Canada

federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm; federal and state authorities and responsibilities regulated in constitution

name: Ottawa geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November time zone note: Canada has six time zones etymology: the city lies on the south bank of the Ottawa River, from which it derives its name; the river name comes from the Algonquin word adawe , meaning "to trade"

chief of state: King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022); represented by Governor General Mary SIMON (since 26 July 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Mark CARNEY (since 14 March 2025) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among members of his/her own party sitting in Parliament election/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a 5-year term; after legislative elections, the governor general usually designates the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons as prime minister note: the governor general position is largely ceremonial

legislature name: Parliament of Canada - Parlement du Canada legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Canada (consists of the chief justice and 8 judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges appointed by the prime minister in council; all judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 75 subordinate courts: federal level: Federal Court of Appeal; Federal Court; Tax Court; federal administrative tribunals; Courts Martial; provincial/territorial level: provincial superior, appeals, first instance, and specialized courts note: in 1999, the Nunavut Court -- a circuit court with the power of a provincial superior court, as well as a territorial court -- was established to serve isolated settlements

history: consists of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions dating from 1763; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982 amendment process: proposed by either house of Parliament or by the provincial legislative assemblies; there are 5 methods for passage though most require approval by both houses of Parliament, approval of at least two thirds of the provincial legislative assemblies and assent and formalization as a proclamation by the governor general in council; the most restrictive method is reserved for amendments affecting fundamental sections of the constitution, such as the office of the monarch or the governor general, and the constitutional amendment procedures, which require unanimous approval by both houses and by all the provincial assemblies, and assent of the governor general in council

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, USMCA, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

2% of GDP (2025 est.) 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)

Canadian Forces: Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force (2025) note 1: the CAF is comprised of both a Regular Force and a Reserve Force; the Reserve Force is comprised of the Primary Reserve, Canadian Rangers, Cadet Organizations Administration and Training Service, and the Supplementary Reserve; the Canadian Rangers are part of the Army Reserve Force and provide a limited presence in Canada's northern, coastal, and isolated areas for sovereignty, public safety, and surveillance roles note 2: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or "Mounties") are under the Department of Public Safety; the Coast Guard is under the Department of Fisheries and Oceans

17 years of age for men and women for voluntary military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for Reserve and Military College applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; service obligation 3-9 years depending on the position (2025) note 1: Canada opened up all military occupations to women in 2001; women in 2024 comprised about 16% of the CAF note 2: the CAF offers waivers to foreign nationals applying for military service only in exceptional cases to individuals on international military exchanges, for example, or to candidates who have specialized skills in high demand

the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are responsible for external security; the CAF s core missions include detecting, deterring, and defending against threats to or attacks on Canada; the military also provides assistance to civil authorities and law enforcement as needed for such missions as counterterrorism, search and rescue, and responding to natural disasters or other major emergencies; it regularly participates in bilateral and multinational training exercises with a variety of partners, including NATO (Canada is one of the original members) and the US; the CAF also contributes to international peacekeeping, stability, humanitarian, combat, and capacity building operations, principally through NATO, but also with the UN and other security partners Canada is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD; established 1958); NORAD is a Canada/US bi-national military command responsible for monitoring and defending North American airspace; traditionally, a CAF officer has served as the deputy commander of NORAD; Canada s defense relationship with the US extends back to the Ogdensburg Declaration of 1940, when the two countries formally agreed on military cooperation, including the establishment of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense (PJBD), which continues to be the highest-level bilateral defense forum between Canada and the US British troops withdrew from Canada in 1871 as part of the US-UK Treaty of Washington; following the withdrawal, the first Canadian militia, known as the Royal Canadian Regiment, was organized in 1883 to protect Canadian territory and defend British interests abroad, which it did in the South African War (1899-1902), Canada s first overseas conflict; militia units formed the backbone of the more than 425,000 Canadian soldiers that went to Europe during World War I in what was called the Canadian Expeditionary Force; the Royal Canadian Navy was created in 1910, while the Canadian Air Force was established in 1920 and became the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924; the Canadian Army was officially founded in 1942; a unified Canadian Armed Forces was created in 1968 (2025)

approximately 2,000 Latvia (NATO); the CAF also has air and naval assets supporting NATO missions (2025) note: in 2024, Canada announced plans to have a full 2,000-person brigade deployed to Latvia by 2026

$2.341 trillion (2024 est.) $2.305 trillion (2023 est.) $2.271 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$56,700 (2024 est.) $57,500 (2023 est.) $58,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.5% (2024 est.) 1.5% (2023 est.) 4.2% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.4% (2024 est.) 3.9% (2023 est.) 6.8% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

61.3% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$727.831 billion (2024 est.) $724.754 billion (2023 est.) $743.782 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$733.778 billion (2024 est.) $723.399 billion (2023 est.) $731.058 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

6.5% (2024 est.) 5.5% (2023 est.) 5.3% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $428.312 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $417.421 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum, natural gas

wheat, rapeseed, maize, milk, barley, soybeans, potatoes, peas, oats, pork (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 39,187,155 (2025 est.) male: 19,515,416 female: 19,671,739

0.73% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 15.5% (male 3,098,478/female 2,929,148) 15-64 years: 63.4% (male 12,382,422/female 12,227,512) 65 years and over: 21% (2024 est.) (male 3,753,829/female 4,403,424)

9.12 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

7.75 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 84.2 years (2024 est.) male: 81.9 years female: 86.6 years

urban population: 81.9% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 0.95% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Canadian 15.6%, English 14.7%, Scottish 12.1%, French 11%, Irish 12.1%, German 8.1%, Chinese 4.7%, Italian 4.3%, First Nations 1.7%, Indian 3.7%, Ukrainian 3.5%, Metis 1.5% (2021 est.) note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin

English (official) 87.1%, French (official) 29.1%, Chinese languages 4.2%, Spanish 3.2%, Punjabi 2.6%, Arabic 2.4%, Tagalog 2.3%, Italian 1.5% (2022 est.) major-language sample(s): The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. (English) The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

Christian 53.3%, Muslim 4.9%, Hindu 2.3%, Sikh 2.1%, Buddhist 1%, Jewish 0.9%, Traditional (North American Indigenous) 0.2%, other religions and traditional spirituality 0.6%, none 34.6% (2021 est.)

bauxite, iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, uranium, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower

Hizballah; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

refugees: 561,551 (2024 est.) IDPs: 1,981 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 8,166 (2024 est.)

1,459 (2025)

total: 49,422 km (2021) note: 129 km electrified (2021) standard gauge: 49,422 km (2021) 1.435-m gauge

total: 716 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 22, container ship 1, general cargo 78, oil tanker 15, other 600

total subscriptions: 37.4 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 94% (2023 est.)