According to the first numbers released from the 2006 census, the City of Whitehorse has outpaced the rest of Canada in terms of growth over the last five years.

The data put out today show the population rose by 7.4 per cent from 2001 until 2006 and was resting at 20,461 people when the census was conducted.

The population of Whitehorse was 19,058 in 2001, according to the Statistics Canada report.

During that same period, the population of Canada grew at a rate of 5.4 per cent, with a national population of 31.6 million people.

The territory as a whole grew 5.9 per cent and now has a population of 30,372, states the report. It is up from the 2001 census numbers, which placed the Yukon at 28,674 people.

Lake Laberge saw the largest percentage change, jumping by 137.5 per cent or growing from 16 people counted in 2001 to 38 now.

Carcross is also listed as showing major growth at 117.8 per cent, rising from 152 people in 2001 to 331 in 2006.

The census says the community of Kloo Lake, which is listed as sitting on Kilometre 1,669 on the Alaska Highway, as having the largest percentage decrease falling by 100 per cent. The numbers show the population of five dropped to zero.

Meanwhile, the community with the next-largest fall in population is Swift River, dropping by 33.3 per cent with five of the 15 people counted in 2001 no longer living there.

Dawson City grew by 6.1 per cent and is now listed has having a population of 1,327.

Haines Junction's population is up to 589, according to Statistics Canada a 10.9 per cent growth from 2001.

Watson Lake saw a decrease of 7.2 per cent as its population fell from 912 people in 2001 to the 846 counted last year.

All three northern territories recorded growth in the 2006 census and for the first time, their combined population has passed the 100,000 mark.

Nunavut's population grew by 10.2 per cent with a head count of 29,474 while the Northwest Territories continues to have the largest population in the North with 41,462 people an 11 per cent increase from 2001.

Statistics Canada credits the population growth to a predominantly natural increase and a high fertility rate among the aboriginal population.

Fertility rates in the territories are much higher than in the provinces, states Statistics Canada, while the North experiences relatively lower levels of immigration compared to the rest of the country.

Of the immigration that did occur in the territories, it predominantly came from other provinces and not from the international community, says the report.

Despite the growing numbers in the North, the population density remains sparse.

The 101,310 residents living in the three territories occupy less than 0.5 per cent of the 3.5 million square km of land.

In the Yukon, the population density of the 474,711 km squared of land is listed as 0.1 people per square km.

For the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, the population density is listed as zero.

Of the northern population, approximately 47 per cent of the people live in one of the three capital cities.

About 75 per cent of the Yukon's population is residing in Whitehorse, while 45 per cent of the Northwest Territories' citizens are in Yellowknife and 21 per cent of Nunavut's people are in Iqaluit.

Those proportions caused the urban centres to show a faster rate of growth than the North's rural communities. Cities expanded at 10.7 per cent on average, while the small communities averaged a growth of 7.9 per cent.

Overall, Alberta and Ontario netted two-thirds of Canada's population growth, while the remainder was predominantly seen in British Columbia and Quebec.

Alberta was the region with the highest growth rate since 2001, showing 10.6 per cent, which is twice the national average.

Ontario remains the most populous province with a population of 12.2 million.

Statistics Canada notes in its report every effort is made to enumerate Canadians accurately.

'Some regions present greater challenges than others,' states a release.

It further notes some numbers in relation to the North should be used with caution and may include a net undercoverage resulting in possible overstated growth.

The census is conducted every five years and its numbers are meant to reflect Canadian society on May 16, 2006.

The information released today is the first of a series of data that will be put out over the next 12 months, which will include demographic breakdowns, age, sex, marital status, language, ethnic origin, education and income.