2.1.2 Indigenous People of Canada: Inuit

Inuit are an Indigenous people living primarily in Inuit Nunangat.

Three-quarters of Inuit in Canada live in 53 communities across the northern regions of Canada in Inuit Nunangat, which means “the place where Inuit live.”

Inuit Nunangat is comprised of four regions: Inuvialuit (NWT and Yukon), Nunavut, Nunavik (Northern Quebec) and Nunatsiavut (Labrador).1

Approximately 43,455 Inuit live in these regions.1
• In Inuvialuit, there are 3,310 Inuit
• In Nunavut, 27,070
• In Nunavik, 10,750
• In Nunatsiavut, 2,325.

In total, approximately 155,000 Inuit live in Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Russia.1

Urban Inuit are the fastest growing and youngest urban Indigenous group. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, about 15,985 live outside of Inuit Nunangat, with 7,095 residing in Canada’s cities: Edmonton (1,115), Montreal (900), Ottawa (735), Yellowknife (735) and St. John’s (680).1

Click here to see a map of Inuit settlements in Nunangat.

1Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website -accessed March 3, 2017.