CANADA POPULATION DECLINES FOR THE FIRST TIME, EVER
Canada’s population has just dropped by over 100,000 people in the last quarter of 2025, according to Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada’s report Canada’s population estimates, fourth quarter 2025 was released on 2026-03-18.
NUMBER OF TEMPORARY AND PERMANENT RESIDENTS DROP
The report indicated that the Canadian population shrank by -0.2% from the previous quarter.
The number of temporary residents (visitors, international students and foreign workers) dropped by 6%.
The number of new permanent residents also dropped by 19.6% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to 2024.
While Canada saw a population growth of 77,136 in the first two quarters of 2025, it saw a population loss of 179,572 in the last two quarters of 2025.
The decline was attributed to a sharp reduction in temporary residents, including international students and temporary foreign workers.
It is the first quarterly population decline in modern history.
POPULATION GROWTH TO REMAIN LOW, IMPACTED BY PERMIT EXTENSIONS
Statistics Canada’s projections indicate that any population growth will likely remain below 2024 levels, when Canada’s population increased by 80,000 in the fourth quarter.
The report also noted that population data may be impacted by the number of study and work permit extensions are taken into account.
CANADA POPULATION 2026
Canada’s population currently stands at 41,472,081.
