Canada’s population growth rate slows to lowest level in 80 years

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeNewsEconomyCanada's population growth rate slows to lowest level in 80 yearsThe population is also aging with the median age now at 40.9 yearsPedestrians cross a street in Toronto. Canada hasn't seen this slow a population growth since the Second World War. Photo by Peter J. Thompson/National PostCanada’s annual population growth has slowed to its lowest level in more than 80 years due to lower immigration, says Statistics Canada.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountThe population is estimated to have added 189,425 people from July 2025 to July 2026, which is the lowest annual growth since 1944-1945, when the population increased by 126,000 people, the agency said on Wednesday. The population’s growth of 0.5 per cent in the past year is the lowest since the 0.3 per cent increase in 1915-1916.Overall, Canada is estimated to have had about 41.8 million as of July 1.SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of FP West: Energy Insider will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe growth rate has been slowing in recent quarters following years of higher-than-usual growth between 2022 and 2024, when the country welcomed more than one million people each year amidst a temporary labour shortage after the pandemic.“The rapid changes in the population growth rate since 2020 are almost entirely attributable to changes in international migration,” Statistics Canada said.The agency also revised its previous estimate that the population declined by about 55,000 people between Jan. 1 and April 1 to an increase of about 1,300 people.Stacey Hallman, a Statistics Canada spokesperson, said the agency in its annual September review noticed an increase in the number of permit extensions, which allow newcomers to continue their stay in Canada after their initial permit expires, and an increase in the time it takes to process these applications.“We have done an adjustment to account for this and that’s why we are seeing a larger revision today than we have seen in Septembers of the recent past,” she said, adding the overall trend of slowing population growth remains despite the adjustments.The revised counts mean Canada’s population is not shrinking outright, Robert Kavcic, an economist at Bank of Montreal, said in a note on Wednesday, but the “very low growth” is still impacting housing markets, consumer spending trends and weighing on short-term potential growth.”Benjamin Tal, an economist at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, said he was not surprised at the revisions.“We expected Statistics Canada to revise the numbers because of the undercounting of non-permanent residents,” he said. “They assumed that more people left than actually did.”The number of non-permanent residents, which includes newcomers such as foreign students, workers and asylum claimants, dropped by 154,614 people to reach a total of 2.77 million, which is about 6.7 per cent of the total population. Ottawa intends to bring that down to five per cent in the near future.“This was the largest decrease in the number of non-permanent residents on an annual basis in Canada since comparable records began (1971/1972),” Statistics Canada said. “The largest decreases in 2025/2026 were among study permit holders (minus 140,827) and work and study permit holders (minus 81,163).”This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Canada’s population is also aging, with a median age of 40.9 years and an average age at 42.1 years.During the large immigration waves between 2022 and 2024, the median age decreased, while the average age remained stable since the majority of newcomers were younger.“In total, there was a drop of 154,973 people in their 20s (minus 2.8%), which is consistent with the fall in the number of study permit holders in the country, since international students tend to be young adults,” Statistics Canada said.Permanent immigration decreased in all provinces and Yukon, but increased in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. 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