Canada answers this question better than any country we reviewed. It just gives more than one answer, depending on whether you count by citizenship or by birthplace.
39.7M
Canada's Population
The Point of Reference
256,000
Born in the US
Census 2021
133,430
Hold US Citizenship Only
Census 2021
Born in the US, as a Share of Canada
0.64%
256,000 ÷ 39,700,000
1 in every 155 residents · the “US-connected” rate
The American Emigration Revue counts US citizensPeople holding United States citizenship, as counted by Canada's own official records. A separate population from US-born residents; the two are never added. Definitions ›, US-born residentsPeople born in the United States living in Canada, whatever citizenship they hold today. A separate population from US citizens; the two are never added. Definitions ›, naturalizations and long-term permits from official government sources, with every figure cited. This page sets out what Canada publishes, what it does not, and how far the published record can be trusted.
Every figure is shown with the year its source published it. Canada's census counts date to 2021; the next census is 2026. Admissions data runs through 2025.
Annual inflows
9,330
High comparability2024
Long-term permits
39k
Partial comparability2023
Dual citizenship
Recognized
Americans may keep their US passport
Years to naturalize
3 yrs
minimum residency requirement
01
Why Canada's Records, Not Washington's
The Context
The context every page needs: who counts Americans abroad, and who doesn't.
The United States publishes no count of its own citizens abroad. Its best federal figure, 3.3 million Americans worldwide, is a statistical model built to size the overseas electorate, and the same model said 4.4 million two years earlier. The Census Bureau decided in 1976 to exclude private Americans abroad from the decennial enumeration (overseas federal employees and military are still counted). What Washington publishes instead is fragments: Social Security checks mailed to foreign addresses, tax returns claiming foreign income, quarterly lists of people who gave up their citizenship. See what each federal source actually counts ›
So this project counts from the receiving side. Every figure on this page comes from records Canada itself publishes, read under the same rules applied to every country in the project. Where Canada publishes, it is counted and cited. Where it does not, the gap is shown rather than filled: no estimates, no models. How openly each country reports ›
02
How Canada Counts Americans
The Six Counts
One "US presence," six official populations. None of them contradicts another; they answer different questions.
US-Citizen Headline
133,430
Sole US citizenship · Census 2021
US-Born Headline
256,000
US-born immigrants · Census 2021
461,775
All US-citizenship responses, incl. dual citizens · Census 2021
90,490
Canadian citizens by descent, born in the US · Census 2021
26,805
US-born non-permanent residents · Census 2021
61,385
US-born with a valid permit or open claim · IRCC admin file, 2021
03
What the Research Found
The Findings
Findings from the Canada research, drawn from the official record.
Findings
by Daniel ATZ
›Canada has the strongest U.S.-national data coverage of any country reviewed in the initial research.
›IRCC permanent resident admissions data shows 103,200 U.S. citizen PR admissions from 2015 to 2025, peaking at 11,955 in 2021 and declining to 7,520 in 2025.
›U.S. citizen temporary workers declined from 61,700 in 2010 to 38,900 in 2023, with the U.S. share of total temporary foreign workers falling from 17% to 4% over the same period. The International Mobility Program (CUSMA and other agreements) accounted for approximately half of entries throughout the period.
›Study permit data shows 8,495 U.S. citizen permit holders in 2025, with 835 in the first two months of 2026.
What the Public Record Says
Scale of US populationLarge relative to other countries reviewed. 461,775 U.S. citizenship responses in the 2021 Census; 256,000 U.S.-born immigrants resident in Canada.
Trend (permits)U.S. citizen permanent resident admissions peaked in 2021 (11,955) and have declined since; 7,520 in 2025. Temporary worker numbers declined from 61,700 in 2010 to 38,900 in 2023.
Trend (residents)U.S.-born immigrant population stable at approximately 256,000 in 2021. U.S. citizenship responses (461,775) include a large multiple-citizenship component (328,345).
Main drivers (latest period)Permanent residence admissions; the International Mobility Program (CUSMA and other agreements); study permits. U.S. citizens entered largely through IMP international agreements (47.3% in 2022).
Settlement patternNational-level data available. Geographic breakdown not assessed in the initial research.
Data transparency4.0 out of 5 (high confidence) — how much Canada publishes about resident Americans, how often, and how easily the figures can be checked. Scored under How Far to Trust These Figures below.
04
The Figures as Data
The Evidence
Machine-readable copy of the figures on this page, each with the year its source published it. Free to download and reuse with attribution.
