Who are Yukoners?
- The Yukon is a diverse place. It is made up of over 40,000 people with different identities.
- English is the most common language spoken in the Yukon. But since 1986, the number of people who speak languages other than English has increased.
- Yukon First Nations are revitalizing the Yukon's 8 Indigenous languages:
- Gwich'in;
- Hän;
- Kaska;
- Northern Tutchone;
- Southern Tutchone;
- Tagish;
- Upper Tanana; and
- Tlingit.
- Between 50 and 2,000 people live in communities outside of Whitehorse.
- Yukoners between 30 and 39 years old make up the largest age group in Yukon.
- There are roughly equal numbers of men and women in the Yukon.
- Compared to other cities in Canada, Whitehorse has a larger population of female same-sex couples per capita.
- Many Yukoners follow Christian or other practices such as Indigenous and eastern spirituality. But, as with the rest of Canada, religious affiliation is declining in the Yukon.
- Many Yukoners feel a strong sense of belonging to their local community.
What are the indicators?
Our graphs show the changing demographics and diversity of the Yukon. Where the data is available, we've added more details. These details include race, culture, age, gender and other important identity factors.
To expand a section, select the graph title from the list below. You can also select "expand all" to show all of the graphs on this page.
The Yukon's population distribution
51%
In 2022, the Yukon's population was 43,789. Of the total Yukon population 51% were male and 49% were female.
Source:
Statistics Canada. Table 17-10-0005-01. Estimates of population, by age group and sex for July 1, Canada, provinces and territories, annual (persons unless otherwise noted).
Language spoken at home in the Yukon
90%
- The proportion of Yukoners who spoke English most often at home declined from 96% in 1986 to 90% in 2021.
- The proportion who spoke French increased from 1% to 2.6%.
- Those who spoke other languages increased from 1% to 5.7%.
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 1986 to 2006, National Household Survey 2011, Census 2016, Census 2021.
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada conducts the Census of Population every 5 years to collect demographic and social information on all people living in Canada.
Data from different cycles of the Census must be compared with caution as there are sometimes changes to variables and definitions within each cycle. For example, in 2011, there were changes to the questions used to determine Aboriginal identity.
Also in 2011, significant changes to the Census format occurred, resulting in the much more concise short-form census. The longer National Household Survey (NHS) was introduced to collect information that was historically collected in the long-form census. However, while the Census is distributed to all Canadian households, the NHS is distributed to 33% of households.
See the Statistics Canada website for information on specific cycles of the Census of Population or National Household Survey.
Non-official languages spoken by Indigenous females in the Yukon
405
In 2016:
- 405 Indigenous females in the Yukon spoke a non-official language.
- 20 Indigenous females spoke a non-Indigenous language other than English or French.
8 Indigenous languages traditionally spoken in the Yukon
- Gwich'in
- Hän
- Kaska
- Northern Tutchone
- Southern Tutchone
- Tagish
- Upper Tanana (all of the Athapaskan language family)
- Tlingit
Source:
Statistics Canada 98-510-X2016001 Aboriginal Population Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2016 Census
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada defines non-official languages spoken as, “languages, other than English or French, in which the respondent can conduct a conversation”. Indigenous identity population includes people who have identified themselves as First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuit.
Non-official languages spoken by Indigenous males in the Yukon
325
In 2016:
- 325 Indigenous males in Yukon spoke an Indigenous language.
- 25 Indigenous males spoke a non-Indigenous language other than English or French.
8 Indigenous languages traditionally spoken in the Yukon
- Gwich'in
- Hän
- Kaska
- Northern Tutchone
- Southern Tutchone
- Tagish
- Upper Tanana (all of the Athapaskan language family)
- Tlingit
Source:
Statistics Canada 98-510-X2016001 Aboriginal Population Profile for Canada, Provinces and Territories, 2016 Census
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada defines non-official languages spoken as “languages, other than English or French, in which the respondent can conduct a conversation”. Indigenous identity population includes people who have identified themselves as First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuit.
Visible minorities populations in the Yukon
12.8%
The total visible minority proportion of the population in the Yukon has risen from 3.3% in 1996 to 12.8% in 2021.
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 1996, 2001, 2006 and National Household Survey 2011, 2016 Census, 2021 Census.
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada defines visible minorities as “persons who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour, and who do not report being Aboriginal”.
The Census of Population is conducted by Statistics Canada every 5 years to collect demographic and social information on all people living in Canada .
Data from different cycles of the Census must be compared with caution as there are sometimes changes to variables and definitions within each cycle. For example, in 2011, there were changes to the questions used to determine Aboriginal identity.
Also in 2011, significant changes to the Census format occurred, resulting in the much more concise short-form census. The longer National Household Survey (NHS) was introduced to collect information that was historically collected in the long-form census. However, while the Census is distributed to all Canadian households, the NHS is distributed to 33% of households.
See the Statistics Canda website for information on specific cycles of the Census of Population or National Household Survey.
Populations in the Yukon by immigrant status
13.6%
- In 1911 55% of Yukon’s population was made up of people born outside of Canada.
- In 2021, 13.6% of the population was made up of people born outside of Canada.
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006; National Household Survey 2011. Census 2016, Census 2021.
