British Columbia's population breaks 5 million for first time on record

British Columbia’s population is on the rise, according to last quarter’s provincial statistics.

As of October 1, 2018, BC’s population exceeded five million people — the first time on record that the province has ever surpassed that amount.

Between July 1 to October 1, 2018, the population grew by 24,635 people — the largest growth that British Columbia has seen since early 2016.

According to the study, 95% of the population growth (23,422) was due to international immigration.

The other contributing factor was natural change — the number of births subtracted by deaths seen during the quarter. The surplus of births made up for 2,430 individuals in the increase.

British Columbia also saw more people move to another province than they saw enter in, perhaps a nod at current housing and affordability conditions. Interprovincial migration slowed growth and was responsible for a 1,217 person decrease in the population.

In total, British Columbia’s population grew by 0.49%. Provinces with better affordability, naturally, saw a greater increase: Alberta (0.54%), Ontario (0.62%), Nunavut (0.66%), and Prince Edward Island (0.98%) all saw a larger jump in numbers.

Across Canada, the national population grew by an estimated 183,715 people, bringing the total number to 37,242,571.

You can find BC’s full third-quarter statistics here.

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