Maple News reports that Canada’s population growth has significantly slowed, according to new data from Statistics Canada. Between April 1 and July 1, 2025, the country added just 47,098 people, a mere 0.1% increase. This marks the slowest second-quarter population growth since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The dramatic slowdown reflects broad changes in immigration policy introduced starting in 2024. The federal government has implemented a series of measures to better manage immigration levels, including a cap on international student admissions, tighter eligibility for work permits, and a 20% cut in permanent resident intake targets. For the first time, targets were also introduced for temporary resident entries.
The impact of these reforms is now evident. In 2022 and 2023, Canada saw second-quarter population jumps of 0.70% and 0.80%, respectively. In 2024, growth remained robust at 0.70%, but in Q2 2025 it dropped sharply to just 0.10%.
Immigration continues to be the primary driver of Canada’s population growth, but even that influence is waning. Immigration accounted for 71.5% of Q2 2025’s population increase, down significantly from 95.3% in the same period in 2024.
Additionally, the number of non-permanent residents (NPRs) in the country has been on a steady decline for the past three quarters. As of July 1, 2025, NPRs made up 7.3% of Canada’s total population — a drop from 7.6% the previous October. This is in line with Ottawa’s goal of reducing the NPR share to just 5% of the national population.
The bulk of Q2 2025’s modest growth came from new permanent residents, while the number of non-permanent residents continued to shrink. This shift underscores a broader policy pivot by the federal government to rebalance Canada’s immigration mix and focus more on long-term integration.
As the effects of these updated immigration policies unfold, Canada’s demographic trajectory over the next few years will be important to watch, particularly as aging populations and labour market shortages continue to pose long-term challenges.