Peterborough's 2026 population is now estimated at 229,218.In 2025, the population of Peterborough was 226,419.Peterborough has grown by 2,799 in the last year, which represents a 1.24% annual change.These population values and projections come from World Population Review Internal Projections.
The city of Peterborough in Ontario is certainly not among the largest of cities, but it does have some claim to fame in the region. It was the first city in Ontario to be wired for electricity and was nicknamed, “The Electric City” for a time. However, that name is now far in the past as Peterborough has embraced much more than just electricity. It is a growing city with a lot to offer Ontario and the rest of the world.
The current population in Peterborough according to the most recent census of 2016 shows that the population has grown by 2.9% since the previous census of 2011. The 2011 census showed an overall population of 78,777 people in Peterborough city with 134,928 in Peterborough county. In 2016, the population of the city was 82,094. The number of men in the city of Peterborough is 38,170, while there are 42,865 women.
The population density is 1,262 people for every square kilometer. The total area that the city of Peterborough covers comes to 132.58 sq mi (343.38 km²).
The average age of a citizen in Peterborough is 43.5 with men averaging around 41.8 while women average 45 years of age. Only 14.6% of the population falls below the age of 15 with the majority of the population of Peterborough between the ages of 15 and 64. As for the elderly demographic, those 65 to 84 make up 22.3% of the population and, of the older population, 4.1% are 85 and above. As of the 2016 census, there were 30 people (25 women and 5 men) that were 100 or more years old.
Homes vary greatly in Peterborough, but of the 34,710 dwellings found in the city, 20,135 are single family detached homes. Many of the population prefer the comfort of higher living – 2,515 homes are found in apartment complexes with five or more floors. The standard smaller apartment buildings of fewer than five floors make up 5,855 dwellings. There are 770 semi-detached homes, 2,810 row houses, and 2,557 duplex dwellings. The smallest portion of people, totaling just 5, live in mobile dwellings of and other unspecified types of dwellings account for an additional 45 people.
The average family in Peterborough has 2.3 people and there are 34,710 families within the city. The census took a poll of the number of family members and the majority of families, a total of 12,730, were comprised of two people. 28,610 people claim that they are married while only 7,370 people claim to be in a common law relationship. 19,855 people have never been married. Separated people make up 2,515 of the total and divorced individuals account for 5,315. A further 5,575 people claim are widowed, with the majority of that number being women. 4,515 widows are women where only 1,065 are men.
City | 2026 Pop.↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| London | 9,188,200 | 0.54% |
| Birmingham | 1,199,447 | 0.67% |
| Leeds | 860,894 | 0.92% |
| Glasgow | 663,221 | 0.99% |
| Manchester | 605,521 | 1.34% |
| Cornwall | 591,594 | 0.71% |
| Sheffield | 588,768 | 0.54% |
| Bradford | 570,186 | 0.58% |
| County Durham | 543,515 | 0.51% |
| Edinburgh | 540,101 | 0.88% |
| Wiltshire | 531,890 | 0.78% |
| Liverpool | 518,060 | 0.89% |
| Bristol | 504,401 | 1.01% |
| Kirklees | 451,654 | 0.42% |
| Cheshire East | 431,445 | 1.2% |
| Croydon | 415,854 | 0.79% |
| Barnet | 411,361 | 0.78% |
| Leicester | 397,462 | 1.17% |
| Ealing | 392,217 | 0.8% |
| Cardiff | 391,495 | 0.98% |