Canada’s Population Is Growing Again: Reaching a Record 41.8 Million

According to new estimates released by Statistics Canada, Canada added about 80,000 people to its population between April 1 and July 1, an increase of about 0.2 percent to the overall population. Compared with July 1, 2025, Canada’s population increased by about 189,000 people, or 0.5 percent.

This article refers to data from Q2 of 2026. Statistics Canada’s population estimates lag a few months behind the present.

A 0.2 percent population increase might not sound like a huge one, particularly after the rapid population growth Canada experienced throughout much of 2022 through 2024. But, it represents a significant shift in direction from the six months prior, when Canada’s population essentially stopped growing.

During the final quarter of 2025, Canada’s population actually declined by just over 7,000 people during the final quarter of 2025. Then, during the first three months of 2026, the population increased by just over 1,300 people.

So, after six months with virtually no population growth, in Q2 2026 Canada added more than 80,000 people.

Where Is Canada’s Population Growth Coming From?

As has been the case in recent years, new permanent residents continue to account for most of Canada’s population growth. And, the latest numbers show a few distinct differences from the rapid growth seen in 2022 through 2024.

Canada welcomed about 99,000 new permanent residents during the second quarter of 2026, up considerably from the approximately 83,000 immigrants added during the first three months of the year. That’s a 19 percent from Q1 to Q2.

However, permanent immigration remains slightly below where it was at this time last year. Canada added about 103,500 immigrants during Q2 2025, meaning 2026’s Q2 total was about 4.2 percent lower.

At the same time, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Canada’s temporary resident population continued to fall in Q2.

Statistics Canada estimates there were 2.78 million non-permanent residents living in Canada on July 1. This includes international students, temporary foreign workers, asylum claimants, and others with temporary status. That figure is down from 2.80 million on April 1, for a total decline of just under 20,000.

The decline is much smaller than the one recorded at the beginning of 2026. During Q1, Canada’s non-permanent resident population fell by 64,502.

Taken together, those numbers help explain why Canada’s overall population started growing more quickly again during Q2. Canada added almost 100,000 new permanent residents, while the decline in the temporary resident population slowed compared with the beginning of the year.

We have a separate article taking a closer look at the latest temporary resident numbers, including what is happening with Canada’s student and worker populations.

Permanent Residents Made Up Most of Canada’s Population Increase

Overall, permanent resident increases added about 67,400 people to Canada’s population during Q2.

That figure accounts for the 99,000 new immigrants who arrived during the quarter, minus the decrease in temporary residents as well as emigration of permanent residents.

Canada’s total population increased by about 80,000 over the same period, meaning international migration accounted for roughly 84 percent of population growth in Q2.

These numbers continue to show the effects of the federal government’s efforts to reduce Canada’s temporary resident population.

After reaching nearly 3 million in late 2024, the estimated number of non-permanent residents in Canada is now around 2.78 million. Since 2024, the federal government has introduced a number of restrictions affecting international students and temporary foreign workers as it tries to bring temporary residents down to less than five percent of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.

At the same time, Canada continues to admit a large number of permanent residents. The federal government’s current Immigration Levels Plan includes a target of 380,000 new permanent residents in 2026. Of course, many of these new PRs were previously temporary residents (i.e. already in Canada), so were already accounted for in the population.

The Q2 population estimates show that Canada can still manage substantial population growth, even when temporary resident numbers are declining.

These Numbers Could Change When the 2026 Census Population Data Is Released

There is one important thing to keep in mind when looking at the new figures: these are population estimates, not final official counts. But, we will get final counts when Canada releases the latest Census data on population, expected in early 2027.

Statistics Canada is constantly revising its population estimates. In fact, in this update, the agency revised its population estimates going all the way back to the third quarter of 2021. As a result, some of the historical population numbers published today are different from figures released previously.

The latest estimates put Canada’s population at 41,798,407 as of July 1, 2026, Canada’s highest level on record.

We’ll get a firmer picture next year, when Statistics Canada releases the first population counts from the 2026 Census on February 10, 2027.