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada defines immigrants as “persons residing in Canada who were born outside of Canada, excluding temporary foreign workers, Canadian citizens born outside Canada and those with student or working visas”.
The Census of Population is conducted by Statistics Canada every 5 years to collect demographic and social information on all people living in Canada.
Data from different cycles of the Census must be compared with caution as there are sometimes changes to variables and definitions within each cycle. For example, in 2011, there were changes to the questions used to determine Aboriginal identity.
Also in 2011, significant changes to the Census format occurred, resulting in the much more concise short-form census. The longer National Household Survey (NHS) was introduced to collect information that was historically collected in the long-form census. However, while the Census is distributed to all Canadian households, the NHS is distributed to 33% of households.
See the Statistics Canada website for information on specific cycles of the Census of Population or National Household Survey.
Place of birth for the Yukon’s immigrant populations
26.1%
Of the Yukon's immigrant population in 2021:
- 26.1% were from the Philippines;
- 9.8% were from the United States; and
- 9.7% were from the United Kingdom .
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 2021
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada defines immigrants as “persons residing in Canada who were born outside of Canada, excluding temporary foreign workers, Canadian citizens born outside Canada and those with student or working visas”.
Generation status of Yukoners
16.8%
Of the 2021 Yukon population in private households:
- 16.8% were first generation Canadians;
- 16% were second generation; and
- 67.2% were third generation or more.
Looking at the overall Canadian population in 2021:
- 26.4% were first-generation;
- 17.6% were second generation; and
- 56% were third generation or more.
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 2021, 98-316-X2021001.
Notes on data:
Generation status refers to whether or not the person or the person's parents were born in Canada. It identifies persons as being first generation, second generation or third generation or more.
Religious affiliation of Yukoners
16%
- As a proportion of the population, Yukoners with no religious affiliation increased by 16 percentage points between 1991 and 2011.
- In 2011 the 3 most common "other" religious affiliations in the Yukon were:
- traditional indigenous spirituality (1.19%);
- Buddhist (0.89%); and
- Hindu (0.48%).
Source:
Statistics Canada, Census 1991 and 2001; National Household Survey 2011
Notes on data:
Statistics Canada conducts the Census of Population every 5 years to collect demographic and social information on all people living in Canada.
Compare data from different cycles of the Census with caution as there are sometimes changes to variables and definitions within each cycle. For example, in 2011, there were changes to the questions used to determine Aboriginal identity.
Also in 2011, significant changes to the Census format occurred, resulting in the much more concise short-form census. The longer National Household Survey (NHS) was introduced to collect information that was historically collected in the long-form census. However, while the Census is distributed to all Canadian households, the NHS is distributed to 33% of households.
See the Statistics Canada website for information on specific cycles of the Census of Population or National Household Survey.
Family structure in the Yukon
3%
Between 2001 and 2021:
- the proportion of married couple families decreased by 3%;
- the proportion of common-law couples grew by 4%;
- female lone-parent families decreased by 2%; and
- male lone-parent families increased by 1%.
In 2021, over half of families in the Yukon were led by married-couple families.
Notes on data:
Common-law refers to 2 people living together as a couple but not legally married to each other. They may be of opposite sex or of the same sex.
Source:
Statistics Canada. Table 98-10-0123-01 Census family structure, presence of children and average number of persons per census family: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations.
Notes on data:
Common-law refers to 2 people living together as a couple but not legally married to each other. They may be of opposite sex or of the same sex.
The Census definition of a lone-parent family is a mother or a father, with no spouse or common law partner present, living in a dwelling with 1 or more children. This includes:
- children living with one parent following a parental breakup;
- single parents of adopted children;
- a grandparent living with a grandchild when the middle generation is not present; and
- widows or widowers.
A child in a lone-parent family could be an adult child.
The Census of Population is conducted by Statistics Canada every 5 years to collect demographic and social information on all people living in Canada.
Data from different cycles of the Census must be compared with caution as there are sometimes changes to variables and definitions within each cycle. For example, in 2011, there were changes to the questions used to determine Aboriginal identity.
Rate of marriage
4.52
The Yukon’s crude marriage rate went from 7.51 marriages per 1000 population in 1990 to 4.52 marriages per 1000 population in 2021. This is a decrease of 2.99 marriages per 1000 population.
Source:
Government of Yukon, Department of Health and Social Services and the Yukon Bureau of Statistics
Notes on data:
The crude marriage rate is the number of marriages occurring in the Yukon during a given year, per 1,000 total population of the Yukon. This is measured mid-year (June 1) during the same year.
All marriages occurring in the territory with a marriage license issued by the Government of Yukon are included, regardless of the residency of the couple.
Sense of belonging in the community
84.2%
In 2019-2020, 84.2% of Yukoners felt a strong sense of belonging to the local community.
Source:
Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0805-01 Health characteristics, 2-year period estimates, census metropolitan areas and population centres and Table 105-0501 - Health indicator profile, annual estimates by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions and peer groups, occasional.
Notes on data:
Population aged 12 and over who reported their sense of belonging to their local community as being very strong or somewhat strong. Research shows a high correlation of sense of community-belonging with physical and mental health.