Canada's population estimates: Subprovincial areas, 2024

Released: 2025-01-16

On July 1, 2024, the total population of Canada's 41 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) reached 30,893,239 people.

The population growth experienced in CMAs from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024 (+3.5%) not only outpaced that of Canada as a whole (+3.0%), but also marked the second year in a row where the population of CMAs grew by over one million people in a 12-month period. In comparison, census agglomerations (CAs) experienced a population growth rate of 1.9%, while areas outside CMAs and CAs grew at a combined rate of 0.9%.

At the national level, the most recent data from population estimates for the third quarter of 2024, released on December 17, 2024, show that the population is increasing at a more gradual pace compared to the last two years. This is the result of a lower net increase in the number of non-permanent residents (NPRs) seen in the most recent quarter. For example, from July 1, 2024, to October 1, 2024, Ontario (-1,707) and Manitoba (-326) recorded net losses in the number of their non-permanent residents. While the fourth quarter of 2024 is not included in the annual subprovincial population estimates, it would be reasonable to expect that the high levels of growth seen in urban centres—regions where NPRs continue to play a significant role in population growth—would, in turn, slow down when more data become available.

Nevertheless, international migration continued to be the main driver of population growth across Canada in the 12-month period ending on July 1, 2024. As those new immigrants continue to be concentrated within large urban centres and account for almost the entirety of growth in those areas, they contribute to Canada's increasing urbanization. As of July 1, 2024, three in four (74.8%) Canadians were living in a CMA, up 0.4 percentage points from a year earlier.

Toronto census metropolitan area population passes 7 million, while Vancouver census metropolitan area exceeds 3 million

Across Canada, population growth has accelerated in the last decade, particularly in large urban centres. After growing by a record 268,911 people in a single year (+3.9%), the population of the Toronto CMA has passed the 7-million mark, reaching 7,106,379 on July 1, 2024. To put this into perspective, the whole of Canada grew on average by around 400,000 people annually from 2010 to 2019.

Toronto is not alone in seeing significant growth. The Vancouver CMA added over 127,000 people (+4.2%) in the year leading to July 1, 2024, pushing its population past the 3-million mark (3,108,941). Meanwhile, the Montréal CMA added close to 132,000 people (+2.9%), as its population notched above 4.5 million (4,615,154) on July 1, 2024.

For a second year in a row, the most important source of population growth among the big three CMAs—Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver—was the increase in the number of NPRs. All three saw the highest net gains in NPRs on record, with the Montréal and Vancouver CMAs each gaining over 100,000 new NPRs, while the Toronto CMA added over 200,000. As mentioned above, net NPRs started to slow down in the third quarter of 2024, even becoming negative in some provinces. Hence, the rapid rise in NPRs may have peaked and could continue to ease in the near future.

The number of new immigrants was slightly down compared to the previous year in each of the big three CMAs from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, but remained the second most important source of growth after NPRs. Of the 464,265 immigrants that were added to the Canadian population during that period, almost half (46.7%) settled in one of the big three CMAs, with over one-quarter (27.7%) in Toronto alone.

Internal migration tempers rate of growth in the three largest census metropolitan areas

Canada's big three CMAs each saw net losses from both interprovincial migration and intraprovincial migration from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, though they were smaller than the gains from international migration.

Net interprovincial migration was negative for the Vancouver CMA (-5,709) for the first time since the period from July 1, 2012, to July 1, 2013, meaning that more people moved from that CMA to other provinces or territories than moved to it. The CMAs of Toronto (-9,819) and Montréal (-6,667) also recorded net losses from exchanges with other provinces, though they were lower than losses in the previous year.

Alberta was the destination of choice for movers, with the province recording a net gain of 43,750 people from interprovincial migration over the last year. As a result, the CMAs of Calgary (+20,859) and Edmonton (+13,893) recorded their highest net gains in over 20 years.

The big three CMAs experienced net losses through intraprovincial migration as well, meaning that more people moved to other parts of their respective provinces from those CMAs than to them. From July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, the Toronto CMA recorded net intraprovincial migration of -69,522, the Montréal CMA of -21,901, and the Vancouver CMA of -15,193. The levels of intraprovincial losses were like those seen in the previous year, and less pronounced than the highs observed during the COVID-19 pandemic but continued to contribute to increasing urban spread.

Robust population growth continues across large urban centres

Population growth remained positive for all CMAs for a third consecutive year. Of the 41 CMAs, 15 recorded their fastest population growth rate in over 20 years from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024. Notably, Calgary grew at a rate of 5.8%, which was not only the fastest rate among CMAs in the last year, but also the fastest 12-month rate of any CMA since at least 2001 (when comparable data became available).

In addition to Calgary and Vancouver (+4.2%), five other CMAs grew at a rate of over 4.0% in the last year: Moncton, New Brunswick (+5.1%); Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, Ontario (+4.9%); Peterborough, Ontario (+4.5%); Edmonton, Alberta (+4.5%); and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (+4.1%). To put this into perspective, from 2001 to 2021 (July to July periods), before the more recent acceleration of growth seen in CMAs, only one region had experienced such a fast pace of growth. The CMA of Red Deer, Alberta, which became a CMA in 2021, saw an annual growth rate above 4.0% in 2005 and 2006.

Chart 1 shows growth rates of the top 10 fastest growing CMAs of all 41 CMAs in the year leading to July 1, 2024. It also includes their respective growth rates from 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 2014. Both highlight how much faster some of the CMAs grew in the previous year than they did in the past.

Chart 1 
Annual demographic growth of top 10 fastest growing census metropolitan areas (CMAs) in 2024 (July to July)

Drivers of population growth different outside of census metropolitan areas

CAs—smaller urban centres with populations between 10,000 and 100,000—saw their combined populations increase by 1.9% in the 12-month period leading to July 1, 2024, their highest annual growth rate in over 20 years. The North Bay, Ontario CA grew at the fastest rate (+5.3%), while the Kenora, Ontario CA saw the fastest decrease (-0.9%). Meanwhile, the growth rate observed in areas outside CMAs and CAs (+0.9%) is more than twice the average annual rate seen over the last two decades (+0.4%).

Population dynamics for CAs and areas outside CMAs and CAs are often driven by factors different than those of CMAs. While either immigrants or NPRs were the leading driver of growth in all but four CMAs across the country, the other regions show more variations with internal migration playing a larger role.

Immigrants or NPRs were the primary drivers of growth in most CAs across the Atlantic provinces, but also those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Ongoing urban spread can be observed with CAs located nearest the Montréal CMA and those within the Golden Horseshoe in Ontario, where intraprovincial migration is leading their growth. In Alberta, interprovincial migration was the most important factor of growth in half of the CAs, particularly those located near the province's CMAs.

Similar observations can be made for areas outside CMAs and CAs. In these more rural areas, interprovincial migration contributed the most to growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, while intraprovincial migration was the top contributor in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. Immigration was the largest contributor to growth in areas outside CMAs and CAs in Prince Edward Island, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, while in Alberta's more rural areas it was non-permanent residents.

Products

The publication Annual Demographic Estimates: Subprovincial Areas, July 1, 2024 (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).