Canada's population increased by 776,000 over the first nine months of 2022

Dec 31 2022, 2:22 am

The population growth of Canada saw an all-time historic increase in 2022 — volumes that have not been seen since Canadian Confederation.

In a pre-Christmas bulletin, Statistics Canada states the country’s total population growth increased by 776,217 people over the first nine months of 2022, which is a figure that already exceeds the total growth for any full-year period since 1867.

The country could potentially see a staggering total population growth of about one million people in 2022, after the fourth quarter between October and December is fully accounted for.

Furthermore, between October 1, 2021 and October 1, 2022, Canada added 865,882 people — pushing the total population from 38.43 million to 39.29 million people. If the same or higher rate of growth is also experienced in 2023, Canada could potentially hit the 40-million population milestone this time next year. The country achieved its last major population milestone in 1998, when it reached 30 million.

The country also saw a substantial quarterly population increase over the third quarter of 2022, with 362,453 people added to the country between July 1 and October 1 — a growth rate of almost 1%. This was the highest quarterly population growth rate since the second quarter of 1957, when Canada’s population increased by 1.2% or 198,000 to 16.7 million. The entire growth experienced over this single quarter is also a similar level of growth Canada used to see in an entire year about one decade ago, in 2011, when the population grew by 350,000.

According to the federal statisticians, during the third quarter of 2022, Canada welcomed 122,911 immigrants — the second-highest number of immigrants in any third quarter since post-war 1946, the year quarterly data became available — and 225,198 non-permanent residents.

The third quarter’s non-permanent resident gains were approximately 68,000 more people than the last historic record increase of 157,300 in the second quarter of 2022. As well, the increase in non-permanent residents in the third quarter was more than any full-year increase since 1971, when such data was made available.

All provinces and territories experienced an increase in the number of non-permanent residents over the third quarter of 2022, with Ontario (106,459), British Columbia (39,429), and Quebec (34,299) accounting for 80% of the increase.

As a measure to help address the immense labour shortage, falling birth rates, and ensure long-term economic growth, the federal government has been accepting far more immigrants over the last few years, and intends to further grow this trend for the foreseeable future.

Over 400,000 immigrants are expected in 2022 — up from about 300,000 annually over the years just prior to the pandemic. The federal government has further increased its immigration targets over the coming years to 465,000 in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 starting in 2025.

When it comes to interprovincial migration, Ontario saw a net loss of 11,581 residents, marking its largest net loss of residents to other Canadian jurisdictions in a third quarter since 1980. BC also recorded a net loss of 4,799 residents to interprovincial migration — the province’s first net loss to interprovincial migration for the first time in any quarter since 2013.

In terms of total population growth in each province, over the first nine months of 2022, Ontario added 321,748 people, followed by Alberta with 118,929, BC with 116,688, and Quebec with 113,702.

Over the third quarter of 2022, the population of Ontario went up by 153,244 (+1%), Alberta increased by 67,203 (+1.3%), Quebec added 55,693 (+0.6%), and BC grew by 48,942 (+0.9%). Alberta’s percentage growth was the highest amongst all provinces and territories.

Alberta’s third quarter population gain is a record for any quarter in the province’s history, and it is possibly tied to high oil prices leading to economic renewal and job creation, and economic challenges elsewhere in the country, including affordable housing issues in BC and Ontario. This follows years of slower population growth in Alberta due to the oil price slump and recession since 2014.

Population growth estimates over the first nine months of 2022

  • British Columbia
    • January 1: 5,251,578
    • October 1: 5,368,266 (+116,688)
  • Alberta
    • January 1: 4,482,385
    • October 1: 4,601,314 (+118,929)
  • Saskatchewan
    • January 1: 1,185,311
    • October 1: 1,205,119 (+19,808)
  • Manitoba
    • January 1: 1,398,303
    • October 1: 1,420,228 (+21,925)
  • Ontario
    • January 1: 14,940,912
    • October 1: 15,262,660 (+321,748)
  • Quebec
    • January 1: 8,637,650
    • October 1: 8,751,352 (+113,702)
  • New Brunswick
    • January 1: 799,245
    • October 1: 820,786 (+21,541)
  • Nova Scotia
    • January 1: 1,002,441
    • October 1: 1,030,953 (+28,512)
  • Prince Edward Island
    • January 1: 166,858
    • October 1: 172,707 (+5,849)
  • Newfoundland and Labrador
    • January 1: 522,501
    • October 1: 528,818 (+6,317)
Kenneth ChanKenneth Chan

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