Canada · province
Nova Scotia population 2026
Nova Scotia has 1,103,419 people on the latest official figure, for 1 July 2026, 8,262 more than a year earlier (+0.75%). It is 7th of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories by population, home to 2.6% of Canada’s people.
Nova Scotia in numbers
- Population
- 1.1 million 1 July 2026
- Change in a year
- +0.75% +8,262 people
- Change since 2021
- +10.35% from 1000 thousand
- Share of Canada
- 2.6% 7th of 13 provinces and territories
- Population density
- 20per km² 55,283 km²
That is about as many people as Djibouti (1.2 million).
Population of Nova Scotia by year
› Show the numbers as a table
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 933,821 |
| 2001 | 932,483 |
| 2002 | 935,172 |
| 2003 | 937,681 |
| 2004 | 939,625 |
| 2005 | 937,931 |
| 2006 | 937,880 |
| 2007 | 935,164 |
| 2008 | 935,965 |
| 2009 | 938,266 |
| 2010 | 942,144 |
| 2011 | 944,095 |
| 2012 | 943,163 |
| 2013 | 939,808 |
| 2014 | 937,768 |
| 2015 | 937,419 |
| 2016 | 942,984 |
| 2017 | 952,159 |
| 2018 | 962,072 |
| 2019 | 975,799 |
| 2020 | 989,168 |
| 2021 | 999,908 |
| 2022 | 1,024,306 |
| 2023 | 1,052,601 |
| 2024 | 1,080,310 |
| 2025 | 1,095,157 |
| 2026 | 1,103,419 |
| Year | Population | Change | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,103,419 | +8,262 | +0.75% |
| 2025 | 1,095,157 | +14,847 | +1.37% |
| 2024 | 1,080,310 | +27,709 | +2.63% |
| 2023 | 1,052,601 | +28,295 | +2.76% |
| 2022 | 1,024,306 | +24,398 | +2.44% |
| 2021 | 999,908 | +10,740 | +1.09% |
| 2020 | 989,168 | +13,369 | +1.37% |
| 2019 | 975,799 | +13,727 | +1.43% |
| 2018 | 962,072 | +9,913 | +1.04% |
| 2017 | 952,159 | +9,175 | +0.97% |
| 2016 | 942,984 | +5,565 | +0.59% |
| 2015 | 937,419 | −349 | −0.04% |
| 2014 | 937,768 | −2,040 | −0.22% |
| 2013 | 939,808 | −3,355 | −0.36% |
| 2012 | 943,163 | −932 | −0.10% |
Nova Scotia among Canada’s provinces and territories
Full ranking →| # | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ontario | 16,262,121 | +0.28% | 38.9% | 15 |
| 2 | Quebec | 9,067,114 | +0.18% | 21.7% | 6 |
| 3 | British Columbia | 5,710,598 | +0.14% | 13.7% | 6 |
| 4 | Alberta | 5,101,050 | +1.52% | 12.2% | 8 |
| 5 | Manitoba | 1,517,379 | +0.58% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 6 | Saskatchewan | 1,278,402 | +0.96% | 3.1% | 2 |
| 7 | Nova Scotia | 1,103,419 | +0.75% | 2.6% | 20 |
| 8 | New Brunswick | 883,522 | +1.01% | 2.1% | 12 |
| 9 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 552,462 | +0.41% | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Prince Edward Island | 182,989 | +0.77% | 0.4% | 33 |
| 11 | Yukon | 50,356 | +2.45% | 0.1% | 0 |
| 12 | Northwest Territories | 45,904 | −0.28% | 0.1% | 0 |
| 13 | Nunavut | 43,091 | +2.33% | 0.1% | 0 |
Largest cities in Nova Scotia
City proper, not the wider metro area; latest figure in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), so years differ.
- Halifax471,559
- Sydney105,968
- Dartmouth101,343
- Lower Sackville51,749
- Bedford21,474
- New Glasgow18,665
Questions
What is the population of Nova Scotia in 2026?
Is Nova Scotia’s population growing or shrinking?
How does Nova Scotia rank in Canada?
What is the population density of Nova Scotia?
What is the largest city in Nova Scotia?
Source and method
Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0009. Statistics Canada Open Licence. Total area including inland water, Wikidata. Statistics Canada updates this table every quarter. Ranks, shares and changes are our arithmetic on the published figures. National figures can differ from the UN’s projection for Canada, which uses a different method.
Cite this page: Nova Scotia population, Statistics Canada, 1 July 2026. GlobeMetrics, https://globemetrics.org/world-population/canada/nova-scotia/
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