Canada’s population hits 35 million

Canada’s population has surpassed the 35 million mark for the first time, due to an increase fuelled largely by immigration.

Figures released by Statistics Canada last week based on 2016 Census data, reveals a 5 per cent increase (1.7 million people) over the 2011 national count. The data shows that Canada’s population now stands at 35,151,728.

The new figures reveal that immigrants accounted for two-thirds of the increase and the so-called natural increase — the difference between births and deaths — accounted for the rest.

Since the end of the 1990s, immigration has fuelled Canada’s population growth as birth rates have declined.

Toronto remains Canada’s largest city, with 2,731,571 residents, accounting for 7.8 per cent of the country’s population. That’s one million more than Montreal, the second-placed city, with 1,704,694 residents.

Four cities in Canada’s Golden Horseshoe — Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton — ranked among the top 10 largest Canadian cities.

Urban areas in the west are also growing quickly. Canada’s fastest growing urban areas were all located in the west with Calgary leading the way (up 14.6 per cent), followed by Edmonton (13.9 per cent), Saskatoon (12.5 per cent) and Regina (11.8 per cent).

However, Atlantic Canada’s share of the population has dropped over the years. In 2016, 6.6 per cent of Canada’s population lived in the region, compared with 10 per cent in 1966.

Today’s population is 10 times greater than it was in 1871, when the first census after Confederation recorded 3.5 million residents in Canada.

Article published 13th February 2017