Canada witnessed a record-high population fuelled by "international migration" over the first nine months of the year that has surpassed the total growth in any other full year, including the record set in 2022, according to official data released on Tuesday.
Canada's population was estimated at 40,528,396 on October 1, an increase of 430,635 people ( 1.1%) from July 1, Statistics Canada said.
"This was the highest population growth rate in any quarter since the second quarter of 1957 ( 1.2%) when Canada's population grew by 198,000 people," it said.
The country's total population growth for the first nine months of 2023 ( 1,030,378 people) had already exceeded the total growth for any other full-year period since Confederation in 1867, including 2022, when there was record growth, it said.
The population grew in all provinces and territories, except in the Northwest Territories (-0.5%).
The data attribute the vast majority (96.0%) of the population growth to "international migration".
"The rest of this gain (4.0%) was the result of natural increase, or the difference between the number of births and deaths," it said.
Canada welcomed 107,972 immigrants in the third quarter. The country-wise figures were not provided.
The contribution of natural increase to population growth is expected to remain low in the coming years because of population ageing, lower fertility levels, and the high number of immigrants and non-permanent residents coming to the country, Statistics Canada said.
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