EDMONTON — Alberta's population growth stood out in a recently released study on provincial migration across Canada, with Alberta being one of only three provinces to see a net positive migration flow, more than twice the second-highest provincial total. A study published on June 2 by the Fraser Institute found that Alberta experienced a net population growth of 538.8 thousand people from provincial migration between 1995/96 and 2024/25, with over 2.1 million entering and 1.6 million leaving Alberta. "When Canadians choose to move between provinces, it can signal a jurisdiction’s desirable attributes, such as housing and job opportunities, and once again, Alberta is the most attractive province for interprovincial migration,” said Grady Munro, a senior policy analyst with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Interprovincial Migration in Canada, 1995-2024: What Do the Numbers Tell Us?.Population growth has been a major topic of discussion in Alberta for an extended period. Premier Danielle Smith claims that poor federal immigration policies and the resulting influx of immigrants to Alberta played a significant role in Alberta's projected $9.4 billion deficit in Budget 2026. Though Smith has blamed foreign immigration for placing an immense strain on Alberta's services, individuals flocking to Alberta from other provinces only compound the pressure. The over-538.8-thousand-person bump accounted for 10.7% of Alberta's population of 5.1 million, as estimated on April 1, 2025. BC's 214.9 thousand-person increase was the second-largest growth observed during the period studied, and Nova Scotia was the only other province to end with a net positive migration total after a 23.3 thousand-person boost. “Understanding the relative attractiveness of different provinces over time is important since it can lead to discussions about specific opportunities or challenges faced by different provinces,” Munro said..Quebec's net -256 thousand people and Ontario's -168.2 thousand individuals were the largest exoduses observed over the study's 30-year period, but Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland & Labrador all ranked lower on a per-1,000-person basis. Alberta's largest positive migration exchange was with Ontario, with 576.3 individuals coming west, resulting in a net change of 195.2 individuals for Alberta. “Ontario used to be seen by Canadians in other provinces as an attractive place to move to, but for the past five years, Ontarians have been leaving the province and moving elsewhere in Canada in the greatest numbers in 30 years,” Munro said. .Alberta's migration growth was skewed younger, with a net gain of 192.3 thousand persons aged 18 to 24 and 216.7 thousand aged 25 to 44, reflecting population change related to migration. Outside of a one-year dip in 2009/10, Alberta's only net negative migration years were from 2015/16 to 2020/21, a period that included former Premier Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP's term in government. Smith's "Alberta is calling" campaign, which focused on attracting skilled workers from other provinces, led to a sharp spike in migration after being launched in August 2022. Alberta had roughly 9 and 10 persons per 1,000 residents in net migration increases in 2022/23 and 2023/24, respectively.
