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
Population
The City of Waterloo is located in the Region of Waterloo. The region is the 4th largest urban centre in Ontario and the 10th largest in Canada.
At the end of 2020:
- the estimated population of Waterloo was 147,350
- this includes 30,820 students and 116,530 permanent residents
This is based on data from the 2016 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. In recent years the city has grown faster than the regional and provincial average.
From 2015 to 2020:
- the City of Waterloo's grew 10.2%.
- the Region of Waterloo grew 8.6%
- the Province of Ontario grew 6.4%.
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.
This estimate will be revised after we receive results of the 2021 Census.
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.
Since 2018, the share of higher density types of housing has gradually increased.
| 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. From 2006 to 2020 the percentage of units constructed in built-up areas has gradually increased.
| 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 2021 and is currently in Excel spreadsheet format. Some data for 2021 has yet to be released and is marked as such. It will be updated when available.
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.