7.1.1 Number of Indigenous youth in Canada, by age group and Indigenous identity, Canada, 2016

First Nations Métis Inuit Multiple Indigenous identity/other
15 to 19 years 88105 47180 6085 3495
20 to 24 years 82600 46925 5905 3100

Notes:
Excludes persons living on Indian reserves or settlements.
Users should be aware that the estimates associated with this variable are more affected than most by the incomplete enumeration of certain Indian reserves and Indian settlements in the Census of Population.

Source: CICH graphic created using data adapted from Statistics Canada – 2016 Census. Catalogue Number 98-400-X2016155.

In 2016, there were 88,000 First Nations youth aged 15 to 19 years living in Canada and 83,000 youth aged 20 to 24 years.

There were 47,000 Métis youth aged 15 to 19 years and 47,000 youth aged 20 to 24 years.

There were 3,500 Inuit youth aged 15 to 19 years and 5,900 aged 20 to 24 years.

Indigenous youth aged 15 to 19 years made up 7% of all youth 15 to 19 years living in Canada.

Indigenous youth 20 to 24 years made up 6% of all youth aged 20 to 24 years living in Canada.

Indigenous people make up 5% of the Canadian population overall.

Implications
Youth are defined as young people from 15 to 24 years of age. However, because of the way data are available/presented in Canada, age groups can vary from 12 to 30 years. Compared to youth in the general Canadian population, Indigenous youth represent a larger proportion of the Indigenous population. Indigenous youth face unique challenges to their health and well-being as a result of the legacy of Indigenous peoples’ experiences with historic and contemporary manifestations of colonialism, the socio-economic and environmental conditions in which many Indigenous youth live, , and the lack of health care services available in many Indigenous communities. However, they can also have many community and cultural strengths they can draw on to help them overcome health and wellness challenges, including traditional values and perspectives related to sharing, reciprocity, respect for the wisdom of Elders, relationships and a strong sense of connection to community, the land and to nature that contribute to the development of individual and collective identity.1

1Toombs, E., Kowatch, K.R., & Mushquash, C.J. (2016). Resilience in Canadian Indigenous youth: A scoping review. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 4(1), 4-32.