A record number of people left Canada in 2025, according to new Statistics Canada data. Statistics Canada’s latest international migration estimates show 120,640 people emigrated from Canada last year breaking the previous record of 118,409 set the year pior.Ontario led the country in number of departures, with 56,266 people leaving, nearly half (47%) of all emigration from Canada, disproportionately higher than Ontario’s share of the country’s population (39%). British Columbia recorded the second-highest number of departures at 25,145, followed by Quebec at 15,913 and Alberta at 14,690.British Columbia posted the highest emigration rate per capita, with approximately 442 emigrants per 100,000 residents. That was well above the national average of roughly 290 per 100,000 people..Together, Ontario and British Columbia accounted for about two-thirds of all Canadians who left the country in 2025.The figures also show Quebec experienced its highest level of emigration since 1971, while Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta all recorded the highest annual totals on record.The increase comes amid ongoing concerns about housing affordability, cost-of-living pressures and economic uncertainty. The trend also coincided with a sharp slowdown in immigration.Statistics Canada reported that immigration to Canada fell 19% in 2025 after the federal government reduced targets for permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and international students.Movement within Canada also slowed. Interprovincial migration fell roughly 9% compared with the previous year, suggesting fewer Canadians were relocating between provinces.The data does not identify why individual Canadians chose to leave the country.Among those who have publicly discussed leaving is Canadian YouTuber Clyde Nichols, known online as “Clyde Do Something,” who relocated to Texas and cited political and cultural concerns as factors in his decision.“Under the guise of woke culture, the government of Canada has transformed the landscape,” Nichols told the Western Standard.“I don’t see it as a winning strategy. I have, at best, 80 to 90 trips around the sun on this ball in space.”The provinces with the highest number of emigrants in 2025 were Ontario (56,266), British Columbia (25,145), Quebec (15,913), Alberta (14,690) and Manitoba (3,112).The figures represent the highest level of emigration recorded by Statistics Canada since comparable records began.
