Annual Demographic Estimates: Subprovincial Areas, July 1, 2017
Section 2: Economic regions and regional portraits

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Regional portrait: Atlantic provinces^{Note 1}

Economic regions with the largest urban centres had the highest population growth in the Atlantic provinces

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• The Halifax (N.S.) economic region (ER) had the largest population in the Atlantic provinces on July 1, 2017, with 431,721 people, ahead of the Avalon Peninsula ER (N.L.) and the Moncton–Richibucto ER (N.B.), whose populations were 281,333 and 216,370, respectively.
• The population growth of all ERs in the Atlantic provinces in 2016/2017 was lower than the previous year.
• Nevertheless, population growth in the ERs in the Atlantic provinces remained high compared with the previous five years. The population growth rate for 2016/2017 was above the annual average for 2012 to 2017 in all ERs in the Atlantic provinces, except those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• The Prince Edward Island ER (P.E.I.) posted the highest population growth (+16.9 per thousand) in the Atlantic provinces during the period from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.
• It was followed by the ERs of Halifax (N.S.) and Moncton–Richibucto (N.B.), with annual population increases of 15.7 per thousand and 9.6 per thousand, respectively.
• The three fastest-growing ERs had the largest urban centres of their respective provinces: Charlottetown, Halifax and Moncton.
• Of the 15 ERs in the Atlantic provinces, 8 saw their populations decline between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.
• The ER of South Coast–Burin Peninsula (N.L.) saw the sharpest population decrease (-13.8 per thousand) in the Atlantic provinces for a fifth consecutive year.
• The two other ERs that posted the largest population decreases were also in Newfoundland and Labrador: Notre Dame–Central Bonavista Bay with -8.4 per thousand, and West Coast–Northern Peninsula–Labrador, with -8.3 per thousand.

Population gains due to international migration

• International migration was the main driver of growth in all Atlantic ERs that had positive population growth rates in 2016/2017.
• Prince Edward Island had the highest international migration growth rate in the Atlantic provinces (+19.3 per thousand), at twice the national average (+9.1 per thousand).
• Halifax (N.S.) was the only other Atlantic ER whose international migration growth rate (+10.6 per thousand) was higher than Canada’s.
• Natural increase was negative or nil in almost every ER in the Atlantic provinces, except the Halifax ER (N.S.) (+1.9 per thousand) and the Fredericton–Oromocto ER (N.B.) (+1.4 per thousand).
• The Notre Dame–Central Bonavista Bay ER (N.L.) posted the lowest rate of natural increase (-5.9 per thousand) in Canada.
• The interprovincial migration growth rate was negative or nil in every ER in the Atlantic provinces, except the Southern ER (N.S.) (+4.3 per thousand) and the Campbellton–Miramichi ER (N.B.) (+1.1 per thousand).
• In Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, only the most populated ERs posted gains attributable to intraprovincial migration. These ERs were Halifax (N.S.) and Avalon Peninsula (N.L.), with increases of 1,345 and 987 persons, respectively. In New Brunswick, two ERs posted positive net intraprovincial migration: the Moncton–Richibucto ER (N.B.) (+737 persons) and the Fredericton–Oromocto ER (N.B.) (+612 persons).
• The intraprovincial migration growth rate was negative or nil in every ER in the Atlantic provinces except the four mentioned above. This has been the case since 2006/2007.

Older age structure of the population in all Atlantic ERs than in the rest of Canada

