Socio-demographic Data and Population Projections

This page outlines population characteristics for the Ottawa population, including origin and identity, language, education, employment and income, housing and shelter, and urban/rural living.

On this page:

• Demographics and Population Projections
• Origin and Identity
• Language
• Education, Employment and Income
• Housing and Shelter
• Urban and Rural Population
• References

Indigenous Identity

• In 2021, 3% of Ottawa residents identify as Indigenous, including First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit), an increase from 2.5% in 2016. [2,3] While the Census provides an estimate of the Indigenous population in Ottawa, Indigenous identity is underestimated. [4]

Please refer to these reports for more information about Indigenous populations in Ottawa: Our Health Counts, My Life, My Wellbeing, Diversity Snapshot: Aboriginal Peoples.  

Racialized Groups

• In 2021, 35% of Ottawa residents identified as racialized, a 7% increase compared to 2016 (28%). [2,3]
• Black, Middle Eastern, and South Asian were the most frequently reported racialized groups. [2]

Immigration

• About a quarter (26%) of Ottawa residents in 2021 were born outside of Canada, a slight increase from 2016 (24%).[2]
• Five percent of Ottawa residents are recent immigrants (those who immigrated in the past five years).
• Just over half (54%) of recent immigrants to Ottawa came from Asia, with India being the most frequently reported country of origin. [2]

• People in Ottawa are well-educated with three quarters (77%) of adults (aged 25 to 64 years) holding a postsecondary education certificate, diploma or degree, 18% hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and only 5% not having completed high school. This is a higher proportion that hold a postsecondary education (77% vs 75%) compared to 2016. [2]
• Unemployment has improved since the earliest years of the pandemic. In 2022, monthly unemployment ranged from 3% to 6%, which is lower compared to the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 monthly range: 4% to 10%; 2021 monthly range: 5% to 13%). [2]
• The median after-tax individual income for people living in Ottawa over 15 years of age was $44,000 in 2020,18 up 18% from $37,136 in 2015. This increase exceeded cumulative inflation over the same time period (10%). [2]
• The median after-tax household income was $88,000 in 2020, up only 2% from $85,981 in 2015. This increase was less than the rate of inflation.[2]
• The estimated cost of living for a family of two adults and two children was $50,355 in Ottawa in 2021, a 9% increase over five years from 2017 ($46,123). This estimate, called the Market Basket Measure (MBM), considers the cost of clothing, food, footwear, transpor tation, shelter, and other expenses. [8]
• Close to 89,000 individuals, or 9% of people in Ottawa, lived in low income in 2020, adjusting for household size using the after-tax low income measure (LIM-AT). This is a decrease from 13% in 2015. [2]
• Ottawa residents aged 18 to 64 years were less likely to live in low income in 2020 (8%) than those aged 17 and under (11%) or individuals 65 years and older (9%). [2]

• In 2021, there were 407,250 private dwellings in Ottawa. About two-thirds (64%) of these dwellings are owned, while 36% are rented. The average monthly cost for owned dwellings is $1,668 and for rented dwellings is $1,422. [2]
• One fifth (20%) of private households in Ottawa spent 30% or more of their household income on shelter costs in 2021. [2]
• 14% of owner households spent 30% or more of their household income on shelter costs
• 35% of tenant households (e.i., people who rent) spent 30% or more of their income on shelter costs; and
• 14% of tenant households were in subsidized housing. [2]
• The average household size in Ottawa was 2.5 people in 2021. [2]
  • One-person households made up 29% of households in Ottawa;
  • Almost one quarter (24%) of households were married or common-law couples with no children; and
  • 36% of households were couple or lone parents. [2]
• In 2021, the family structure of Ottawa families was predominantly couples with (44%) or without (40%) children. Lone parents make up 16% of families in Ottawa, the majority of which are female lone parents (79%). [2]

Core housing need is a measure that considers suitability, adequacy and affordability of a dwelling. A household living in a dwelling that is unsuitable, inadequate or unaffordable, and whose income level would not allow alternative suitable and adequate housing is considered in a core housing need. [6]

• In 2021, 11% of Ottawa households were in a core housing need. [2]
  • 5% of owner households were in core housing need; and
  • 23% of tenant households were in core housing need. [2]

• All sub-areas in Ottawa experienced an increase in population growth in 2022 except Bayshore, which experienced a 0.3% decrease in population, and the Rural Northeast, which saw no change in population.
• Within Ottawa, the largest population growth in 2022 took place in suburban areas outside the Greenbelt (3.1% growth from 2021), following the pattern of past years. [7]
• n 2022, the percentage of Ottawa’s population living [7]:
  • downtown was 10.5% representing an estimated 112,290 people,
  • inside the Greenbelt but outside of downtown core was 52% representing an estimated 443,220 people,
  • in suburban areas outside the Greenbelt was 38.5% representing an estimated 411,220 people, and
  • in rural areas was 9.4% representing an estimated 100,570 people.

1. Population Estimates 2023, Ontario Ministry of Health, IntelliHEALTH Ontario, Date Extracted: Jan 27, 2023.
2. Statistics Canada. 2023. Ottawa, CV [Census subdivision], Ontario and Canada [Country] (table). Census Profile. 2021 Census of Population. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316- X2021001. Ottawa. Released February 8, 2023. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/ prof/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed March 8, 2023).
3. Statistics Canada. 2017. Ottawa, CV [Census subdivision], Ontario and Canada [Country] (table). Census Profile. 2016 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2016001. Ottawa. Released November 29, 2017. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E  (accessed November 29, 2017).
4. City of Ottawa. Diversity Snapshot: Aboriginal Peoples (First Nations, Inuit, Métis). 2010.
5. Statistics Canada. 2023. Ottawa. Table 14-10-0354-01 Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1410035401 Released Jan 6, 2023. (accessed February 2, 2023) 
6. Statistics Canada. 2017. Core Housing Need, 2016 Census of Population, 2016001. Statistics Canada Catalogue no 98-509-X2016001. Ottawa. Version updated Nov 15 2017. Ottawa. [accessed Oct 16, 2018]  https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/chn-biml/index-eng.cfm
7. City of Ottawa. 2024. 2022 Annual Development Report. City of Ottawa, Planning, Development and Building Services [Accessed online Aug 15, 2025] https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/annual_dev_report_2022_en.pdf
8. Statistics Canada. 2023. Ottawa [CMA]. Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component and base year. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/ tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1110006601 Released January 17, 2023. (accessed February 1, 2023).