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In Depth
Census
Canada's decade of growth
Last Updated September 28, 2007
By Armina Ligaya, CBC News
Over the last decade, Canada's population has swelled to 32,976,026 people — a change of roughly 14 per cent, according to Statistics Canada's latest estimate.
We've been growing at a faster rate than our fellow G8 countries over that same period, save for the United States, which is adding to its numbers just a smidgen faster.
This demographic transformation has many fronts: Canada is having more babies than has been the case in recent years and it's welcoming newcomers from all over the world at a higher pace than other industrialized countries — roughly 6.7 newcomers per thousand Canadians.
This welcome mat puts Canada ahead of our neighbours to the south, who receive four immigrants for every thousand Americans on average each year.
The population picture is changing within our borders too. Canadians are heading westward, mainly to Alberta and British Columbia. The two fastest-growing provinces (in 2006-2007) saw their populations rise 29 per cent and 18 per cent respectively over the last 10 years.
If these trends continue, the next generation of Canadians may be heading for a vastly different society than their parents experienced.
| 2007 (population estimates as of July 1) | 1996* | % increase | |
| Canada | 32,976,026 | 28,846,761 | 14 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 506,275 | 551,792 | -8 |
| Prince Edward Island | 138,627 | 134,557 | 3 |
| Nova Scotia | 934,147 | 909,282 | 3 |
| New Brunswick | 749,782 | 738,133 | 2 |
| Quebec | 7,700,807 | 7,138,795 | 8 |
| Ontario | 12,803,861 | 10,753,573 | 19 |
| Manitoba | 1,186,679 | 1,113,898 | 7 |
| Saskatchewan | 996,869 | 990,237 | 1 |
| Alberta | 3,473,984 | 2,696,826 | 29 |
| British Columbia | 4,380,256 | 3,724,500 | 18 |
| Yukon | 30,989 | 30,766 | 1 |
| Northwest Territories | 42,637 | 64,402 | N/A |
| Nunavut | 31,113 | N/A | N/A |
| Sources: Census data, Statistics Canada estimates Sept. 27,2007 | |||
The Canadian highlights
The national numbers 2006-07:
- Canada's population hit an estimated 32,976,000, an annual jump of 326,500 people. It rose at the same rate as last year, at one per cent between July 2006 and July 2007.
- About 352,000 babies were born in Canada during 2006-07, the highest number since a decade ago when 357,300 were born. That figure has climbed consistently every year since 2001. But the total fertility rate is still far below replacement level and less than half of what it was 60 years ago
- Roughly 238,100 immigrants came to Canada during 2006-07, which is 16,300 less than the year before. Still, international migration continues to be the main driver of population growth in the country.
The provinces:
- Populations in Alberta, British Columbia and Nunavut grew at faster rates than in the rest of the country.
- Alberta's population spiked the most, hitting an estimated 3,474,000. It rose about 103,400 from 2006, a record. Its population grew 3.1 per cent, at three times the rate of the rest of the country. Most of that gain is fuelled by people moving into Alberta from other provinces, roughly 51,200, up 5,400 from 2006.
- Nunavut's population bumped up 2.3 per cent, at twice the rate of the country, due to a strong fertility rate and an influx of people from other regions.
- After two years of consecutive drops, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories saw their population numbers swell.
- Three jurisdictions saw their populations shrink from the previous year: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and the Yukon.
- In Quebec, about 83,200 babies were born between 2006-07, the first time that number broke 80,000 since 1996-97.
- About 36,200 people left Ontario for other provinces, the highest outflow in recent history. Its population still increased about 0.8 per cent, the lowest level since 1980-81.
How do we stack up to other G8 countries?
Canada's population is growing at the same rate as our neighbours to the south, at roughly one per cent a year. However, both Canada and the U.S. are growing at a faster rate each year than our G8 counterparts, and are projected to do so into the next decade.
| Country | Population figures (in millions) | Average Annual Rate of Change (%) | Change 2000-2010(%) | |||
| UN figures 2000 | UN estimate 2007 | UN estimate 2010 | 2000-2005 | 2005-2010 | ||
| Canada | 31 | 33 | 34 | 1.01 | 0.9 | 10 |
| France | 59 | 62 | 63 | 0.60 | 0.49 | 5 |
| Germany | 82 | 83 | 82 | 0.08 | -0.07 | .06 |
| Italy | 58 | 59 | 59 | 0.33 | 0.13 | 2 |
| Japan | 127 | 128 | 128 | 0.14 | -0.02 | .6 |
| Russia | 147 | 142 | 140 | 0.48 | -0.51 | - 5 |
| United Kingdom | 59 | 61 | 62 | 0.46 | 0.42 | 4 |
| United States | 285 | 306 | 315 | 1.03 | 0.97 | 10 |
| Source: World Population Prospects, The 2006 Revision, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division | ||||||
Immigration: Canada's population driver
Canadians may be having more babies, but it is the influx of people from other countries that is filling our towns and cities, and changing the makeup of our population.
While the U.S. opened its doors to more people from around the world than we do — an average of 1,160,000 versus 210,000 on average each year — Canada is opening its borders to many more newcomers relative to the size of our population base and economy.
At an average rate of 6.7 newcomers per thousand Canadians, Canada is surpassing all of its G8 counterparts.
| Average annual number of people who migrated 2000-2005 | Average rate per 1,000 population | |
| Canada | 210,000 | 6.7 |
| France | 60,000 | 1.0 |
| Germany | 220,000 | 2.7 |
| Italy | 120,000 | 2.1 |
| Japan | 54,000 | 0.4 |
| Russia | 80,000 | 0.6 |
| United Kingdom | 137,000 | 2.3 |
| United States | 1,160,000 | 4.0 |
| Source: International Migration 2006, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division | ||
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