55% of Alberta's population growth by 2051 will be arrivals from other countries
Alberta’s population is set to rise heavily by 2051 thanks to the inflow of arrivals from other countries, according to the latest projections from the provincial government.
Alberta is projected to add roughly 2.6 million residents over the next 29 years, reaching almost 7.1 million by 2051 with an average annual growth rate of 1.5%, according to projections released earlier this month.
Arrivals from other countries account for about 55% of the expected growth over the projection period, per the province.
The province will also see its population shift towards major cities, with 81% of Albertans set to live in one specific region by 2051.
The big winners will be the Edmonton-Calgary Corridor for population growth and as the most populous region, this area tends to attract most of the migrants arriving from outside of the province.
In the past decade, 87% of immigrants and 86% of the net migrants from other parts of Canada settled in this region.
In the short term, net migration is expected to blow past what was seen in the most recent oil boom. Between 2022 and 2025, Alberta’s average annual growth is expected to be 2.5%.
The federal government has been continually boosting its immigration targets, which is also set to bolster Alberta’s population over the coming years.
The target for the calendar year of 2023 is 465,000, increasing incrementally to 500,000 in 2025. Alberta is expected to receive an average of 12% for each year.
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