On July 1, 2024, the total population of Canada’s 41 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) reached 30,893,239 people. The population growth experienced in census metropolitan areas (CMAs) from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, at 3.5 per cent not only outpaced that of Canada as a whole but also marked the second year in a row where the population of CMAs grew by over one million people in a 12-month period.

Statistics Canada reports Thursday that of the 41 CMAs, 15 recorded their fastest population growth rate in over 20 years from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024. Notably, Calgary grew at a rate of 5.8 per cent, which was not only the fastest rate among CMAs in the last year, but also the fastest 12-month rate of any CMA since at least 2001. In addition to Calgary and Vancouver with an increase of 4.3 per cent, five other CMAs grew at a rate of over 4.0 per cent in the last year. Saskatoon with an increase of 4.1 per cent was among those. The group also included Moncton, New Brunswick (+5.1 per cent); Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario (+4.9 per cent); Peterborough, Ontario and Edmonton, Albert both up 4.5 per cent.

StatsCan says to put this into perspective, from 2001 to 2021, before the more recent acceleration of growth seen in CMAs, only one region had experienced such a fast pace of growth.  StatsCan also broke down numbers in terms of rural area and the population living in rural areas in Canada increased 0.9 per cent at 6,330,166.