Key Figures as Data
Canada · every figure with the year its source published it
Figure
Value
Vintage
Publisher
US citizens
133,430
Census 2021
Statistics Canada
US-born residents
256,000
Census 2021
Statistics Canada
US-citizen arrivals
9,330
2024
—
Naturalizations of US citizens
9,500
US-born · 2025
—
Long-term residence permits
38,900
2023
—
All US-citizenship responses, incl. dual citizens · Census 2021 (2021)
461,775
Census 2021
Statistics Canada
Canadian citizens by descent, born in the US · Census 2021 (2021)
90,490
Census 2021
Statistics Canada
US-born non-permanent residents · Census 2021 (2021)
26,805
Census 2021
Statistics Canada
US-born with a valid permit or open claim · IRCC admin file, 2021 (2021)
61,385
2021
IRCC
Vintage is the year the publishing authority reported the figure. A dash means the year or publisher is not yet recorded in our dataset for that figure; the Sources and Datasets section below names every publisher behind this page. The free CSV covers the years shown to readers without an account.
Download CSV (free public data)Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to American Emigration Revue and the named publisher.
05
The National Lens
Country-Specific Data
Supplementary data obtained or derived specifically for this country — indicators not in the global framework.
National lens — census 2021
US citizens in Canada: single vs dual citizenship
persons (Census 2021)
US citizenship only133k
US + another citizenship (incl. Canadian)328k
US-born immigrants (for scale)256k
Of 461,775 US citizens counted in Canada, 71% hold another citizenship as well. The "American population of Canada" is mostly a dual-citizen population — exactly the descent-and-naturalization dynamic this project tracks.
What Canada publishes, how often it publishes, and the sources behind every number on this page.
What Canada PublishesHigh confidence · transparency 4.0/5
published every year census count selected years one-off profile census scheduled 2026 year-to-date
The bars are yearly series, where trends can be read. The dots are single counts, which show a moment in time; the next one arrives with the 2026 census.
Known Data Discrepancies
Canada measures its American population six ways, and none of the counts contradicts another
This page leads with the two figures least affected by dual citizenship. The four broader readings are set out in How Canada Counts Americans above. Each answers its own question, and every one is cited to its publisher.
Sources & Datasets
2 publishing authorities
Every figure on this page comes from one of the publishers below. Links go to the authority and, where stable, straight to the dataset.
Every answer is drawn from the official record, from the same sources cited across this page.
How many Americans live in Canada?
Canada's own records count 133,430 residents holding US citizenship (Census 2021) and 256,000 US-born residents (Census 2021). These are different measures of different populations, and they are not added together. Counting everyone who reported US citizenship, including dual citizens, the record shows 461,775 responses.Statistics Canada
Why are there several different numbers for Americans in Canada?
Because Canada measures its "US presence" with several instruments, each answering a different question: 133,430 (Sole US citizenship · Census 2021); 256,000 (US-born immigrants · Census 2021); 461,775 (All US-citizenship responses, incl. dual citizens · Census 2021); 90,490 (Canadian citizens by descent, born in the US · Census 2021); 26,805 (US-born non-permanent residents · Census 2021); 61,385 (US-born with a valid permit or open claim · IRCC admin file, 2021). None of these figures contradicts another.Statistics Canada
How many Americans move to Canada each year?
IRCC recorded 9,330 US-citizen arrivals in 2024.Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
How many Americans become citizens of Canada?
IRCC recorded 9,500 US-born people as new citizens of Canada through naturalization in 2025. The register publishes new citizens by country of birth rather than previous nationality, so this series is treated as a proxy measure.Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Does Canada recognize dual citizenship with the United States?
Yes. Americans may keep their US passport when they naturalize in Canada; the minimum residency requirement is 3 years. The citizenship count recorded 461,775 US-citizenship responses in total; 328,345 of them reported another citizenship as well, so dual citizens outnumber sole US citizens roughly 2.5 to 1.Statistics Canada
Where do the figures for Americans in Canada come from?
Every figure on this page comes from Canada's own official publishers: Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). These are counts those bodies published themselves, not estimates or projections. Where Canada publishes nothing, the page says so rather than filling the gap. Canada's published record scores 4.0 out of 5 for transparency, which measures how much it publishes, how often, and how easily the figures can be checked.Statistics Canada
Related Reporting
News stories our newsroom has published about this country.
Edited by Daniel Atz, Founder and Editor in Chief.
The full series, every year, every country
The public view shows a limited year window for each series. Researchers and journalists can request access to the complete annual record for every country in the project.