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• On July 1, 2017, there were no Atlantic ERs with a proportion of 0- to 14-year-olds above the national average (16.0%). As well, the share of persons aged 65 years and older in each Atlantic ER was higher than in Canada as a whole (16.9%), except in the Halifax ER (N.S.) (15.3%).
• The Southern ER (N.S.) was one of only two ERs in Canada where more than one-quarter of the population (25.7%) was at least 65 years of age on July 1, 2017. The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ER in Quebec was the only other ER with a higher proportion of seniors (25.9%).
• The 0-to-14 age group represented 16.0% of the population of the Prince Edward Island ER (P.E.I.), the highest proportion in the Atlantic provinces. Conversely, this age group had the lowest proportion in the Southern ER (N.S.) and the Campbellton–Miramichi ER (N.B.) (12.0%).
• On July 1, 2017, the number of people aged 65 years and older was higher than the number aged 0 to 14 years in every Atlantic ER. Moreover, the age structure of the Southern ER (N.S.), the Campbellton–Miramichi ER (N.B.), and the South Coast–Burin Peninsula ER (N.L.) was unique in that the number of people aged 65 years and older was more than twice that of children aged 0 to 14 years in these ERs. At the national level, the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ER (Que.) was the only other ER with a similar age structure.
• The relatively old age structure of several ERs in the Atlantic provinces can be attributed to fertility levels that have been consistently lower than the rest of Canada for several years.^{Note 2} Natural increase rates have remained negative in a number of ERs over the last decade and have tended to decrease.
• In addition, persistent negative net interprovincial migration, especially among those aged 18 to 29 years, contributes to population aging in Atlantic ERs. The interprovincial migration growth rate for this age group in 2016/2017 remained negative in every Atlantic ER except the Halifax ER (N.S.), where more young adults arrived from other provinces or territories than the opposite.
• The impact of these interprovincial migration losses on population aging is more noticeable in predominantly rural ERs. In that respect, the proportions of people aged 65 and over are particularly high in rural ERs and those with only one or more secondary urban centres. In contrast, in the Atlantic provinces, the lowest proportions of people aged 65 and over were observed in ERs that included a CMA (Halifax, St. John's, Moncton, Saint John) or the urban centre that houses the provincial capital (Charlottetown, Fredericton).

The South Coast–Burin Peninsula ER is where the median age increased the most during the last 10 years all over Canada

• Between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2017, the increase of the median age in each of the 15 ERs was above the national average (+1.5 years), except in the Halifax ER (N.S.). This reflects faster aging of all ERs in the Atlantic provinces compared with the rest of Canada. Of the 10 ERs across Canada whose median ages increased the most during the period from 2007 to 2017, 7 were in the Atlantic provinces.
• Nevertheless, on July 1, 2017, the median age in the Halifax ER (N.S.) (39.7 years) remained below that of Canada (40.6 years). Besides Halifax, no other ER in the Atlantic provinces displayed a median age lower than the one in Canada.
• Population aging was faster in the South Coast–Burin Peninsula ER (N.L.) than in any other ER in the Atlantic provinces or Canada. Its median age rose from 44.5 years to 51.6 years between 2007 and 2017, an increase of 7.1 years.
• At the national level, there were only five ERs with median ages greater than 50 on July 1, 2017. Four of them were in the Atlantic provinces, specifically South Coast–Burin Peninsula ER (N.L.) (51.6 years), Southern ER (N. S.) (51.2 years), Campbellton-Miramichi (N. B.) (51.2 years) and Notre Dame--Central Bonavista Bay (N.L.) (50.7 years).

Regional portrait: Quebec

Laval and Laurentides posted the strongest population growth in Quebec

• Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, the strongest population growth was recorded in the Laval ER (+14.3 per thousand), followed by the Laurentides ER (+12.9 per thousand).
• The Laval and Laurentides ERs were the only two regions in Quebec whose growth was higher than Canada’s (+12.2 per thousand).
• Montréal (+12.1 per thousand) and Lanaudière (+10.3 per thousand) ranked third and fourth among the ERs for the largest population increases. This was the strongest increase in the Montréal ER since 2001, the beginning of the period covered by this article.
• The Montréal ER had 2,033,189 residents on July 1, 2017, or 24.2% of the province’s population.

Population decreases observed in ERs far from the most densely populated regions

• In 2016/2017, the four Quebec ERs that posted population decreases were far from the most densely populated regions.
• Province-wide, the population that decreased the most was that of Côte-Nord. This ER had 91,546 residents on July 1, 2017, down 985 (-10.7 per thousand) compared with the previous year. Côte-Nord also had the fourth largest decrease in Canada.
• The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ER had the second largest decrease in Quebec with -2.9 per thousand.
• Two other regions saw significant population decreases: Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (-2.1 per thousand) and Bas-Saint-Laurent (-2.0 per thousand).

