Fueled by immigration, Canada population growth doubles G7 rate

A man walks his dog in Parc Lafontaine during a snowfall in Montreal, Quebec on January 17, 2022. AFP

MONTREAL — Canada’s population reached nearly 37 million in 2021, growing almost twice as fast as the world’s other largest developed economies thanks to record immigration, the national statistics office said Wednesday.

“One thing that has not changed from five years ago is that Canada remains the fastest growing country in the G7,” Statistics Canada said in a statement unveiling its census figures for the 2016-2021 period.

The country counted 1.8 million more inhabitants than in 2016 and 80 percent of them were newcomers, “arriving here from around the world to start a new life,” the agency said.

Canada’s population has grown by 5.2 percent since 2016, exceeding the growth rates recorded by Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

In addition, Canada’s rate ranks seventh among G20 countries, behind Mexico and Australia and on par with India.

But after peaking in 2019, Canada’s growth rate was slowed by the pandemic, as border restrictions curbed immigration.

The country’s population grew just 0.4 percent in 2020, its slowest pace since World War I. But by mid-2021, growth had returned to pre-pandemic levels, with a sharp increase in immigration since April.

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