Special Interest Profile, 2021 Census of Population
About this product
Product description
This product presents 2021 Census of Population characteristic data for nine separate profiles of interest, including:
- age;
- ethnic origin;
- first official language;
- immigration;
- income distribution by income source;
- mother tongue;
- poverty, COVID-19 benefits, high income;
- religion; and
- visible minority.
Catalogue number and how to cite
Catalogue number: 98-26-00092021001
How to cite: Statistics Canada. 2024. Special Interest Profile, 2021 Census of Population. Statistics Canada catalogue number 98-26-00092021001. Ottawa. Released March 20, 2024.
https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/sip/index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed March 22, 2025).
Topics
Data are from the 2021 Census of Population and may include characteristics for:
- Age
- Canadian military experience
- Commuting
- Education
- Ethnocultural and religious diversity
- Families, households and marital status
- Housing
- Immigration, place of birth, and citizenship
- Income
- Indigenous peoples
- Instruction in the minority official language
- Labour
- Language
- Language of work
- Mobility and migration
All data presented in these profiles are derived from the long-form questionnaires (2A-L, 2A-R).
Geographic levels
The Special Interest Profile provides 2021 Census data for various levels of geography. These geographic levels include:
- Canada
- Provinces and territories
- Census subdivisions (CSDs) with a 2021 population greater than or equal to 10,000 (CSDs included)
- Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and census agglomerations (CAs)
- Provincial and territorial combined census subdivisions with a 2021 population below 10,000
- Provincial and territorial areas outside of census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations
About the data
Data applicability
Non-permanent residents
The data for "non-permanent residents" are not presented in this table with income as non-permanent residents may not have a complete year of applicable income. The income data for the 2021 Census of Population are for the year 2020. However, the data for non-permanent residents are included in the "Total - Immigrant status and period of immigration."
Immigrants who were admitted between 2020 and 2021 are included in the period of immigration "2016 to 2021." Immigrants who were admitted between 2020 and 2021 may not have a complete year of applicable income and users should use caution when interpreting data for these groups. The income data for the 2021 Census of Population are for the year 2020.
Affected profiles of interest:
- First official language
- Immigration
- Income distribution by income source
- Mother tongue
- Poverty, COVID-19 benefits, high income
Instruction in the minority official language
Income information is not presented by "eligibility for instruction in the minority official language" in this profile due to differences in the population of interests. In the 2021 Census, the children eligible for instruction in the minority official language are younger than 18 years of age on December 31, 2020. However, income data are compiled for the population 15 years and older.
Affected profiles of interest:
- Income distribution by income source
- Poverty, COVID-19 benefits, high income
Data quality indicators
| Digit | Description | Flag | Flag description |
|---|---|---|---|
| First (0XXXX) |
Incomplete enumeration flag | 0 | Default. Not applicable. |
| 1 | Incompletely enumerated reserve or settlement (suppressed). | ||
| 2 | Excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated reserves or settlements. | ||
| Second (X0XXX) |
Short-form data quality flag | 0 | Default. Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate lower than 10%. |
| 1 | Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 10%, but lower than 20%. | ||
| 2 | Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 20%, but lower than 30%. | ||
| 3 | Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 30%, but lower than 40%. | ||
| 4 | Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 40%, but lower than 50%. | ||
| 5 | Data quality index showing a short-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 50% (use with caution). | ||
| 9 | Short-form data suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act. | ||
| Third (XX0XX) |
Short-form income confidentiality suppression flag | 0 | Default. Short-form income data not suppressed. |
| 9 | Short-form income data suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act. | ||
| Fourth (XXX0X) |
Long-form data quality flag | 0 | Default. Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate lower than 10%. |
| 1 | Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 10%, but lower than 20%. | ||
| 2 | Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 20%, but lower than 30%. | ||
| 3 | Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 30%, but lower than 40%. | ||
| 4 | Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 40%, but lower than 50%. | ||
| 5 | Data quality index showing a long-form total non-response rate higher than or equal to 50% (use with caution). | ||
| 9 | Long-form data suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act. | ||
| Fifth (XXXX0) |
Long-form income confidentiality suppression flag | 0 | Default. Long-form income data not suppressed. |
| 9 | Long-form income data suppressed to meet the confidentiality requirements of the Statistics Act. |
2021 Census gender note
Gender refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman).
Gender includes the following concepts:
- gender identity, which refers to the gender that a person feels internally and individually;
- gender expression, which refers to the way a person presents their gender, regardless of their gender identity, through body language, aesthetic choices or accessories (e.g., clothes, hairstyle and makeup), which may have traditionally been associated with a specific gender.
A person's gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. A person's gender may change over time.
Some people may not identify with a specific gender.
Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided. In these cases, individuals in the category "non-binary persons" are distributed into the other two gender categories and are denoted by the "＋" symbol.
"Men＋" includes men (and/or boys), as well as some non-binary persons.
"Women＋" includes women (and/or girls), as well as some non-binary persons.
For additional information, see Filling the gaps: Information on gender in the 2021 Census.
Random rounding
To ensure confidentiality, the values, including totals, are randomly rounded either up or down to a multiple of '5' or '10.' To understand these data, you must be aware that each individual value is rounded. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the individual values since totals and sub-totals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentages, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%.
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