Hay River Reserve is one of only two Indian reserves in Canada's Northwest Territories. Located in the South Slave Region, it is a Slavey community with a population of 259, of which the majority are First Nations and some Métis, at the 2021 Canadian census, a 16.2% decrease from the 2016 census. The main languages on the reserve are South Slavey, and English. In 2017 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 329, resulting in an average annual growth rate of 0.4% between 2007 and 2017.