Drivers of population growth in Quebec vary from one ER to another

• The Nord-du-Québec ER stood out from the other Quebec ERs because of its natural increase.
• With significantly more births than deaths, it posted the strongest natural increase (+13.8 per thousand) in the province, far ahead of Montréal (+3.9 per thousand) in second place. It was also the highest rate among ERs in eastern and central Canada and the fifth highest rate in Canada.
• Elsewhere in Quebec, the number of births exceeded the number of deaths in most ERs, except Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Mauricie and Bas-Saint-Laurent, which posted natural increase rates of -4.1 per thousand, -2.0 per thousand and -1.6 per thousand, respectively.

• The Montréal ER differed from other ERs in Quebec because of international migration as the main factor in population growth.
• With a net international migration growth rate (including immigrants and non-permanent residents) of 21.0 per thousand, Montréal had the second highest rate in Canada for an ER, second to Winnipeg (Man.), which had a rate of 22.4 per thousand.
• The net international migration for the Montréal ER was 42,469 in 2016/2017, representing 67.6% of the net international migration in the province.
• In Quebec, the second highest increase from international migration was recorded in the Laval ER (+12.4 per thousand, for a net international migration of +5,375).
• Net interprovincial migration was negative or nil in every ER in Quebec.
• However, the impact of this factor was generally minor, with more than half of Quebec ERs (11 of 17) posting low or nil interprovincial migration rates, while it was not the main factor of growth or decline in the other ERs.
• In Quebec, the Montréal ER posted the largest population decline due to interprovincial migration (-2.8 per thousand, for a net number of -5,600).
• The main migratory trend in intraprovincial migration involves movements from the Montréal area to surrounding regions.
• The Montréal ER posted a net balance of -20,337 persons, for a rate of -10.1 per thousand, while the Montérégie, Laurentides and Lanaudière ERs had strong positive net intraprovincial migration (+6,885, +6,165 and +3,587 persons, respectively).
• The highest rate in Quebec and the third highest in Canada was in Laurentides (+10.2 per thousand). By contrast, the lowest rate in Quebec was in Côte-Nord (-11.9 per thousand).
• Moreover, the population decreases in the Saguenay and Côte-Nord ERs were primarily the result of negative net intraprovincial migration.

Most Quebec ERs among the oldest in Canada. . . with a few exceptions

• In Quebec, the age structure of the population of most ERs was older compared with Canada’s age structure.
• The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ER stood out for its proportion of persons aged 65 years and older (25.9%), which was the highest both in Quebec and in Canada on July 1, 2017.
• The Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine ER also had the lowest share of 0- to 14-year-olds (11.9%) in Canada.
• The Mauricie and Bas-Saint-Laurent ERs were also among the 10 oldest regions in Canada, in terms of both the proportion of persons aged 65 years and older and the proportion of children aged 0 to 14 years.

• The Nord-du-Québec and Outaouais ERs had indicators showing the relative youthfulness of their populations compared with the national average, with a proportion of persons aged 65 and older below the national average and a proportion of persons aged 0 to 14 years above the national average.
• In this regard, the proportion of people aged 0 to 14 years in the Nord-du-Québec ER was one-and-a-half times the national average (26.4% and 16.0%, respectively) and the proportion of people 65 years and older was only half the national proportion (8.1% versus 16.9%).

Median age in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine is the highest in Canada

• In addition to having the highest proportion of persons aged 65 years and older and the lowest proportion of persons aged 0 to 14 years, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine is the ER where the population aged most rapidly in Quebec.
• Between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2017, the median age of its population rose from 46.3 years to 52.5 years, an increase of 6.2 years, compared with an increase of 1.5 years in Canada. This ER also has the highest median age in Canada.
• The median age increased in every Quebec ER except the Montréal ER, where it slightly decreased by 0.1 years between 2007 and 2017, whereas the Québec ER posted an increase (+0.8 years) below the provincial average (+1.5 years). This increase is primarily due to a significant international migration in Montréal involving mostly people under the age of 35 (80.1% on average in 2006/2007 and 2016/2017).

