In the first three months of 2019, due to sustained immigration, Canada’s population increased by 98,410 people

Economists will tell you that population growth is one of the key indicators and drivers of economic growth in a particular region.

On Wednesday, Statistics Canada data revealed something positive for the Alberta economy. The province had one of the highest population growth rates in the country in the first quarter of this year.

“Throughout the country, Nunavut (+1.0 per cent), Alberta and Prince Edward Island (each up 0.4 per cent) had the fastest-growing populations in the first quarter, while Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland and Labrador saw their populations decline at a rate varying between -0.2 per cent and -0.4 per cent. In the other provinces and territories, growth was positive and ranged between 0.1 per cent and 0.3 per cent,” said the federal agency.

During the first three months of 2019, due to a sustained inflow of immigrants, Canada’s population increased by 98,410 people, representing a quarterly population growth of 0.3 per cent. On April 1, 2019, Canada’s population was estimated at 37,412,852 persons, added StatsCan.

“International migration, both permanent and temporary, remained the main driver of Canada’s population growth (accounting for 82.8 per cent of all population growth). The rest of the growth (17.2 per cent) was the result of natural increase, or the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths. The downward trend in the share of natural increase is expected to continue. In this context, population growth in Canada will probably rely increasingly on international migration.”

The contribution of international migration to Canada’s population growth in the first three months of 2019 was driven by an increase in the number of non-permanent residents (+31,547). This was the largest increase for a first quarter since 1989. The increase offset lower permanent immigration numbers in the first quarter. During the first three months of 2019, Canada received 65,959 permanent immigrants, the lowest number for a first quarter since 2015, said Statistics Canada.

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