Gender and sex at birth variables and classifications

The additions of gender identity and gender expression in the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, as well as some sources of administrative data changing from sex to gender, necessitated distinguishing the concepts of gender and sex within the National Statistical System. Statistics Canada has revised the variables 'gender of person' and 'sex at birth of person' for the 2021 Census of Population.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field	Value
Last Updated	April 17, 2026, 21:48 (UTC)
Created	April 17, 2026, 15:59 (UTC)
contact_email	STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca
contact_person	{}
criticality_level	["general_public"]
data_dictionary	[]
geographic_scope	["0"]
open_canada_collection	primary
open_canada_date_published	2021-10-01 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords	{"fr": ["Classification", "Codes de classification", "Systèmes de classification", "Genre de la personne", "Sexe de la personne"], "en": ["Classification", "Classification codes", "Classification systems", "Gender of Person", "Sex of person"]}
open_canada_subject	["persons"]
sensitivity_level	unrestricted
title_fr	Variables et classifications du genre et du sexe
update_frequency	as_needed