Toronto hasn't kept pace with Canada's national growth rate over the past five years, but its surrounding communities are booming, according to the 2006 census data released Tuesday.

The population of Canada's largest city has increased by 0.9 per cent since the 2001 census, according to the first data released by Statistics Canada on the 2006 census.

When the census was taken in May, the population of Toronto was 2,503,281, compared with 2,481,494 in 2001.

During the same five-year time period, Canada's national population increased 5.4 per cent.

Ontario's population grew by 6.6 per cent — making it one of the few to rise above the national growth average. Alberta lead with a 10.6 per cent population gain and all three territories reported higher than average growth.

Ontario's growth was attributed to immigration. The province remained the most populous Canadian province or territory with a population of 12,160,282.

Toronto area booming

Meanwhile, during the same five-year period, the population in communities surrounding Toronto outpaced growth in the city.

Barrie was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country, with the population rising 19.2 per cent to 177,061 in 2006. It was followed by Calgary, with a 13.4 per cent population increase.

Other Toronto-area communities experienced high population growth, with the town of Milton recording a 71.4 per cent growth to 53,939.

The city of Brampton grew 33.3 per cent to 433,806, and Vaughan by 31.2 per cent to 238,866.

"This spreading out from the urban centres is a phenomena that continues to take hold in this country," said Anil Arora, director of Statistics Canada's census program branch, told CBC News.

Statistics Canada conducts a census every five years. Information released Tuesday about the population is the first in a series of census data that will be released over the next year.

With files from Canadian Press