All of Canada’s urban centres showed positive population growth from 2016 to 2021. For the first time in six censuses, no urban centres in Canada saw a population decline. (Additional notes below)

Canada (overall national average) » 5.2%
All metropolitan areas » 6.1%

  1. Kelowna » 14.0%
  2. Chilliwack » 12.1%
  3. Kamloops » 10.0%
  4. London » 10.0%
  5. Nanaimo » 10.0%
  6. Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo » 9.9%
  7. Oshawa » 9.3%
  8. Halifax » 9.1%
  9. Guelph » 9.0%
  10. Moncton » 8.9%
  11. Ottawa–Gatineau » 8.5%
  12. Abbotsford–Mission » 8.4%
  13. Barrie » 8.0%
  14. Victoria » 8.0%
  15. Saskatoon » 7.6%
  16. Belleville–Quinte West » 7.5%
  17. Brantford » 7.4%
  18. Edmonton » 7.3%
  19. Vancouver » 7.3%
  20. Sherbrooke » 7.2%
  21. Kingston » 7.1%
  22. St. Catharines–Niagara » 6.8%
  23. Winnipeg » 6.6%
  24. Calgary » 6.4%
  25. Windsor » 6.0%
  26. Fredericton » 5.8%
  27. Peterborough » 5.7%
  28. Lethbridge » 5.5%
  29. Regina » 5.3%
  30. Hamilton » 5.0%
  31. Drummondville » 4.6%
  32. Montréal » 4.6%
  33. Toronto » 4.6%
  34. Québec » 4.1%
  35. Saint John » 3.5%
  36. Trois-Rivières » 3.5%
  37. Greater Sudbury » 2.8%
  38. St. John’s » 2.0%
  39. Thunder Bay » 1.3%
  40. Red Deer » 0.4%
  41. Saguenay » 0.01%

Note » Each of the 41 urban centres listed above has a population of at least 100,000 people.

Population growth in large urban centres relies much more on immigration than other areas of Canada, with more than 9 in 10 new permanent immigrants settling in a urban centres. From 2016 to 2019, record levels of international migration accelerated population growth in most of Canada’s major metropolitan areas.

Outside of these large urban centres, population growth was generally slower or in some cases negative.

For example, the populations of 22 of all 27 urban centres in Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario increased at a faster pace from 2016 to 2021 compared with the previous census cycle (2011 to 2016). In British Columbia, population growth accelerated in all of its seven urban centres.

In contrast, the populations of the seven urban centres in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan all grew at a slower pace from 2016 to 2021 compared with the previous census cycle.

For the first time in over 25 years, Calgary no longer ranks among the five fastest growing urban centres in the country.

The population of Canada’s two largest urban areas—Toronto and Montréal—grew at the same pace (+4.6%) from 2016 to 2021. The pace of growth was slower compared with the previous census in Toronto (+6.2% from 2011 to 2016) and slightly faster in Montréal (+4.2% from 2011 to 2016).

Although the growth rates of Toronto and Montréal were below the national average of 5.2% from 2016 to 2021, they received a record influx of permanent or temporary immigrants from 2016 to 2019. Nevertheless, the population gained through immigration was partially offset by losses to neighbouring areas (intraprovincial migration).

The population growth of most Canadian large urban centres was impacted by the pandemic related border restrictions in 2020 and the ensuing slowdown in immigration.

For example, the pace of growth in the Toronto urban area slowed from 1.4% in 2019/2020 to 0.2% in 2020/2021 as a result of lower immigration. It was also the first time in the recent past that the population in the Montréal urban centre declined over the course of one year, falling 0.6% from July 1, 2020, to July 1, 2021. Both of these urban centres had record population losses to other regions within their respective province in 2020 and 2021.

Conversely, the populations of Halifax and Kelowna were among the fastest growing urban centres nationally from 2016 to 2021 and since the onset of the pandemic, with much of the recent growth attributable to Canadians moving there from elsewhere in Canada. In particular, Halifax attracted many migrants from Ontario from 2020 to 2021, perhaps due to more Canadians being able to work from home as well as lower housing costs.