The 1956 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. The total population count of Canada was 16,080,791. This was a 14.8% increase over the 1951 census of 14,009,429.[1][2]
The previous census was the 1951 census and the following census was the 1961 census. This was the tenth nationwide census, and was the first nationwide quinquennial census, superseding the series of special censuses covering only the Canadian Prairies from 1906 to 1946.
A different definition for the Northwest Territories disregards areas not included within the Mackenzie River Electoral District. If such areas were excluded, the Northwest Territories had 12,492 people in 1956 and 10,279 people in 1951. Under this definition, the Northwest Territories saw an increase of 2,403 people, or 19.2%.[3]
All provinces and territories recorded a population increase in this census. With the 1956 census, Alberta became the first province in the Canadian Prairies to have more than 1 million inhabitants.