Canada's population estimates: Subprovincial areas, July 1, 2023

Released: 2024-05-22

On July 1, 2023, the combined population of Canada's 41 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) reached 29,814,146 people.

The population growth experienced in CMAs (+3.5%) from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, outpaced that of Canada as a whole (+2.9%). In comparison, census agglomerations (CAs) saw a population growth rate of 2.0%, while areas outside CMAs and CAs grew at a combined rate of 1.1%. These differences are a sign that Canada continues to get more urbanized, as the proportion of Canadians living in a CMA reached almost three in four (74.4%) on July 1, 2023.

However, it should be noted that the population growth rate for areas outside CMAs and CAs was at its highest in over 20 years and that 2022/2023 was the third consecutive year in which these regions grew faster than 1.0%.

Increases from coast to coast

For the second year in a row, all 41 CMAs across Canada saw their population increase in the 12-month period ending on July 1, 2023. There were 33 CMAs that grew at a faster pace than they did during the previous year.

As a result of the notable growth the CMA of Halifax, Nova Scotia, experienced from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023 (+3.9%), it is now home to more than half-a-million people, with its population reaching 518,711. During the same period, the CMAs of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, Ontario, and Moncton, New Brunswick, both saw the fastest annual population growth of any CMA since at least 2001/2002—the earliest period for which comparable data are available—, at 6.0% each, due in large part to strong international migration.

In the 12 months ending on July 1, 2023, each of the six CMAs with a population of over one million experienced their fastest growth since at least 2001/2002. Among them, Calgary, Alberta, came in first, with a growth rate of 5.9%. It was followed by Edmonton (+4.1%), Alberta, and Vancouver (+4.1%), British Columbia, Toronto (+3.3%), Ontario, Montréal (+2.9%), Quebec, and Ottawa–Gatineau (+2.6%), in Ontario and Quebec.

International migration remains important for growth in census metropolitan areas

For the first time since at least 2001/2002, the population growth resulting from the net increase in the number of non-permanent residents (NPRs) was higher than that from immigrants in most CMAs (31 of 41) from July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023. This finding is in line with high increases of NPRs observed at the national level.

Permanent immigration remains a significant component of population growth in CMAs and, while the Government of Canada's Immigration Levels Plan determines the number of immigrants, regional dynamics change over time. From July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, all CMAs in British Columbia, except for Abbotsford–Mission, saw fewer immigrants than the previous year. Meanwhile, several CMAs saw increases in the annual number of immigrants arriving over the same period, with St. John's (+81.2%), Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatoon (+69.4%), Saskatchewan, and Regina (+68.6%), Saskatchewan, seeing the largest changes.

Census metropolitan areas in Alberta overtake those from British Columbia as the top destination for interprovincial migrants

Important changes were observed in the patterns of migration between provinces in the year ending on July 1, 2023. The Vancouver CMA (-4,795) saw its highest net loss to interprovincial migration in over 20 years, after having recorded its most important net gain the previous year (+10,892).

From July 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, Alberta overtook British Columbia as the region recording the biggest gains from exchanges between provinces. All four CMAs in Alberta saw net gains from exchanges with other provinces, with Calgary (+26,662), Edmonton (+16,082) and Lethbridge (+1,651) recording their highest net gains since at least 2001/2002, and Red Deer (+1,277) recording its highest since 2005/2006.

In contrast, every CMA in Ontario recorded a net loss from interprovincial migration during the 12-month period ending on July 1, 2023. This marked the second year in a row that all Ontario CMAs saw net losses, with 12 out of 15 seeing their largest net losses since at least 2001/2002.

These trends are in line with the analysis from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's 2024 Housing Market Outlook. This report indicates that more affordable home prices and a stronger economic outlook in the Prairies make them particularly attractive to homebuyers and job seekers at the expense of Ontario and British Columbia.

The CMAs of Toronto (-93,024), Montréal (-20,624) and Vancouver (-18,399) continued to experience high levels of net losses to migratory exchanges with other regions of their respective provinces. Those net losses from large CMAs are often reflected as net gains in smaller municipalities in their periphery, fuelling urban spread.

Products

The publication Annual Demographic Estimates: Subprovincial Areas, July 1, 2023 (Catalogue number91-214-X), is now available.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).