Canada’s population is growing faster than ever, new data from Statistics Canada shows.
The figures, released Monday, found that the country’s population hit 37,589,262 on July 1, 2019, up 531,497 compared with July 1, 2018. The agency said that growth corresponds to just over one new person added every minute.
The country’s rate of growth was twice as fast as that of the U.S. and the U.K., Statistics Canada said.
Canada’s growth rate is due largely to permanent and temporary immigration, data shows. Between July 2018 and July 2019, the country admitted 313,580 immigrants, one of highest number in history.
Last year’s growth was largely fuelled by the country’s biggest ever increase in temporary residents, which came largely through an increase in work and study permit holders. Canada accepted 161,536 temporary residents last year.
The highest population growth rate was seen in Prince Edward Island at 2.17 per cent, with Ontario coming in at 1.72 per cent, Alberta at 1.63 per cent and British Columbia at 1.39 per cent. Canada’s overall growth rate was 1.42 per cent.
