Sometimes between July 1 and Oct. 1 British Columbia’s population reached 5 million people.
According to the last population estimate, Canada’s most western province had a population of 5,016,322 as of Oct. 1, 2018.
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Canada’s overall population stood at 37,242,57 on Oct. 1, 2018 — up 183,715 from July 1, 2018, according to preliminary population estimates, published by Statistics Canada. This increase was the largest of its kind recorded since Statistics Canada started using the current statistical system in July 1971.
International migration — rather than natural growth — bore most of the responsibility for the population increase of 0.5 per cent — a figure “rarely seen in past quarters,” according to Statistics Canada. Overall, Canada net-gained 146,531 immigrants.
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Looking at births and deaths, Canada recorded 103,199 births and 66,015 deaths in the third quarter of 2018 for a natural increase of 37,184. Natural increase in the third quarter has been trending downward since the third quarter of 2012. Experts predict that this number will continue to decrease, as the population continues to age, which should lead to an increase in the number of deaths.
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