Toronto: Canada’s population growth slowed significantly in the first quarter of 2025, according to new data released by the Department of Statistics. As of March 31, the country’s population stood at 41,548,787 — a net increase of only 20,107 people. This marks a sharp contrast to the trend of population surges by hundreds of thousands in recent quarters.
Notably, provinces such as British Columbia and Ontario saw their populations decline for the first time since 1951. In contrast, Alberta recorded population growth, which experts attribute to interprovincial migration driven by economic stability, resistance to recession, and relatively lower housing costs.
The report also highlights a drop of 61,000 in the number of raw dwellings, bringing the total to 2,959,825. In addition, the number of international students holding study visas fell by 53,669. However, the number of permanent residents arriving from abroad showed a slight increase during the same period.
The last time such low population growth was recorded was during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
