Rural Canada profile

Fully 100% of the Nunavut population was rural and between 30% and 55% of the populations in the Northwest Territories, the Atlantic provinces, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba were rural. [...] While much of the growth in No MIZ zones is likely due to an increase in the proportion of Aboriginal individuals in these areas, the population increase in Strong MIZ zones no doubt reflects the attraction of stronger economic conditions in these zones of Canada. [...] Within rural and small town Canada, the population of No MIZ zones stand out as being the youngest, with children comprising 25.4% of the total population (compared to the rural total of 20.5%) and adults / seniors comprising just 34.0% of the population in 2001 (compared to the rural total of 39.2%). [...] The aim of the current report is to illuminate the diversity of conditions within rural Canada and to highlight noteworthy differences and similarities across provinces and territories of the country. [...] We begin our examination of rural Canada by looking at the proportion of the population residing in urban and rural Canada and in each of the four MIZ geographic zones in 2001, 1996, and 1991.