Canada experienced minimal population growth in the second quarter of 2025, as indicated by recent data from Statistics Canada, mirroring trends seen earlier in the year. Between April 1 and July 1, the country’s population saw a slight increase of 0.1%, equivalent to the growth rate observed from January to March, resulting in the addition of 47,098 individuals to the population. This growth rate marks the lowest second quarter increase (excluding pandemic years) since 1946 when comparable data tracking began.
The stagnation in population growth was primarily attributed to a decrease in the number of non-permanent residents in Canada. During the quarter, 58,719 non-permanent residents departed from the country, representing the second largest quarterly decline since 1971, disregarding pandemic-related anomalies, according to the agency.
This trend follows adjustments made by the federal government to immigration policies in 2024 aimed at restricting the influx of non-permanent residents in Canada. These changes included reducing the intake of temporary foreign workers and imposing limitations on when employers could hire such workers, along with a reduction in the issuance of study permits.
Prior to these measures, the federal government had eased restrictions on non-permanent residents to address labor shortages post-pandemic, resulting in a surge of approximately 1 million individuals annually from 2022 until early 2025.
Statistics Canada reported a decline in the number of individuals in Canada on work permits or study permits during the quarter, leading to the overall reduction in non-permanent residents. However, an increase in asylum claimants helped mitigate the decline in the total population of temporary residents.
