Related tables: Rural Canada, Population estimates and projections.
| Total population | Urban | Rural | Urban | Rural | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | % of total population | ||||
| B.C. | |||||
| 1851 | 55,000 | 0 | 55,000 | 0 | 100 |
| 1861 | 51,524 | 0 | 51,524 | 0 | 100 |
| 1871 | 36,247 | 2,270 | 32,977 | 6 | 91 |
| 1881 | 49,459 | 9,070 | 40,389 | 18 | 82 |
| 1891 | 98,173 | 37,228 | 60,945 | 38 | 62 |
| 1901 | 178,657 | 90,179 | 88,478 | 50 | 50 |
| 1911 | 392,480 | 203,684 | 188,796 | 52 | 48 |
| 1921 | 524,582 | 247,562 | 277,020 | 47 | 53 |
| 1931 | 694,263 | 394,739 | 299,524 | 57 | 43 |
| 1941 | 817,861 | 443,394 | 374,467 | 54 | 46 |
| 1951 | 1,165,210 | 793,471 | 371,739 | 68 | 32 |
| 1956 | 1,398,464 | 1,026,467 | 371,997 | 73 | 27 |
| 1961 | 1,629,082 | 1,181,925 | 447,157 | 73 | 27 |
| 1966 | 1,873,674 | 1,410,493 | 463,181 | 75 | 25 |
| 1971 | 2,184,620 | 1,654,405 | 530,220 | 76 | 24 |
| 1976 | 2,466,610 | 1,897,085 | 569,520 | 77 | 23 |
| 1981 | 2,744,467 | 2,139,412 | 605,055 | 78 | 22 |
| 1986 | 2,883,370 | 2,285,005 | 598,365 | 79 | 21 |
| 1991 | 3,282,061 | 2,640,139 | 641,922 | 80 | 20 |
| 1996 | 3,724,500 | 3,057,388 | 667,112 | 82 | 18 |
| 2001 | 3,907,738 | 3,309,853 | 597,885 | 85 | 15 |
| 2006 | 4,113,487 | 3,511,300 | 602,187 | 85 | 15 |
| Note: The rural population for 1981 to 2006 refers to persons living outside centres with a population of 1,000 AND outside areas with 400 persons per square kilometre. Previous to 1981, the definitions differed slightly but consistently referred to populations outside centres of 1,000 population. Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1851 to 2006. Last modified: 2009-09-22. | |||||
For more statistical information, consult 2006 Census.
To find more information related to this table, consult Definitions, data sources, and methods.