In the 2001 census, 976,300 people identified themselves as North American Indians, Metis or Inuit. This count was 22 per cent higher than the 1996 figure of just under 800,000. That number contrasted from the total non-aboriginal population, which grew only 3.4 per cent between 1996 and 2001.

Once again, the highest concentration of aboriginals is in the North. The 22,720 aboriginals in Nunavut represent 85 per cent of the territory's total population, which is the highest concentration in the country. Aboriginals make up 51 per cent of the Northwest Territories' population and 23 per cent of Yukon's.

Just over 1.3 million people reported having at least some aboriginal ancestry in 2001, representing 4.4 per cent of the total population.