There are now more than 35 million Canadians; Take that, Uganda

Canada’s next birthday party will have 35 million people on the guest list. Newly released numbers suggest our oversized country surpassed the population benchmark earlier this year.

According to Statistics Canada, the country's population reached 35,158,300 on July 1, 2013. That is a 404,000 increase (1.2 per cent) from the same time last year – and similar to the jump made between 2012 and 2011.

A couple other quick facts from the recent numbers, based on the 2011 National Household Survey:

• Canada's growth rate between 2006 and 2011 (5.3 per cent) was the highest among G8 countries.

• International migration was responsible for two-thirds of the country's population growth since 2012.

• Population growth is lowest in Atlantic provinces (-0.5 per cent in Nova Scotia) and highest in the West (3.4 per cent in Alberta).

• In the last 30 years, Ontario (39.8 per cent) has grown at almost twice the rate of Quebec (21 per cent).

[ Related: Canadian population surpasses 35 million ]

Reaching a population benchmark of 35 million won't actually change things in Canada. We all have the same amount of leg room as we did in June. But it does mean there are a lot of us. Here is how the population of Canada stacks up against some other numbers:

Canada is now the 37th most populated country, behind Iraq (35.4 million) and Algeria (37.9 million).

Canadians now outnumber Ugandans, which have a population of 34.1 million.

The State of California has an estimated population of 38 million as of July 1, 2012.

The Greater Tokyo Area is still more populace than Canada, at 35.676 million.

According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, more than 36 million North Americans play fantasy sports.

There are 34 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, according to the World Health Organization.

The total number of military and civilian casualties (either killed or wounded) in World War I was 37 million.

If we all pitched in $1, we could buy this flawless 118.28 carat oval diamond when it goes up for auction in October.

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