Canada’s population grew at a record pace in 2022, adding over a million new people, almost entirely due to immigration into the country.
According to the latest data released by the Government data agency, Statistics Canada or StatCan, the country’s population is at 39,566,248, “after a record population growth of 1,050,110 people from January 1, 2022, to January 1, 2023.”
Newcomers from India comprise the largest cohort on immigrants to the country. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC figures 431,645 permanent residents or PRs were admitted in 2021, and India was the top source country, with 127,933.
StatCan said this was the first 12-month period in Canadian history “where population grew by over 1 million people, and the highest annual population growth rate (+2.7%) on record since that seen for 1957 (+3.3%).”
International migration accounted for nearly all the population growth, contributing 9.5 per cent of the total.
It estimated that not only does Canada have the highest population rise among the G7 nations, but also among the countries constituting the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development or OECD.
In fact, it noted “Canada’s population growth rate of 2.7% in 2022 would put it among the top 20 in the world. Almost all countries with a higher pace of population growth were in Africa.”
At this rate of growth, Canada’s population could double by the middle of this century.
In 2022, Canada welcomed 437,180 PRs and saw a net increase of the number of non-permanent residents estimated at 607,782. “Both of these numbers represent the highest levels on record,” StatCan said.
“The estimated gains in non-permanent residents recorded for 2022 are the highest for a single calendar year for which comparable data are available. Furthermore, it is the first time these gains are superior to those from immigrants over the same period,” it added. These temporary immigrant categories include workers and international students, among others.
