Quebec - Statistics & Facts

Quebec is a Canadian province located between the Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and bordered by Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and the U.S. states Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. Home to 8.6 million people, Quebec is the second-most populated province in Canada. Quebec City, the capital of Quebec, and Montreal, the economic and cultural center of the province and the largest francophone city in the country, are where more than half of the population lives.

Quebec and its French origins

Quebec is the only province where French is the sole official language, and about 1.87 million people of French origin live in Quebec, as a result of being a French colony until 1763. Quebec has maintained a strong cultural and linguistic tie to their French origins, with the residents of Quebec trying to strengthen their apparent status and cultural rights. The movement for Quebec sovereignty has lingered in the province's politics, where the Parti Quebecois has advocated for national sovereignty and secession from Canada. However, secession was never a feasible option because of economic difficulties, as Quebec had the second-highest GDP out of all Canadian provinces in 2021. However, ultimately 75 percent of residents in Quebec believe that Quebec should stay in Canada. An additional reason against Quebec sovereignty is that it isolates Canada’s First Nation’s population, who believe that they have more of a legitimate claim to sovereignty, as they existed before the colonization of Canada by the British and French, and have their own constitution, which bolsters their grounds for self-determination.

Quebec's economy

Quebec’s economy is primarily driven by manufacturing, which contributed the most to Quebec’s GDP in 2021. Over the years, the unemployment rate has significantly decreased - except for 2020 - and Québec has the second-lowest unemployment rate out of all Canadian provinces. The Quebec City metropolitan area had the lowest unemployment rate out of all Canadian metropolitan areas. Furthermore, most of the residents employed in Quebec were employed in the wholesale and retail industry. Quebec’s strong economy has led them to have the second-highest number of employed people in their province.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jul 14, 2022

Key insights

Estimated poulation
8.7m
Projected population 2043
9.47m
Number of recent immigrants
62,798
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Population estimate of Quebec, Canada in 2022, by age and sex

Demographics

Population of Quebec 2022, by age and sex

Number of employed people in Quebec, Canada in 2022, by industry (in 1,000s)

Employment

Number of employed people in Quebec, Canada 2022, by industry

Population of Quebec in 2022, by educational attainment (in 1,000s)

Demographics

Population of Quebec 2022, by educational attainment

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