify as atheist, agnostic or humanist, or can provide another applicable response. - Resident
- Resident refers to a person who lives in a dwelling in Canada on Census Day. This includes people who live in the dwelling most of the time, whether they are Canadian citizens, permanent residents, immigrants, or non-permanent residents. A resident may be part of a household and is counted in the census based on their usual place of residence (i.e., where they live most of the time).
- Enumerator
- Enumerator refers to a person hired by Statistics Canada to help carry out the Census of Population. Enumerators are responsible for visiting dwellings, delivering census materials, assisting residents with completing their census questionnaires, and ensuring that all households are accurately counted. Enumerators play an important role in helping collect information that reflects Canada's population and communities.
- Census Day
- Census Day refers to the reference day for the Census of Population. It is the reference point used to determine who is living in each dwelling and where they usually reside on that day. All census responses are based on the situation as it exists on Census Day, including who lives in the household, their age, and other demographic information. In Canada, Census Day typically falls in May and is set by Statistics Canada every five years. For the 2026 Census, Census Day is May 12, 2026.