Canadian Muslim Population Statistics 2026 | Key Facts

The Muslim Population in Canada 2026

Canada’s Muslim community has grown into the country’s second-largest religious group, with Statistics Canada confirming that Muslims made up 4.9% of the national population, or 1,775,715 people, as of the 2021 Census, the most recent official count feeding into 2026 reporting. This share has more than doubled in just two decades, rising from 2.0% (579,640 people) in 2001, a pace of growth Statistics Canada attributes overwhelmingly to immigration rather than natural increase alone. With religion added back to the 2026 Census for the first time after only a five-year interval instead of the usual ten, Canada’s statistical agency is signaling just how significant this demographic shift has become to national data collection priorities.

This report lays out the most current, verified Muslim population statistics for Canada in 2026, sourced exclusively from Statistics Canada’s Census of Population. Readers will find figures on national and provincial population shares, the community’s age structure, top languages and ethnic origins, city-level concentrations, and the immigration patterns driving continued growth. Every number reflects the latest published federal data, giving researchers, community organizations, and policymakers a single reliable reference point on Canada’s Muslim population today.

It is worth noting that Statistics Canada’s religion data comes exclusively from the Census of Population, which historically collects this information only once every ten years, most recently in 2021. The decision to include the religion question again in the 2026 Census, after just a five-year gap rather than the usual decade, reflects how quickly Canada’s religious composition has been shifting and how much demand exists among researchers, service providers, and community organizations for more frequent, up-to-date figures.

Interesting Facts About the Muslim Population in Canada 2026

Before the detailed breakdown, here is a quick-reference table of standout figures defining Canada’s Muslim community this year.

Key 2026 Canadian Muslim Population Figures
Total Muslim Population (2021 Census)  ██████████████████████████████ 1,775,715
Share of National Population           ████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.9%
Growth Since 2001 (percentage points)  ██████████████████████████████ +2.9 pts
Toronto (GTA) Muslim Share             ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 10%
Muslim Population Median Age           ███████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 30 years

Source: Statistics Canada, “A snapshot of the Muslim population in Canada,” 2024; Statistics Canada, “The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country’s religious and ethnocultural diversity,” October 26, 2022.

These figures confirm that Canada’s Muslim community has become a demographically significant and notably young population within the country’s broader religious landscape. The jump from 2.0% in 2001 to 4.9% in 2021 represents one of the fastest-growing shares of any religious group tracked by the census, outpacing the national population growth rate of roughly 23% over the same period by a wide margin, with the Muslim population itself expanding by an estimated 206% in absolute terms.

Geographic concentration is also striking: Muslims make up 10% of the Greater Toronto Area’s population and 8.7% of Greater Montreal’s, far above the 4.9% national average, reflecting how immigration-driven religious diversity in Canada remains heavily concentrated in the country’s largest metropolitan centres. With a median age of just 30, more than a decade younger than the national median of 41.2 years, Canada’s Muslim population skews significantly younger than the country as a whole, a pattern closely tied to relatively recent immigration and comparatively higher birth rates within the community, dynamics also visible in the broader trends covered in our Canada Birth Rate Statistics coverage.

National Growth Trends of the Muslim Population in Canada 2026

Muslim Share of Canada's Population Over Time
2001    ██░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 2.0%
2021    ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, “The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country’s religious and ethnocultural diversity,” October 26, 2022.

The scale of growth in Canada’s Muslim population over the past two decades stands out even against the backdrop of the country’s broader shifting religious landscape. While the share of Canadians reporting no religious affiliation more than doubled from 16.5% to 34.6% over the same twenty-year period, and the Christian share fell substantially, Islam moved in the opposite direction entirely, becoming firmly established as the country’s second most commonly reported religion with nearly 1.8 million adherents.

Immigration remains the primary engine behind this growth, with 63.1% of Canada’s Muslim population being immigrants themselves, compared with just 23.0% of the total Canadian population. This pattern is reinforced by recent arrival data: among immigrants admitted to Canada between 2011 and 2021, 18.9% reported being Muslim, the single largest non-Christian religious group among new arrivals, ahead of Hindu (9.0%) and Sikh (5.8%) immigrants, a trend that continues shaping the demographic composition tracked in our Canada Population Decline Statistics coverage of how immigration has become central to the country’s overall population growth.

Provincial Distribution of the Muslim Population in Canada 2026

Muslim Population Share by Province, 2021
Ontario          ██████████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░ 6.7%
British Columbia █████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ~3.0%
Canada Average   ██████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, “The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country’s religious and ethnocultural diversity,” October 26, 2022.

Ontario stands out as home to Canada’s highest concentration of Muslims, with 6.7% of the province’s population reporting Islamic affiliation, comfortably above the 4.9% national average and the highest non-Christian religious share of any province at 16.3% overall. British Columbia ranks second among provinces for non-Christian religious diversity at 13.7%, though its distinctive religious profile leans more heavily toward Sikh affiliation, where it holds the highest provincial share in the country at 5.9%.

