Canada’s population fell slightly in 1st quarter of 2026: StatCan

Canada's population experienced a slight decline in the first quarter of 2026, continuing a trend observed over the previous two quarters, according to Statistics Canada.

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To support a return to sustainable immigration levels, the Government is committed to reducing Canada’s temporary population to less than five per cent of the total population by the end of 2027.

The agency estimates that the nation's population fell by 0.1%, or 55,025 people, between January 1 and April 1, 2026, bringing the total population to 41,417,056. This marks the third consecutive quarter of population decrease.

A significant factor contributing to this trend is the reduction in immigration. Canada welcomed 83,149 permanent immigrants in the first quarter of 2026, a 20.2% decrease compared to the 104,210 welcomed in the same quarter of 2025. These figures align with the lower immigration targets set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for 2026.

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Targets for new temporary resident arrivals are set at 385,000 in 2026 and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. These figures represent new temporary worker and student arrivals to Canada.

Furthermore, the number of non-permanent residents in Canada saw a substantial decrease of 117,879 people during the first quarter of 2026, bringing their total to 2,558,562. This represents a 4.4% decline. The government's stated goal is to reduce the proportion of temporary residents to less than five percent of the total population by the end of 2027, aiming to ease strain on infrastructure and promote more sustainable population growth.

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the government aims to lower the proportion of temporary residents in the national population to five per cent by the end of 2026 to ease the strain on infrastructure and support more sustainable population growth.