The population of Coquitlam moved to BC over the first nine months of 2023

Coquitlam City Centre (EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock)

Newly released population estimates by Statistics Canada show over 157,300 newcomers to Canada chose to move to British Columbia over the first nine months of 2023.

This represents a net gain of international migrants of 37,830 in the first quarter, 53,313 in the second quarter, and 66,190 in the third quarter.

Over the nine-month period, there were 55,544 permanent residents and 107,625 non-permanent residents, including international students, with 5,863 leaving the country.

In contrast, over the first nine months of 2022, 110,520 net international migrants were recorded in BC, including 52,837 permanent residents and 63,456 non-permanent residents. BC ended 2022 with an annual total of 142,231 net international migrants, including 61,229 permanent residents and 89,578 non-permanent residents.

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BC’s net international migration over the first nine months of 2023 is roughly equivalent to the entire population of the City of Coquitlam, one of the largest municipalities of Metro Vancouver. The net gain experienced over the third quarter alone is similar to the population of the City of Port Coquitlam.

With the first nine months of 2023 already exceeding the entire annual total of 2022, the province is on pace to break an all-time record for net international migration in a year.

Driven by the federal government’s ambitious immigration targets, all-time records in international migration are being broken across Canada.

Over the first nine months of 2023, Alberta recorded 109,795 net international migrants (43,595 permanent; 59,883 non-permanent), Ontario saw 191,418 (47,140 permanent; 146,744 non-permanent), and Quebec saw 72,349 (16,509 permanent; 57,058 non-permanent).

A small portion of BC’s net international migrant inflows have been offset by the province’s net outflows of interprovincial migration to other parts of the country. But with strong international migration, BC is continuing to see strong population growth, with Statistics Canada estimating BC is home to 5.81 million residents as of the third quarter of 2023 — up from 5.4 million in the third quarter of 2022.

With the rate of growth, BC is expected to reach and exceed a population of six million sometime in 2024. BC’s last major population milestone was achieved in early 2018, when the province saw its population reach and exceed five million.

Nationally, based on the estimates, the population has now reached 40.53 million as of the third quarter of 2023 — up from 39.28 million in the third quarter of 2022.

In the third quarter of 2023 alone, Canada is estimated to have seen a population growth of 430,635, with BC accounting for 14.4% of this growth.

Surging immigration levels resulting in some of Canada’s highest population gains in generations has prompted questions over whether the federal government should lower its intake volumes, including a re-examination of its policies with study permits for international students. There are growing concerns that immigration levels are exacerbating Canada’s housing affordability issues, especially in the particularly heated markets of Metro Vancouver and Greater Toronto.

To date, the federal government’s primary rationale for elevating its immigration targets is to help address Canada’s labour shortage.

“I think one of the most important things we need to understand is immigration is a source of opportunity, growth, and economic advantage for Canada,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week during a press conference announcing a share of the Housing Accelerator Fund for Vancouver.

“But it’s also important to make sure that, as we always have, we’re doing it responsibly at a pace that our cities and rural regions can absorb. That’s why we’re constantly looking at the challenges that have been faced.”

Last month, the federal government announced the peak annual intake target of 500,000 new immigrants in 2025 will be maintained for 2026, instead of continuing the years-long trend of escalating the figure to a new high year-over-year.

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