Regional portrait: Ontario

The most populated ERs are also the fastest-growing

• For the period from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017, of all of ERs in Ontario, both Toronto and Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie had the biggest population increase (+18.8 per thousand each).
• The three other ERs above the national average (+12.2 per thousand) were Ottawa (+16.8 per thousand), London (+15.3 per thousand) and Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula (+12.8 per thousand).
• With an increase of 124,110 persons during the last year, the Toronto ER was home to 6,654,682 people on July 1, 2017, accounting for just under half of Ontario’s population (46.9%). It was also the most populated ER in Canada.
• The ERs of Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula, Ottawa and Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie had populations of 1,492,632 (10.5%), 1,371,605 (9.7%) and 1,363,412 respectively (9.6%).

Only the population of the Northeast ER in Ontario decreased over the past year

• Among Ontario’s ERs, the only region that saw a decrease was the Northeast ER, which posted a loss of 818 inhabitants (-1.5 per thousand) between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.
• Compared with the Ontario ER’s annual growth rates for the period from 2012 to 2017, the pace of population growth in 2016/2017 accelerated well above the average of the last five years in all Ontario ERs, and the population decrease in the Northeast ER was also smaller.
• The Toronto ER recorded the highest natural increase rate among Ontario ERs, at 4.9 per thousand, representing a gain of 32,523 people (70,167 births and 37,644 deaths).
• By contrast, the Muskoka–Kawarthas ER had the lowest natural increase in Ontario (-2.9 per thousand), representing a net loss of 1,137 people (3,207 births and 4,344 deaths).

• Of the 11 ERs in Ontario, 6 owed the largest portion of their population growth to international migration: Toronto, Ottawa, London, Windsor–Sarnia, Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula and Northeast.
• As Toronto’s main growth driver, the international migration rate in this ER (+17.3 per thousand) was the highest of all ERs in Ontario and the fifth highest in Canada. Net international migration in the Toronto ER was 113,956, accounting for 76.0% of the province’s total.
• Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, net interprovincial migration was positive for all 11 Ontario ERs.
• The ER with the strongest growth was Ottawa (+5.1 per thousand). In this respect, it also had the third strongest growth in the country.
• No Ontario ER had interprovincial migration as its main growth factor.
• Intraprovincial migration revolved around Toronto, with more people moving out to the surrounding ERs than into the city.
• This ER posted a negative rate of -5.4 per thousand, or a net loss of 35,729 people.
• The main beneficiaries were the adjacent ERs: Muskoka–Kawarthas (+13.0 per thousand), Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie (+10.3 per thousand) and the Hamilton–Niagara Peninsula (+5.7 per thousand). As well, the Muskoka–Kawarthas ER had the highest net intraprovincial migration in Canada.
• The Northeast ER saw a population decrease over the last year. Net losses in intraprovincial migration were the main cause, along with a greater number of deaths than births.

Younger age structures for the Toronto, Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie and London ERs than for Canada

• On July 1, 2017, the Muskoka–Kawarthas ER had the largest share (24.9%) of persons aged 65 years and older in Ontario.
• This ER ranked fourth in Canada.
• Muskoka–Kawarthas was also the ER with the smallest proportion of persons aged 0 to 14 years (13.0%) among Ontario ERs and the fifth smallest proportion in Canada.

• The Ontario ERs had diversified age profiles in 2016/2017.
• The Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie ER was the only ER where the proportion of persons aged 0 to 14 was higher than Canada and the percentage of persons aged 65 and older was lower than the national average.
• Only three Ontario ERs had a median age lower than Canada’s (40.6 years): 38.9 years in Toronto and 40.2 years in both Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie and London.
• The largest proportion of children aged 0 to 14 years was in the Northwest ER (16.9%).

