Demographics

Census Population 1841 200 1871 1,594 1881 2,066 1891 2,941 1901 3,537 1911 4,359 1921 5,883 1931 8,095 1941 8,968 1951 11,991 1961 21,366 1971 36,677 1981 49,428 1991 71,181 2001 86,543 2006 97,475 2011 98,780

Many locals are of ethnic German descent. There is also a strong Mennonite presence. The universities and colleges along with its thriving technology and electronics presence attract a large number of individuals from elsewhere in Canada and the world.

Ethnic groups

From the 2006 census data, excluding post-secondary students temporarily residing in Waterloo:

White: 79,620 or 82.3% Chinese: 5,170 or 5.3% South Asian: 4,495 or 4.6% Black: 1,145 or 1.2% Southeast Asian: 975 or 1.0% Hispanics: 860 or 0.9% Other: 3,415 or 3.5% Religion

From the 2001 census data, excluding post-secondary students temporarily residing in Waterloo:

Protestant: 37,090 or 43.1% Catholic: 23,975 or 27.8% No Affiliation: 15,100 or 17.5% Other Christian: 3,875 or 4.5% Muslim: 2,425 or 2.8% Hindu: 1,385 or 1.6% Sikh: 785 or 0.9% Buddhist: 595 or 0.7% Jewish: 410 or 0.5% Bahai: 625 or 0.73% Other: 435 or 0.5%