Planning and land use data
Waterloo is home to a young and growing population. Planning for this involves tracking growth trends and information.
Use this page to find out more about population and land use trends. You can also download a data set that's updated annually.
On this page
- View the census bulletin
- Population
- Residential development
- Non-residential development
- Download data set
Census bulletin
View the summary document of the most recent Census release. This census bulletin focuses on the City of Waterloo and its people by their demographic, social and economic characteristics, according to the 2021 Census of Population.
Population
The City of Waterloo is located in the Region of Waterloo. The region is amongst the fastest growing communities in Canada.
At the end of 2021:
- the estimated population of Waterloo was 147,520
- this includes 28,390 students and 119,130 permanent residents
These numbers will be updated when the Region of Waterloo releases its Year-End Population and Household Estimates Report for 2022. The stats above are based on data from the 2021 Census and includes adjustments for new homes and apartments, students and temporary residents, census undercount and vacancy rates.
Growth rate
Along with the rest of southern Ontario, the City of Waterloo's population growth rate is among the fastest in Canada. Since the release of the previous census in 2016, the city has grown faster than the regional and provincial average.
From 2016 to 2021:
- the City of Waterloo's grew 15.7%.
- the Region of Waterloo grew 9.7%
- the Province of Ontario grew 5.8%.
Projections by 2041
Based on projections from the 2016 Census, there will be 140,500 permanent residents living in Waterloo by 2041. This does not include students.
Residential development
We track the amount and type of residential development taking place across the city. Residential development is the construction of places for people to live.
Density
Residential development can be categorized based on how many people can live in a unit. This measure is called density.
Buildings such as detached homes and townhouses have low numbers of units while apartment- style 'multi-residential' buildings have many more. The more units in a building the greater the density.
Year | % low density | % multi-unit |
---|---|---|
2018 | 25 | 75 |
2019 | 18 | 82 |
2020 | 13 | 87 |
2021 | 15 | 85 |
Units built per year
The amount of residential development can be measured by the number of:
- units - such as a house or condo
- bedrooms - places to sleep inside a unit
A detached home with 3 bedrooms would count as 1 unit and 3 bedrooms, for example.
Since 2015, new units have gradually increased while the number of overall bedrooms has decreased. This is due to increasing construction of multi-unit buildings with a lower number of bedrooms per unit.
Year | Units | Bedrooms |
---|---|---|
2015 | 295 | 3,214 |
2016 | 428 | 4,168 |
2017 | 1,175 | 1,981 |
2018 | 594 | 1,199 |
2019 | 1,141 | 1,593 |
2020 | 1,181 | 2,051 |
2021 | 1,249 | 1,876 |
Building locations
Land where new units are built is put into two categories:
- built-up areas - where development has historically occurred, such as uptown and older neighbourhoods
- designated greenfield areas - previously undeveloped land
As the supply of greenfield becomes limited, provincial and city policy has focused on ‘intensification’ in built-up areas. Over the last 15 years (2007 to 2022), there has been a 28% increase in the percentage of units constructed in the built-up area.
Year | % units in greenfields | % units in built-up areas |
---|---|---|
2006 | 32 | 68 |
2007 | 42 | 58 |
2008 | 27 | 73 |
2009 | 32 | 68 |
2010 | 7 | 93 |
2011 | 28 | 72 |
2012 | 18 | 82 |
2013 | 25 | 75 |
2014 | 17 | 83 |
2015 | 27 | 73 |
2016 | 20 | 80 |
2017 | 33 | 67 |
2018 | 34 | 66 |
2019 | 10 | 90 |
2020 | 8 | 92 |
2021 | 14 | 86 |
Non-residential development
Non-residential development refers to the construction of places such as offices, stores, factories, university buildings and other places where people do not live.
Square footage built per year
Non-residential development is categorized by:
- industrial - such as factories
- commercial - such as retail stores
- institutional - such as religious buildings
Year | Institutional | Commercial | Industrial |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | 171,558 | 166,530 | 339,896 |
2010 | 662,887 | 315,327 | 585,428 |
2011 | 136,304 | 93,766 | 53,281 |
2012 | 281,079 | 49,894 | 239,246 |
2013 | 289,826 | 28,672 | 19,902 |
2014 | 63,976 | 23,766 | 25,143 |
2015 | 213,868 | 94,209 | 56,040 |
2016 | 209,180 | 167,198 | 5,833 |
2017 | 419,956 | 19,517 | 181,330 |
2018 | 112,713 | 85,874 | 2,852 |
2019 | 40,666 | 15,563 | 393,313 |
2020 | 60,154 | 41,147 | 9,442 |
2021 | 29,939 | 20,545 | 312 |
Download data set
The city's planning division updates population and land use data annually.
It was last updated at the end of 2022 and is currently in Excel spreadsheet format.
Data use disclaimer
This collection of data is intended to provide general information, and reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the data are correct.
When addressing a specific issue or question, data should be verified with technical experts in the appropriate field.
The City of Waterloo does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the data set, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage associated with the direct or indirect use of, or reliance on, the contents this collection of planning and land use data.
For more information contact torin.whitnell@waterloo.ca.