Canada's population growth rate slows to levels not seen since the First World War, Alberta sees growth 3x the national rate

Canada's population growth continues to slow, reaching levels of low growth not seen since the First World War.A recent report released by Statistics Canada shows that, between July 2025 and July 2026, the population of Canada grew at a rate of just +0.5%, or 189,425 people, bringing the total Canadian population to an estimated 41,798,407 on July 1, 2026.This marks the lowest growth rate recorded in Canada since 1915/1916, basically right in the middle of the First World War as Canada was sending thousands of men overseas to fight in Europe.The total growth number is also the lowest total number recorded since the end of the Second World War, with the last time the country recorded a lower total population growth number being 1944/1945.This also marks the second year in a row that the growth rate has reduced, dropping from an all-time high of +2.8% in 2023/2024 to +1.1% in 2024/2025 and now down to just +0.5% in 2025/2026.The decrease has been mainly attributed to the shift in government policy towards immigration, with the Stats Canada report itself giving this as the main reason for the population decline..Stats Canada says the up-and-down growth rate from 2020 onwards is "almost entirely attributable to changes in international migration."In the same report, Stats Canada highlights that permanent and non-permanent resident rates continue to decline, being the largest contributing factor in the country seeing the lowest growth rate in over a century.In the same timeframe (July '25 to July '26), Canada recorded that the number of non-permanent residents dropped by 154,614 people, the largest decrease in the number of non-permanent residents since comparable records began in 1971/1972.It also marks the first decline in the number since 2020/2021, with the largest decreases being attributable to international students and those on study and work permits leaving the country as their permits expire.Permanent immigration numbers also dropped, with total immigration in 2025/2026 being 368,224, below the government's 380,000 annual target.Only the Northwest Territories and Nunavut saw an increase in immigration numbers in that same timeframe."Canada welcomed 99,148 immigrants in the second quarter of 2026. This number is 4.2% lower than in the second quarter of 2025 (103,527)," the report from Stats Canada adds.Among the provinces, Alberta continues to be the province seeing the fastest population growth, with the province seeing a +1.5% increase to its population in 2025/2026..This marks a growth rate more than three times the national average.This stark difference can be attributed to heavy rates of interprovincial migration, with many Canadians moving to Alberta due to the provinces' "Alberta is Calling" intra-Canada migration campaign.Other provinces that saw growth rates significantly higher than the national average were New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, which both saw a growth rate of +1%, double the national average. Canada's three largest provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, all saw growth rates well below the national average, with the provinces recording annual growth rates of +0.3%, +0.2%, and +0.1%, respectively.Stats Canada attributes this decrease because these provinces "tend to welcome the largest share of international migrants and are thus more affected by changes in international migration levels."These numbers will be seen as a positive, not only for those worried about immigration numbers but also for the federal government, which, under Mark Carney, has promised sharp reductions in the number of permanent and non-permanent immigrants.The lowering of the non-permanent residents in particular, down from a record high of 7.2% of the total population in 2024 to 6.7% in 2026, will also be seen as progress towards the government's current goal of lowering that number to under 5% by the end of 2027.

Canada's population growth rate slows to levels not seen since the First World War, Alberta sees growth 3x the national rate

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