Canada’s population growth stalled in the first quarter, StatCan says

A Canadian Armed Forces SkyHawks member comes into landing over Parliament Hill during Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, on Monday, July 1, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says population growth stalled in the first quarter.

The agency says the Canadian population rose by 20,107 people from Jan. 1 to April 1 to 41,548,787, the smallest increase since the third quarter of 2020 when it contracted by 1,232 people.

The increase was so small that it amounted to effectively no growth, StatCan said.

“This was the second-slowest quarterly growth rate in Canada since comparable records began (first quarter of 1946), behind only the third quarter of 2020 and tied with the fourth quarter of 2014,” the agency said in its release Wednesday.

It was the sixth consecutive quarter of slower population growth after a decision by the federal government in 2024 to lower the levels of both temporary and permanent immigration.

However, immigration still accounted for all of the population growth in the quarter as there were 5,628 more deaths than births in Canada.

Canada admitted 104,256 immigrants in the first quarter of 2025, while net emigration totalled 17,410.

Meanwhile, the number of non-permanent residents dropped by 61,111.

While the rate of population growth slowed during the first quarter, Statistics Canada said immigration levels remain high, though comparatively lower than in recent years.

The agency said it was the smallest number of immigrants admitted during a first quarter in four years.

“However, prior to 2022, Canada had never welcomed more than 86,246 immigrants in a first quarter (which occurred in the first quarter of 2016),” the agency said.

In October of last year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada released information on its 2025-27 Immigration Levels Plan, which included targets for international students and temporary foreign workers for the first time.

“In recent years, Canada welcomed newcomers to support our economy and address labour market needs. As we move away from post-pandemic measures, there is a need to better align temporary and permanent resident immigration levels with community capacity,” the federal government said at the time.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press