The populations of Ontario’s ERs age more quickly than in the rest of the country

• Over the last decade (2007 to 2017), the largest gain in median age occurred in the Muskoka–Kawarthas ER (+5.0 years). On July 1, 2007, the median age of its population was 44.9 years, rising to 49.8 years on July 1, 2017. This was the largest increase in Ontario and the seventh largest in Canada.
• The pace of population aging was at least twice as fast as the national average (+1.5 years) in three other Ontario ERs: Windsor–Sarnia (+3.7 years), Stratford–Bruce Peninsula (+3.3 years) and the Northeast (+3.1 years).
• Between 2007 and 2017, the populations of the Toronto, Ottawa and London ERs aged the slowest in Ontario, with median age growth of 1.6 years, 1.6 years and 1.7 years, respectively. These increases, although modest at the provincial level, were slightly higher than the national average (+1.5 years).

Regional portrait: Prairies

Four Prairie ERs among top growers 10 in Canada

• Between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017, 4 of the 10 largest population increases occurred within the Prairie provinces^{Note 3}, led by the second strongest population increase in Canada in the Saskatoon–Biggar ER (Sask.) (+23.6 per thousand). The other strong increases were found in the Winnipeg ER (Man.) (+19.0 per thousand), Regina–Moose Mountain ER (Sask.) (+18.1 per thousand) and the Calgary ER (Alta.) (+17.3 per thousand).

Most Prairie ERs growing in 2016/2017, but at a slower pace than the previous year

• Although more than two-thirds (16 of the 22) of the ERs in the Prairies showed overall growth in 2016/2017, the growth was not as strong as in 2015/2016. Every ER’s population growth in the Prairie region decelerated in 2016/2017 from the previous annual period, compared with a little under half (26 of 54, or 48.1%) of the ERs in the rest of the country. The largest decrease between 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 occurred in Calgary (Alta.), from 20.8 per thousand to 17.3 per thousand. This was followed by Winnipeg (Man.) (from +22.1 thousand to +19.0 per thousand), Saskatoon–Biggar (Sask.) (from +26.3 per thousand to +23.6 per thousand), Edmonton (Alta.) (from +19.5 per thousand to +16.9 per thousand) and in Regina–Moose Mountain (Sask.) (from +20.6 per thousand to +18.1 per thousand).
• Six Prairie ERs (27.3%) posted negative growth in 2016/2017, specifically Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake (Alta.) (-21.8 per thousand), Parklands (Man.) (-7.8 per thousand), Yorkton–Melville (Sask.) (-4.3 per thousand), Athabasca–Grande Prairie–Peace River (Alta.) (-4.2 per thousand), Camrose–Drumheller (Alta.) (-4.0 per thousand) and Banff–Jasper–Rocky Mountain House (Alta.) (-1.5 per thousand). The ERs of Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake (Alta.) posted the largest decrease of population in the country, while Parklands (Man.) posted the seventh largest loss.

Interprovincial migration down in all Prairie ERs, natural increase up

• For the second consecutive annual period, interprovincial migration in all 22 Prairie ERs was negative or null. Adding to this, interprovincial migration decrease among 14 of the 22 Prairie ERs accelerated in 2016/2017 from 2015/2016. Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake (Alta.) had the second largest decrease of population in the country from interprovincial migration, and the largest among the Prairie ERs, with a rate of -15.4 per thousand. In total, 7 of the 10 largest decreases of population from interprovincial migration came from the Prairie ERs.

• In 18 of the 22 Prairie ERs, the rate of natural increase was above the national average (+3.1 per thousand). With a rate of 18.8 per thousand, North ER (Man.) had the highest natural increase in the Prairies and the second highest rate in Canada. Overall, 6 of the 10 ERs with the highest natural increase were found in the Prairie provinces.
• International migration had the greatest positive impact on the overall growth of the Prairie ERs. The largest growth from international migration in the country occurred in Winnipeg (Man.) (+22.4 per thousand). The second largest growth from international migration among the Prairie ERS, and fourth largest in the country, was from Regina–Moose Mountain (Sask.) (+17.6 per thousand). Despite this, international migration in both of these ERs declined compared with 2015/2016. International migration only increased in 1 of the 22 Prairie ERs from the previous annual period.
• The intraprovincial migration growth rate of the Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake ER (Alta.) was the lowest in Canada (-25.0 per thousand). Half of the 22 Prairie ERs showed negative intraprovincial migration growth in 2016/2017. The Interlake ER (Man.) (+7.1 per thousand), Southeast ER (Man.) (+6.3 per thousand) and Saskatoon–Biggar ER (Sask.) (+6.1 per thousand) posted the highest intraprovincial migration rates in the Prairies and were among the 10 highest in Canada.

