Global Courant
Statistics Canada says the country will hit another milestone on Friday as its population hits a record 40 million people.
From the desk Population clock — a tool that models real-time growth using factors such as births, deaths, and migration — will hit the 40 million mark just before 3 p.m. EDT, StatCan said in a press release.
“This is an exciting milestone for Canada,” said chief statistician Anil Arora. “It is a strong signal that Canada remains a dynamic and welcoming country, full of potential. As Canada Day approaches, this is certainly cause for celebration.”
Canada continues to lead the G7 in population growth, says StatCan, with the country adding more than a million people between January 2021 and 2022, the highest number ever in a single year.
Last year’s annual population growth of 2.7 percent is the highest since 1957, when it was 3.3 percent. At the time, a large number of births took place during the post-war baby boom.
Based on current projections, StatCan says Canada’s population could reach 50 million by 2043, sooner than previously estimated.
Permanent and temporary migration are largely driving this latest trend – both accounted for 96 percent of all growth in 2022.
All provinces and territories, with the exception of the Northwest Territories, saw their populations increase last year.
The country’s Indigenous population has also increased by 9.4 percent from 2016 to 2021, much faster than the 5.3 percent rate among non-Indigenous Canadians over the same period.
Indigenous peoples in Canada accounted for five percent of the country’s population in 2021.
