Canada's First Annual Population Decline

Canada's population experienced its first annual decline since Confederation in 2025, with a decrease of over 100,000 people. This decline was primarily driven by a significant reduction in non-permanent residents, including international students and foreign workers, a result of policies implemented by the governments of Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney to curb temporary immigration. While permanent resident admissions also saw a decline, they helped mitigate the overall population decrease. Canada — Statistics Canada reported that the population stood at 41,472,081 on January 1, 2026. The government aims to reduce the proportion of temporary residents to 5% of the total population by the end of 2027. This demographic shift is expected to impact Canada's economic growth and labor market, with experts like Robert Kavcic of Canada — Montreal anticipating a period of near-zero population growth.