Canada’s population growth

Canada’s population growth

Statistics Canada

According to preliminary estimates, Canada’s population was 36,155,487 on April 1, 2016, an increase of 106,966 from January 1, 2016. This was the highest gain for a first quarter since 1989 (+115,420).

This population growth was mainly attributable to the number of new immigrants (86,216) who arrived in the country in the first three months of 2016, a large number of whom were Syrian refugees. Since the introduction of the current system of demographic accounts in July 1971, Canada has never received this number of immigrants in a single quarter. The previous record was set in the third quarter of 2010 (84,292 immigrants).

Alberta’s population grew by 0.4 per cent, faster than Canada as a whole and any other individual province. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario were just behind Alberta.

Manitoba’s population has been growing at a record-breaking pace.

Manitoba gained 19,432 people in the 12-month period from April 1, 2015, to April 1, 2016 — an increase of 1.51 percent, second only to Alberta’s 12-month gain of 1.78 percent.

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