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Population estimates released today are based on the 2011 Census counts adjusted for census net undercoverage and incompletely enumerated Indian reserves to which is added the estimated demographic growth for the period from May 10, 2011 to March 31, 2014.

National population growth

On April 1, 2014, Canada’s population was estimated at 35,427,500, up 82,600 from January 1, 2014, according to preliminary estimates. The population growth in Canada for the first quarter of 2014, reached 0.2% while the growth over the year ending on March 31, 2014 stood at 1.1%. This quarterly increase was lower than in 2013 but higher than the average growth for the same quarter over the last 20 years.

At the national level, population growth is the result of two factors, natural increase ¹  and net international migration. ²  From January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014, natural increase was estimated at 22,600 and resulted from the difference between 91,900 births and 69,300 deaths. Over this period, natural increase accounted for one-quarter (+27.4%) of the country’s population growth. Since 1971, the first year covered by the current system of demographic accounts, natural increase in Canada has always been positive, meaning that more births than deaths have been recorded.

Net international migration reached 60,000 during the first quarter of 2014, a level lower than that for the same period in 2013 (+62,100). In the first quarter of 2014, net international migration accounted for three-quarter (+72.6%) of the country’s population growth. During the first three months of 2014, the preliminary estimates indicate that Canada received 64,300 immigrants while the number of non-permanent residents increased by 6,200. On the other hand, net emigration, ³  which refers to the net number of people that left the country to live abroad, was estimated at 10,500. At the provincial and territorial level, population growth also results from net interprovincial migration.

Provincial and territorial population growth

Preliminary estimates show that in the first quarter of 2014, population growth was above the national average (+0.2%) in Nunavut (+0.8%), Alberta (+0.7%), Saskatchewan (+0.5%) and British Columbia (+0.3%). On the contrary, the population declined in all Atlantic provinces, with the exception of Prince Edward Island, and in the Northwest Territories (-0.4%). Compared to the same period in 2013, population growth in the first quarter of 2014 has been significantly higher and even reverse, going from a population decrease to a population increase, for Prince Edward Island and Nunavut.

Atlantic provinces

In the Atlantic region, preliminary estimates show that Prince Edward Island is the only province (+0.2%) that had a population increase in the first quarter of 2014. On April 1, 2014, the population of Prince Edward Island was estimated at 145,500. The province’s population growth was primarily due to gain in net international migration. The population of Newfoundland and Labrador declined in the first quarter of 2014 by 1,500 (-0.3%) to a total of 525,400 on April 1, 2014. The population decline was mainly due to loss in net interprovincial migration (-1,000). Preliminary estimates indicate that Newfoundland and Labrador lost close to 1,100 people in interprovincial migration exchanges with Alberta.

Over the course of the first quarter of 2014, the populations of the other two Atlantic provinces decreased by 0.1%. On April 1, 2014, Nova Scotia’s population was estimated at 939,400 and New Brunswick’s at 754,500. Preliminary estimates indicate that these provinces posted substantial losses in net interprovincial migration with the largest outflow to Alberta.

Central Canada

The population of Quebec was estimated at 8,191,900 as of April 1, 2014, a growth of 0.1% over the first quarter of the year. During the first three months of 2014, the province posted gains in net international migration (+10,500) and natural increase (+4,300). When comparing the first quarters for 2013 and 2014, losses in net interprovincial migration increased, going from -900 to -2,600. This was mainly due to the province’s net exchanges with Ontario: it changed from a net gain of 500 people in the first quarter of 2013 to a net loss of 1,100 people for the same period in 2014.

Ontario’s population grew by 22,000 (+0.2%) during the first quarter of 2014, reaching 13,620,600 on April 1, 2014. The population growth was due to net international migration (+19,500) and natural increase (+7,100). In the last first quarter, Ontario posted net interprovincial migration of -4,700, a lower net loss when compared with the same period in 2013 (-6,800). Not only Ontario posted net gain in its exchanges with Quebec during the first quarter for 2014 rather than a net loss in 2013, the deficit in interprovincial migration exchanges with Alberta fell from -6,000 in the first quarter of 2013 to -4,200 in 2014.

Western Canada

The population of Manitoba was estimated at 1,275,200 as of April 1, 2014, an increase of 3,200 (+0.2%). Net international migration (+3,500) was the main factor behind Manitoba’s population growth during the first quarter of 2014. Gain in net international migration for January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014 was the highest for a first quarter since 1972 which was attributable to the record number of immigration (+3,700).

Saskatchewan’s population grew by 5,100 (+0.5%) in the first quarter of 2014, reaching 1,122,600 on April 1, 2014. The main contributor to the province’s population growth was net international migration (+3,100). Saskatchewan had 2,900 immigrants during the first quarter of 2014, the largest number for a first quarter since 1972.

On April 1, 2014, Alberta’s population was estimated at 4,111,500. The population grew by 0.7% which was the highest growth among Canada’s provinces in the first quarter. Alberta continued to benefit from its gains in the three factors of population growth, with net international migration (+11,700) leading, followed by net interprovincial migration (+9,600) and natural increase (+7,600). Similar to the other two Prairie provinces, Alberta also posted a record number in immigration (+10,300) in the first quarter of 2014. Furthermore, Alberta gained substantially in its interprovincial migration exchanges with Ontario (+4,200), Newfoundland and Labrador (+1,100) and Nova Scotia (+1,000) from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2014.

The population of British Columbia was estimated at 4,624,300 on April 1, 2014, an increase of 14,400 (+0.3%) since January 1, 2014. The population growth was mainly attributable to net international migration (+11,200) which was 2,500 higher than that was observed during the same period in 2013.

The territories

In the North, two of the three territories posted population increase in the first quarter of 2014. The population of Yukon was estimated at 36,700 on April 1, 2014, up 0.2%. Nunavut’s population growth was 0.8%, reaching an estimated population of 36,400 on April 1, 2014. Lastly, the population of the Northwest Territories was estimated at 43,500 on April 1, 2014, a population decline of 0.4% from January 1, 2014. According to preliminary estimates, this population decline was mainly attributable to loss in net interprovincial migration (-400).