Prairie ERs younger than the rest of Canada

• As of July 1, 2017, the Prairie ERs had a younger age structure than that of Canada as a whole. 18 of the 22 Prairie ERs had a lower median age than Canada taken as a whole (40.6 years). On top of that, all of the 22 Prairie ERs had a higher proportion of their population aged 0 to 14 compared with the Canada (16.0%). Only 5 of the 22 Prairie ERs (Southwest, Interlake and Parklands in Manitoba, Swift-Current – Moose Jaw and Yorkton – Melville in Saskatchewan), or 22.7%, had a higher proportion of persons 65 years and older compared with the country as a whole (16.9%).

• The ER of Northern (Sask.) had the lowest median age in the country at 26.1 years, while North (Man.) was the third youngest at 26.6 years. Six of the 10 youngest ERs by median age were within the Prairies. None of the 10 oldest by median age were within the Prairies.
• In total, 6 of the Prairie ERs were among the 10 youngest in the country in terms of the proportion of the population under 15 years of age. North (Man.) was the second youngest ER in the country by this measure, and youngest among the Prairies, with 30.8% of the population below 15 years of age. Northern (Sask.) was the third youngest ER (30.1%), with South Central (Man.) (23.7%), Athabasca–Grande Prairie–Peace River (Alta.) (22.5%), North Central (Man.) (22.4%) and Wood Buffalo–Cold Lake (Alta.) (22.1%) posting the fifth to eighth youngest populations in Canada.
• None of the Prairie ERs were among the top 10 oldest when looking the proportion of those 65-years-and-older. In fact, 5 of the 10 Prairie ERs had the smallest proportions of those aged 65 years and older.
• Parklands (Man.) had the oldest population of the Prairie ERs in terms of both median age (45.7 years) and proportion of those 65-years-and-older (23.1%).

Populations in Prairie ERs are aging at a slower pace than in the rest of Canada

• Between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2017, the increase in the median age of the population was lower in 14 of the 22 Prairie ERs (63.6%) compared with Canada as a whole (+1.5 years). Nine Prairie ERs (40.9%) had a decrease in their median age over the 10 year span. Southwest (Man.) (-2.3 years) posted the largest decrease.
• Northern (Sask.), the youngest Prairie ER in terms of median age (26.1 years), had the fastest population median age increase among the Prairie ERs from 2006/2007 to 2016/2017 at 2.8 years.

Regional portrait: British Columbia

Strong population growth in southern and north-central British Columbia

• Of British Columbia’s eight ERs, five recorded a population increase and three recorded a decrease between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017. The Nechako ER (+109.1 per thousand) and Thompson–Okanagan ER (+21.9 per thousand) had the highest population growth rates.
• The three British Columbia ERs where the population declined in 2016/2017 were the North Coast (-19.0 per thousand), Cariboo (-5.0 per thousand) and Kootenay (-3.1 per thousand) ERs.
• The population growth rates observed in the last year reveal that the gap has widened between the ERs with the strongest growth and those with the largest decreases. Population growth in 2016/2017 accelerated in ERs that already had the strongest growth over the last five years. Similarly, in ERs with population decreases in 2016/2017, the declines were more pronounced over the last year compared with the average of the last five years.
• With 2,959,584 inhabitants (61.4% of the province’s population), the Lower Mainland–Southwest ER remained the second most populous ER in Canada, behind Toronto.

