Alberta’s population grew more than rest of Canada last year, data shows
Alberta experienced the highest population growth in Canada last year, though the rate of increase is beginning to slow. The growth is attributed to economic opportunities and migration, despite new federal immigration policies aimed at capping admissions.
Why it matters
Population shifts impact housing, labor markets, and infrastructure planning, making this data critical for regional economic policy.
Statistics Canada estimates that more than 5.1 million people lived in Alberta as of July 1, up nearly 76,500 people — or about 1.5 per cent — from a year before, according to the agency’s latest data .
No jurisdiction added as many people over the year, data suggests, and only Nunavut and the Yukon — places with much lower populations than Alberta — grew at a greater rate.
“We're still a destination, and I think that speaks to economic opportunities,” said Jenny Godley, a professor in the University of Calgary’s anthropology and archaeology department. “Hopefully it also speaks to the openness of Alberta as a place for people to come and work and live and have their families.”
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