No, it is not Pacific sunset British Columbia or energy-rich Alberta. Nor is it Toronto-infused Ontario. As a percentage, the fastest growing province/territory in Canada is the far-north Inuit territory of Nunavut which lodged an impressive a 12.7% increase in population in the five years between the 2011 and 2016 censuses.
This data defies those who believe that growing places tend to be limited to those with temperate climates. In Nunavut’s case, the growth is mostly a matter of its high fertility rate – much higher than the rest of Canada.
Fertility Rate Comparison
- Nunavut = 2.9 children
- Canada average = 1.6 children
A review of communities across the territory shows the population growth is evenly spread out and not concentrated in a particular part of Nunavut. This factor and the number of similarly populated communities show a well-dispersed population base versus the Yukon and Northwest Territories where both have the vast majority of their populations concentrated around the territorial capital. In the Yukon, 70 percent of the population lives in Whitehorse, while in the NWT, 46 percent of the population lives in Yellowknife. By comparison, only 22 percent of Nunavut’s 2016 population resides in its capital of Iqaluit.
As can be seen from the table below, Nunavut has 14 communities with a population exceeding 1,000 residents. This compares to only two (2) in Yukon and six (6) in the Northwest Territories.
NUNAVUT TOWNS EXCEEDING 1,000 POPULATION IN 2016 |
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TOWN* | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | Avg#/Yr |
Arviat (fmr. Eskimo Point) |
1899 |
2060 |
2318 |
2657 |
50.5 |
Baker Lake (Quamani’tuag) |
1507 |
1728 |
1872 |
2069 |
37.5 |
Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuttiaq) |
1309 |
1477 |
1608 |
1766 |
30.5 |
Cape Dorset (Kinngait) |
1148 |
1236 |
1363 |
1441 |
19.5 |
Clyde River (Kanngiqtugaapik) |
785 |
820 |
934 |
1053 |
17.9 |
Gjoa Haven (Uqsuqtuuq) |
960 |
1064 |
1279 |
1324 |
24.3 |
Iglulik |
1286 |
1538 |
1454 |
1744 |
30.5 |
Iqaluit (fmr. Frobisher Bay) |
5236 |
6184 |
6699 |
7740 |
166.9 |
Kugluktuk (frmr. Coppermine) |
1212 |
1320 |
1450 |
1491 |
18.6 |
Naujaat (fmr. Repulse Bay) |
612 |
748 |
945 |
1082 |
31.3 |
Pangnirtung |
1276 |
1325 |
1425 |
1481 |
13.7 |
Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) |
1220 |
1315 |
1549 |
1617 |
26.5 |
Rankin Inlet (Kangiqiniq) |
2177 |
2358 |
2266 |
2842 |
44.3 |
Taloyoak (fmr. Spence Bay) |
648 |
720 |
899 |
1029 |
25.4 |
* In some cases,it is unclear whether the town name has been formerly changed to its Inuit name, so both are provided.
SOURCES:
en.wikipedia.org