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Internal migration accounts for much of the population growth in British Columbia’s ERs

• During the past year, the population growth of the Thompson–Okanagan and Vancouver Island and Coast ERs was mainly attributable to gains from interprovincial and intraprovincial migration. Conversely, the decreases in the North Coast and Cariboo ERs were largely on account of intraprovincial migration losses. The population decline in the Kootenay ER was due to more deaths than births, combined with intraprovincial migration losses.
• Among the British Columbia ERs with population growth, Lower Mainland–Southwest was the only ER where international migration was the main driver. During the last year, 91.3% of international migration increase in British Columbia was concentrated in this ER, although its demographic weight (61.4%) was not as high.
• Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, net interprovincial migration was positive in six of eight British Columbia ERs. The highest interprovincial migration growth rates in the country were in the Thompson–Okanagan ER (+7.8 per thousand) and the Vancouver Island and Coast ER (+6.9 per thousand).
• Three British Columbia ERs recorded more deaths than births, translating into natural decreases: Thompson–Okanagan (-2.4 per thousand), Vancouver Island and Coast (-2.3 per thousand), and Kootenay (-2.0 per thousand). However, elsewhere in the province, the three ERs in northern British Columbia saw higher natural increase rates than Canada’s (+3.1 per thousand): 3.8 per thousand in North Coast, 5.1 per thousand in Nechako and 10.4 per thousand in Northeast. These ERs were notable in that larger than average proportion of the population declared an Aboriginal identity. Other information sources indicate that the Aboriginal population has higher fertility rates than the nation as a whole.^{Note 6}

ERs in northern B.C. are younger than those in southern B.C.

• The ERs in the northern part of the province are quite distinct from those in the southern part with respect to the population’s age structure. On July 1, 2017, the three northernmost ERs in British Columbia (North Coast, Nechako and Northeast) were the only ones in the province where the proportion of people aged 0 to 14 years was still above the proportion of people aged 65 years and over.
• The Vancouver Island and Coast ER and Thompson-Okanagan ER were home to the highest proportion of people aged 65 and older in the province (23.6% and 23.3% respectively). These proportions were twice as high as the ones in the Northeast ER (10.3%), which was notable for its high percentage of people aged 0 to 14 years old (21.5%).
• The age structure of the Lower Mainland–Southwest ER was mainly characterized by a stronger presence of working-age people (15 to 64 years), which accounted for 69.4% of the population, the highest proportion in British Columbia. Located in this ER are the census metropolitan areas of Vancouver and Abbotsford–Mission, which attract many workers and postsecondary students.

Most of British Columbia’s ERs aging faster than in Canada as a whole

• Between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2017, the Lower Mainland–Southwest and Northeast ERs were the only ERs in the province whose increase in median age (+1.4 years) was lower than the national average (+1.5 years).
• In British Columbia, the Nechako ER saw the largest gain in its median age over the last 10 years, up 3.7 years.
• The increases in median ages of four other ERs in British Columbia were at least twice the increase for Canada: Cariboo (+3.3 years), Thompson–Okanagan (+3.1 years), Kootenay (+3.1 years) and Vancouver Island and Coast (+3.0 years).

Regional portrait: Territories

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Strong population growth in Nunavut’s three CDs

• In Canada’s three territories, the three highest population growths in 2016/2017 were all from Nunavut.  Baffin (Nvt.) led the territories in population growth, at 23.3 per thousand, and was ninth among all 293 CDs in Canada. Baffin’s growth was followed by Keewatin (Nvt.) (+20.4 per thousand) and Kitikmeot (Nvt.) (+19.6 per thousand). All three of these Nunavut CD’s growth increased from 2015/2016. In total, 6 of the 10 CDs in the territories experienced population growth in 2016/2017.

All CDs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories down from 2015/2016

• In total, 4 of the 10 CDs in the territories recorded population decreases in 2016/2017, all of them in the Northwest Territories. The decreases were led by Region 5 (Hay River, N.W.T.) with a population decline of -21.9 per thousand (fifth largest in the country), followed by Region 1 (Inuvik, N.W.T.) (-16.1 per thousand), Region 2 (Normal Wells, N.W.T.) (-11.1 per thousand) and Region 3 (Behchokò, N.W.T.) (-7.3 per thousand). The lone Yukon CD’s population grew (+9.8 per thousand), while the remaining two CDs of the Northwest Territories also rose in population. However, all of the CDs in the Yukon and Northwest Territories had reduced growth in 2016/2017 compared with the previous annual period (in comparison with all of the Nunavut CDs increasing over the same period).

