The Yukon is now the smallest jurisdiction in Canada, according to 2016 census data released today.

Statistics Canada counted 35,874 people living in the Yukon on May 10, 2016, and 113,600 people across the three territories.

Canada’s overall population came in at 35,151,728. About 0.3 per cent of people in Canada live in the territories.

The population statistics released today are the first data output from the mandatory 2016 census.

The data reveal the Yukon’s population was narrowly surpassed by Nunavut’s for the first time since 1999, when Nunavut was established as a distinct territory.

With 35,994 residents, Nunavut has 70 more residents than the Yukon.

“They’re only up by about 70 (people) right now, but that will grow,” Gary Brown, a senior information officer at the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, said this morning.

Nanuvut’s population grew 12.5 per cent between 2011 and 2016 and had the highest growth rate of any province or territory.

The main reason for the spike in Nunavut’s population is the fertility rate, explained Brown.

Nunavut has the highest birth rate in Canada.

Women in Nunavut give birth to an average of 2.9 children. Elsewhere in Canada, women have an average of 1.6 children.

The Yukon’s population grew 5.8 per cent between 2011 and 2016, or by 1,977 people.

While this growth rate is slightly above the national average of five per cent, it’s well below the territory’s growth rate between 2006 and 2011, which was 11.6 per cent.

“Between 2006 and 2011, we had highest growth rate in country,” said Brown.

That growth slowed over the last decade, mostly due to the migration of people to other provinces and territories, said the Statistics Canada report.

“It’s all about the economy,” said Brown.

“Our GDP between 2006 and 2011 were among the highest in the country for a couple years in there.”

While the Yukon’s labour force continues to grow, and unemployment remains low, a downturn in mining operations has had an impact on the territory’s population.

“No question, on the mineral side, the exploration and mineral production has fallen off compared to the previous period,” said Brown.

Between 2011 and 2016, the Yukon had the fourth highest population growth rate in Canada, tying with Manitoba.

After Nunavut, Alberta had the highest growth rate at 11.6 per cent. That province gained 421,918 residents between 2011 and 2016.

New Brunswick was the only province or territory to report a decrease in population between 2011 and 2016. The province shrunk by 0.5 per cent.

Though the Yukon population is growing more slowly than in decades past, more people are staying longer, said Brown.

“When we look at migration patterns, compared to say, 20 years ago, we were much more transient,” said Brown.

“Now people are becoming more settled here.”

Case in point: the Yukon’s seniors population.

About 10 per cent of Yukoners are 65 years of age and older, said Brown. A decade ago, about six or seven per cent of Yukoners fell into that age group.

It’s projected that by 2030, about 15 per cent of Yukoners will be ages 65 and older, said Brown.

Whitehorse’s population grew by 1,809 people, or 7.8 per cent, between 2011 and 2016. The territory’s capital was home to 25,085 people in 2016.

Including the surrounding areas (Ibex Valley, Lake Laberge, Macpherson-Grizzly Valley, Marsh Lake and Mt. Lorne) Whitehorse had a total population of 28,225.

Dawson City remains the second-largest municipality in the Yukon, with 1,375 residents in 2016. Its population has grown by 56 people (1.3 per cent) since the 2011 census.

Watson Lake, which had 790 residents in 2016, and Carmacks, which had 493, both saw their populations fall after 2011.

Watson Lake lost about 12 residents and Carmacks lost around 10.

Canada’s overall population grew by 1.7 million people, or five per cent, between 2011 and 2016.

Two thirds of the population growth was a result of immigration to Canada, and one third was due to births, which outnumbered deaths, over the five-year period.

The first census after Confederation was conducted in 1871. At that time, 3.5 million people lived in Canada. The population is now 10 times that number.

Today, three in five people live in Quebec and Ontario.

The 2016 census drew an overall response rate of 98.4 per cent across Canada, making it “the most successful census in Canadian history,” said Navdeep Bains, the minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, in August.

“The data collected during the 2016 Census will paint a detailed picture of our nation and the communities in which we live.... the census will also provide the high-quality information needed to plan critical services such as child care, housing and public transportation for all Canadians.”