Which Canadian Provinces And Territories Have The Highest Population Growth Rate?

A crowd of Canadians attending a sports event.
A crowd of Canadians attending a sports event.

The Population Growth Rate Of Canada

The population in Canada has been growing substantially in the past few years, for instance, the country's population in 2000 was 30.7 million, and by 2009 it had soared to 33.7 million. Over the same period, the population increased steadily from 9.94 for every thousand people to 12.4 per thousand. According to the estimates, this growth is expected to continue for the next fifty years. However, the growth rate is expected to gradually slow down over time into the future.

Natural increase of the population growth of Canada has adversely diminished as the population of Canada continues to age, and fertility rates decrease. At present, natural increase only accounts for one-thirds of the country’s population growth rate and continues to decrease as a major component in the growth of Canada’s population. Migration has become the primary reason for population growth to the point that if people were to stop migrating into Canada, its population growth rate could come close to zero in a 20-year time frame.

Factors Triggerring The Growth Rate

Migration has played a huge role in the population growth rate of Canada. The migratory increase in Canada currently accounts for about two-thirds of the country’s total population growth. Demographic research and statistics propose that immigration will continue to be a key player in the population growth of Canada.

Nunavut, The Canadian Territory With The Highest Population Growth Rate

Nunavut which is located in the northern region of Canada is the largest territory and has the highest population growth rates in the country. In 2016 Nunavut had a population estimate of 37,174 which increased from 31,906 as per the 2011 census. Nunavut is currently experiencing the highest population growth with a +16.51% change. The main reason for the population growth in Nunavut is that it has a higher birth rate as compared to any of the Canadians provinces or territories. Despite Nunavut having the highest growth rate the population density decrease since a number of the inhabitants migrate to search for favorable economic prospects.

New Brunswick, Canadian Province With The Lowest Population Growth Rate

New Brunswick, the only constitutionally bilingual province in Canada, speaking both English and French has the lowest growth rate in the entire country. The population of Brunswick which was estimated at 751,171 according to the 2011 census grew to 754,735 in 2016 registering the lowest population growth at +0.47% in the whole of Canada. The primary cause of fluctuation in the population growth rate of New Brunswick is that the province has been registering lower numbers of natural increase such that the birth rate is becoming less as compared to the death rate.

Future Trends of Canada's Population

Due to the keen study of past and present trends in the population growth of Canada, a number of observations about the future population of Canada have been made. In recent year the population growth has been gradually declining, and the trend is projected to continue if there are no measures taken. As the fertility rates in Canada decline, there will be more deaths than births by the year 2030 however if the rate of fertility increase then the crisis will be postponed. The Canadian territories and provinces with weak international and interprovincial migration are set to be the most affected by fluctuating population growth rates in future.

Which Canadian Provinces And Territories Have The Highest Population Growth Rate?

RankProvince/Territory2016 estimate2011 CensusChange
1 Nunavut37,17431,906+16.51%
2 Alberta4,231,9593,645,257+16.09%
3 Saskatchewan1,142,5701,033,381+10.57%
4 Yukon37,19333,897+9.72%
5 Ontario13,873,93312,851,821+7.95%
6 Manitoba1,303,8931,208,268+7.91%
7 British Columbia4,707,0214,400,057+6.98%
8 Northwest Territories44,29141,462+6.82%
9 Quebec8,294,6567,903,001+4.96%
10 Prince Edward Island146,933140,204+4.80%
11 Newfoundland and Labrador528,336514,536+2.68%
12 Nova Scotia945,824921,727+2.61%
13 New Brunswick754,735751,171+0.47%
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