More births than deaths is the main reason for population growth in territories CDs

• Among territories CDs posting population increases, natural increase was the main driver of growth, except in the Yukon and Region 6 (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) CDs, between July 1, 2016, and June 30, 2017. The primary reason of growth in the Yukon and Region 6 (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) CDs was international migration. Population decreases in the four Northwest Territories CDs were mainly attributable to negative interprovincial migration (Region 1 and Region 5) or negative intraprovincial migration (Region 2 and Region 3).

• The number of births exceeded the number of deaths in all 10 of the territories CDs. Each of these CD’s rates of natural increase were above the Canadian average of 3.1 per thousand. The natural increase among the territories was led by Keewatin (Nvt.) (+20.2 per thousand), Baffin (Nvt.) (+19.1 per thousand) and Kitikmeot (Nvt.) (+17.3 per thousand). The lowest natural increase occurred in the Yukon and Region 4 (Fort Simpson, N.W.T.) CDs (+4.2 per thousand each).
• The Yukon and Region 6 (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) CDs were the only two CDs with their growth primarily the result of international migration. At 11.7 per thousand, Region 6 (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) led all territories in international migration growth, and was the only territory above the national average (+9.1 per thousand). Yukon had the second largest growth among the territories with a rate of 8.6 per thousand.
• Three of the five largest relative losses through interprovincial migration in the country were in the territories, and specifically the Northwest Territories. Region 5 (Hay River, N.W.T.) had the largest loss through interprovincial migration in the country, with a rate of -30.2 per thousand. This was followed by Region 1 (Inuvik, N.W.T.) (-23.3 per thousand) in fourth and Region 6 (Yellowknife, N.W.T.) (-19.4 per thousand) in fifth place. Only three CDs from the territories recorded positive growth from interprovincial migration in 2016/2017, the largest being Kitikmeot (Nvt.) at 4.6 per thousand.

Territory CDs are much younger than the rest of Canada

• On July 1, 2017, 4 of the 10 territory CDs were among the youngest in Canada. The CD of Keewatin (Nvt.) remained the youngest, with a proportion of 33.5% of the population aged 0 to 14 years old and a median age of 24.5 years. The three other CDs among the top 10 youngest in the country were Kitikmeot (Nvt.) with 30.8% of the population aged 0 to 14 years old (fifth place), Baffin (Nvt.) at 29.5% (seventh place) and Region 3 (Behchokò, N.W.T.) at 27.5% (ninth place). All 10 territory CDs had a higher proportion of their population aged 0 to 14 years old compared with the national average of 16.0%. The CD with the lowest proportion in the territories was Yukon, with 16.3% of the population aged 0 to 14.
• Each territory CD had a higher proportion of their population aged 0 to 14 years old compared with those aged 65 years and older. This can be partly attributed to a higher presence of Aboriginal peoples living in the territories, who have relatively high fertility rates compared to the national average.

• On July 1, 2017, none of the territories CDs were among the oldest in Canada. In fact, every territory CD had a proportion of their population 65 years and older below the Canadian average of 16.9%. The territory CD with the largest proportion of the population aged 65 years and older was Yukon, with 12.4%. Only 2 of the 10 territory CDs had over 10% of their population aged 65 years and older. In total, 5 of the 10 CDs with the lowest proportion of people aged 65 years and older were from the territories. Keewatin (Nvt.) had the second lowest proportion in the country with only 3.4% of its population over 65 years of age.

Younger territory population aging faster than Canada as a whole

• The median age of the population in each CD of the territories was lower than the Canadian average of 40.6 years. However, the population in 8 of the 10 territory CDs aged faster between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2017 than the national average of 1.5 years. Region 5 (Hay River, N.W.T.) paced the territories with a median age increase over this period from 32.6 years to 36.3 years (+3.8 years). The Yukon CD had a similar growth (+1.5 years) as the Canadian average, while Region 3 (Behchokò, N.W.T.) was the only territory CD to become younger (-2.4 years) over this period.