This provincial data also reveals a clear urban-rural divide in religious diversity generally, with non-Christian religious affiliation reaching 15.4% in large urban centres compared to just 2.2% in rural areas, a gap of nearly seven times. Regions like the Yukon (59.7% no religious affiliation) and British Columbia (52.1%) stand out for having the highest shares of residents reporting no religious affiliation at all, illustrating that Canada’s religious landscape varies dramatically not just between Christian and non-Christian populations, but across the secular-religious spectrum as well, a regional variation that echoes patterns found in our Canada Population by City Statistics coverage of how demographic characteristics cluster around specific metropolitan regions.

Age Structure and Demographics of Canada’s Muslim Population 2026

Age Distribution Comparison, 2021
Muslim Population Ages 0-14      ██████████████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 26.3%
Total Population Ages 0-14       ████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 16.5%
Muslim Population Ages 65+       ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 6.4%
Total Population Ages 65+        ██████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 18.1%

Source: Statistics Canada, “A snapshot of the Muslim population in Canada,” 2024.

Canada’s Muslim population carries a markedly younger age profile than the country overall, with a median age of 30 years compared with 41.2 years nationally, an 11-year gap that reflects both recent immigration patterns and the community’s demographic structure. Children aged 0 to 14 make up 26.3% of the Muslim population, substantially higher than the 16.5% share seen across all Canadians, while seniors aged 65 and older represent just 6.4% of Muslims compared with 18.1% nationally.

This younger age structure has direct implications for future population projections, since a community with proportionally more children and fewer seniors carries stronger built-in momentum for continued growth even independent of new immigration. The working-age population, those between 15 and 64, is only slightly higher among Muslims at 67.4% versus 65.4% nationally, suggesting the age gap is driven primarily by the difference in youth and senior shares rather than a dramatically different working-age concentration.

City-Level Muslim Population Concentration in Canada 2026

Muslim Share of Population by Major Metro Area, 2021
Greater Toronto Area (GTA)   ████████████████████████████████████████ 10.0%
Greater Montreal             ██████████████████████████████████░░░░░░ 8.7%
Canada National Average      █████████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 4.9%

Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile 2021, Toronto and Montréal Census Metropolitan Areas; Statistics Canada, “The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country’s religious and ethnocultural diversity,” October 2022.

Canada’s Muslim population is heavily concentrated in its two largest metropolitan regions, with the Greater Toronto Area recording a Muslim share of 10.0%, roughly double the national average, and Greater Montreal close behind at 8.7%. This urban concentration reflects the same broader pattern seen across Canada’s non-Christian religious communities generally, where new immigrants tend to settle in major cities with established ethnic and religious community infrastructure, including mosques, halal food access, and cultural organizations that ease the transition for newcomers.

The specific ethnic composition of Muslim communities also varies meaningfully by region, mirroring each province’s broader immigration history. While South Asian Canadians form the single largest racialized group among Muslims nationally, Quebec’s racialized population skews more heavily toward Black and Arab communities, reflecting historic immigration ties to Francophone Africa and the Middle East, while Ontario’s broader racialized population includes substantial South Asian, Chinese, and Black communities side by side. This regional variation in ethnic composition means that the lived experience and community character of being Muslim in Toronto differs in meaningful ways from the experience in Montreal, even though both cities host similarly large Muslim populations proportionally.

Ethnic Origins and Languages of Canadian Muslims 2026

Top Languages Spoken Most Often at Home by Muslims, 2021
English      ██████████████████████████████████████████████ 47.3%
Arabic       ██████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 18.1%
French       ████████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 15.3%
Urdu         ██████████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 13.0%

Source: Statistics Canada, “The Muslim population in Canada” infographic, 2024, Catalogue no. 11-627-M; Immigration.ca, citing Statistics Canada 2021 Census data.

Canada’s Muslim population is remarkably ethnically diverse, with South Asian Canadians representing the single largest origin group at 37.6%, followed closely by Arab Canadians at 32.2%, then West Asian (13.0%) and Black Muslim (11.6%) communities. This diversity reflects decades of immigration from a wide range of source countries across South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, making Canadian Islam one of the most ethnically varied Muslim communities found anywhere in the world.

Language patterns mirror this diversity, with nearly half of Muslims, 47.3%, reporting English as the language spoken most often at home, followed by Arabic (18.1%), French (15.3%), and Urdu (13.0%). The strong presence of French alongside English reflects the community’s substantial concentration in Quebec, particularly Greater Montreal, where Arab and Black populations represent the province’s largest racialized groups, a linguistic and cultural blend that distinguishes the Canadian Muslim experience from Muslim communities in most other Western countries.

Taken together, this ethnic and linguistic diversity underscores a broader truth about Canada’s Muslim population: it is not a single, homogeneous community but rather a patchwork of distinct diasporic groups united by shared religious affiliation. From South Asian families who arrived following the immigration reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, to more recent Arab and West African arrivals settling in Quebec and Ontario, Canadian Islam has developed multiple distinct regional and cultural expressions even as the community as a whole continues to grow as a share of the national population heading into the next Census cycle.

Disclaimer: This research report is compiled from publicly available sources. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the completeness or reliability of the information. We accept no liability for any errors, omissions, losses, or damages of any kind arising from the use of this report.

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