Canada’s population fell by roughly 76,000 over the third quarter, the largest decline this country has seen in records dating to the 1940s, and a result of major policy changes by Ottawa to curb immigration.
Outside of a slight drop during the pandemic, this is the first time Canada’s population has declined in the country’s history, based on historical data dating back to 1946. The decline was driven by a drop in the number of international students, more than a year after the federal government started imposing caps on study permits.
The country’s population declined by 0.2 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, after almost a year of near-zero population growth. The current population stands at 41,575,585 people, according to new estimates from Statistics Canada released Wednesday.
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Newsstream link: https://www.proquest.com/canadiannews/docview/3283865996/75CAE579CB014A0CPQ/.
Earlier this year it was reported that Canada’s population growth has stalled, now in the third quarter of 2025 it has decreased by 0.2%. This decline can be attributed to the policy change on international students and foreign workers by Ottawa. The decline also has a stark regional difference, with Ontario and British Columbia seeing the largest population decline.
This decline is in service of the federal government’s aim to limit the temporary resident population of Canada to 5% by the end of 2027.
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