Does 90% of Canada’s population live within 100 miles of the US border? | Fact brief

Ninety percent of Canada’s population does not live within 100 miles (about 161 kilometers) of the country’s borders with the northern continental U.S. and Alaska.

As of Canada’s 2021 census, 76% of Canadians lived within 100 miles of a U.S. border, Statistics Canada spokesperson Maryse Carrière told a reporter by email. (The agency has previously described the share as about three-quarters.)

The 90% figure is based on a wider range: In 2023, Canada’s Department of Finance said more than 90% of Canadians live within 150 miles (or about 241 kilometers) of the U.S. border. A Natural Resources Canada document gives the same percentage.

Statistics Canada also reported that 66% of Canadians lived within 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) of the border between the northern U.S. and southern Canada in 2021. That figure excludes those living near the border with Alaska.