As confirmed by Statistics Canada, Canada’s population hit the 40 million mark just before 3 p.m. on Friday.

“This is an important milestone for Canada,” Chief Statistician Anil Arora said in a statement. It is a clear sign that Canada remains a dynamic, hospitable country full of potential.”

In fact, the country’s demographic growth is mostly due to international migration. The latter was responsible for 96% of the growth recorded in 2022.

Statistics Canada states that the population growth rate is currently 2.7%, “which is the highest level since 1957, when immigration and the baby boom helped increase Canada’s population by 3.3%.”

Laurent Martel, director of Statistics Canada’s Demography Center, recalls that one million people arrived in Canada last year.

“(The year) 2022 is also notable for being the first time Canada has welcomed more temporary immigrants than permanent immigrants,” he explains in an interview. We have (…) taken in more than 600,000 temporary immigrants, apparently related to the response of several governments to deal with labor shortages, for example.”

According to the federal agency, Canada’s population growth rate is outpacing other G7 countries as they adjust to the effects of population decline.

With the exception of the Northwest Territories, all provinces and territories experienced population growth.

“The provinces that have large urban centers are experiencing slightly faster population growth than the provinces that have fewer large urban centers,” specifies Mr. Martel, adding that immigrants are more likely to settle in the metropolitan areas.

Another area stands out: Nunavut. “Population growth (y) is mainly related to a birth rate that is completely different from that of the rest of the country. “Nunavut has a much higher number of children per woman than anywhere else in Canada,” he says.

While there are 1.43 children per woman in Canada, there are 2.56 in Nunavut.

If Canada continues on its way, its population could reach 50 million people in 2043.