Maple News reports that Canada’s population has exceeded 41 million for the first time, largely fueled by new arrivals through immigration. According to recently released data from Statistics Canada, the country reached a total population of 41,012,563 as of April 1, 2024—just 10 months after crossing the 40 million mark in June 2023.
Between January and April this year alone, the population grew by 242,673 people, representing a quarterly increase of 0.6%. Impressively, 240,955 of those new residents entered Canada through permanent and temporary immigration streams, underscoring the central role immigration continues to play in shaping the country’s demographics.
Among permanent immigrants, the Maritime provinces—Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick—are seeing record growth. Over 9,000 of the 121,758 new permanent residents settled in these eastern provinces, marking the highest influx to the region since 1971. This increased interest aligns with a growing demand for skilled labor in the region and efforts by provincial governments to attract talent through dedicated immigration pathways.
Meanwhile, the number of Non-Permanent Residents (NPRs) in Canada reached an all-time high of 2.79 million as of April 2024. Of these, more than 2.4 million are either work or study permit holders, while approximately 363,000 are asylum seekers or protected persons.
A significant addition of 131,810 NPRs occurred in the first quarter of 2024. Though this is higher than the same period in 2023, the overall pace of NPR growth appears to be slowing compared to previous years. This deceleration may be tied to recent federal announcements aiming to cap the number of new temporary residents under Canada’s revised Immigration Levels Plan.
Without the contribution of temporary residents, the population increase for the first quarter would have been a more modest 0.3%. These figures highlight the essential role that both permanent and temporary immigration play in supporting Canada’s population and labor force growth.
As Canada navigates evolving immigration policies and regional labor demands, these demographic shifts reveal the country’s growing dependence on newcomers to sustain economic and social development.