Canada experienced a decrease in its population last year, marking the first annual net decline in residents since Confederation. According to the latest quarterly estimate from Statistics Canada, the total population of citizens, landed immigrants, and non-permanent residents in Canada was 41,472,081 as of January 1, 2026. This represented a decrease of 0.2 percent, equivalent to over 102,000 individuals, from January 1, 2025.
Statistics Canada reported that although the population had increased by over 77,000 people in the first six months of the previous year, it was offset by a decline of nearly 180,000 in the latter half of 2025. The agency attributed the slowing population growth primarily to a reduction in the number of non-permanent residents.
The number of non-permanent residents living in Canada decreased steadily from 3,149,131 on October 1, 2024, to 2,676,441 on January 1, 2026. Non-permanent residents comprise individuals with work or study permits, asylum claimants, and their accompanying family members.
Statistics Canada noted that it has been tracking Canada’s population growth since 1867, with a change in tracking methods from June 1 to January 1 starting in 1946. Prior to 2025, there had not been a single year showing a population decrease in the recorded history.
The agency cautioned that the preliminary estimate should be interpreted carefully as extensions of work and study permits could lead to significant updates in the following months. Therefore, the observed population decrease might fluctuate or even turn into an increase as more complete administrative data become available.
Under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, Canada reduced both permanent and temporary immigration following a surge in post-pandemic labor shortages. The government aimed to decrease the share of temporary residents in the population, with plans to admit 385,000 temporary residents in 2026, a 43 percent reduction from the 2025 target. Additionally, the government intended to limit new permanent resident admissions to 380,000 annually between 2026 and 2028, in line with the new immigration targets.
The reduction in the number of permanent immigrants in the last quarter of 2025, dropping from over 103,000 to just over 83,000, aligned with the revised targets set by the Liberal government.
