Photo credit: CBC
Canada’s population growth was nearly flat in the second quarter of 2025, according to data from Statistics Canada, following similar figures at the start of the year.
The population rose by 0.1 per cent between April 1 and July 1. The country got an additional 47,098 people to its population. According to Statistics Canada, that’s the lowest second-quarter growth rate (outside of pandemic years) since 1946, when comparable record-keeping began.
It was mostly due to a drop in the number of non-permanent residents in the country. In the quarter, 58,719 non-permanent residents left Canada – the largest quarterly decline since 1971 outside of the pandemic, the agency said.
Canada made changes to its immigration policy in 2024 to limit the number of non-permanent residents allowed into the country. This included reducing the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into the country, restricting when employers could hire these low-wage workers, and slashing the number of study permits issued.
Statistics Canada said the number of people in the country on work permits or study permits dropped in the quarter. It led to a decrease in non-permanent residents. An influx of asylum claimants moderated the decline in the total number of temporary residents, according to the agency.
The age of Canada’s population also rose. The country’s average age increased from 41.6 years to 41.8 years between April and July. Nearly one in five Canadians was also over the age of 65 as of July 1, with that figure being even higher in Newfoundland and Labrador, at 1 in 4.
