Canada's population increased by 1.8 million in five years, owing primarily to immigration.

According to census statistics from 2021, immigration has been a major driver of Canada's population increase during the last half-decade.

On May 11, 2021, Statistics Canada will take a census of the Canadian population, five years after the last one in 2016.

Canada expanded approximately twice as quickly as the other G7 countries, which include France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Even after the epidemic halted population growth in 2020, Canada remained the fastest-growing country in the G7. The major cause of the halt was Canada's border controls, which were put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Get free Canada assessment form

Canada today has a population of about 37 million people. Canada's population expansion was fueled by immigration rather than childbearing. Four out of every five of the 1.8 million persons that joined the population were either temporary residents or permanent immigrants. Natural population growth accounted for the remainder of population growth (the difference between births subtracted by deaths).

Canada's expansion

For most provinces and territories, immigration remains the primary source of population increase.

For the first time since the 1940s, the Maritimes' population expanded faster than the Prairies'.

Between 2016 and 2021, the population of Yukon expanded at the quickest rate in the country, while Prince Edward Island and British Columbia had the greatest growth rates among provinces, owing to immigration. The only province to witness population loss was Newfoundland and Labrador.

Because immigrants are significantly more likely to settle in cities, urban regions increased quicker than rural ones. In 2021, more over 6.6 million Canadians lived in rural regions, up 0.4 percent from the previous five years. In the same time period, urban areas increased at a rate of 6.3 percent.

In 2021, Canada had 41 cities with populations above 100,000, up from 35 in 2016. Fredericton, New Brunswick; Drummondville, Quebec; Red Deer, Alberta; Kamloops, British Columbia; Chilliwack, British Columbia; and Nanaimo, British Columbia are among the six new additions.

Squamish, British Columbia; Canmore, Alberta; Wasaga Beach, Ontario; and Collingwood, Ontario are among Canada's fastest-growing towns.

Population expansion is fueled by immigration.

Since the 1990s, immigration has mostly fueled population expansion. The Canadian fertility rate, like that of other G7 countries, is insufficient to keep the population growing.

People have been migrating to Canada in greater numbers than they have been departing. Because of a lack of emigration and a low fertility rate, immigration has fueled population expansion. Since 2015, Canada's immigration objectives have grown every year.

In October 2022, more census data on immigration, birthplace, and citizenship will be accessible.