Population growth rate in Canada
Canada: Population growth rate was 1.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Population growth rate in Canada, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth rate in Canada is 1.2%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth rate in Canada peaked at 3.0% in 1957 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2021.
Canada ranks 100th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Population growth rate in Canada, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.2% | — |
| 1951 | 2.7% | +27.4% |
| 1952 | 2.8% | +3.6% |
| 1953 | 2.8% | -1.4% |
| 1954 | 2.8% | -1.3% |
| 1955 | 2.5% | -9.5% |
| 1956 | 2.9% | +15.6% |
| 1957 | 3.0% | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 2.5% | -15.4% |
| 1959 | 2.2% | -11.0% |
| 1960 | 2.1% | -6.7% |
| 1961 | 1.9% | -7.2% |
| 1962 | 1.9% | -4.1% |
| 1963 | 1.9% | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 1.9% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 1.8% | -1.5% |
| 1967 | 1.7% | -9.0% |
| 1968 | 1.5% | -10.8% |
| 1969 | 1.4% | -5.2% |
| 1970 | 2.4% | +67.2% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -22.0% |
| 1972 | 1.2% | -35.1% |
| 1973 | 1.3% | +9.9% |
| 1974 | 1.4% | +8.9% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | -2.9% |
| 1976 | 1.2% | -10.9% |
| 1977 | 1.1% | -12.4% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -8.4% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +15.3% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +11.8% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -9.0% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | -8.5% |
| 1984 | 1.0% | -4.1% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 1.2% | +16.4% |
| 1987 | 1.3% | +13.7% |
| 1988 | 1.6% | +17.5% |
| 1989 | 1.7% | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 1.4% | -15.3% |
| 1991 | 1.2% | -13.3% |
| 1992 | 1.2% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | -7.7% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 1.1% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 1.0% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 0.9% | -10.7% |
| 1998 | 0.9% | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | +12.2% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -7.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -7.4% |
| 2004 | 0.9% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 1.0% | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 1.0% | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 1.0% | +4.1% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | +7.8% |
| 2009 | 1.1% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 1.1% | -7.1% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.1% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -14.6% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 1.2% | +28.5% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +4.6% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 1.2% | -7.8% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | -35.5% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | -16.7% |
| 2022 | 1.2% | +83.4% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | -0.9% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 1.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 2.5× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth rate in Canada changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +83.4% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| 1970 | +67.2% | 1.4% | 2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.6% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.8% | 1.4% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More population data for Canada
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2634 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 45,891 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.7644 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.3863 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth rate in Canada?
- Population growth rate in Canada was 1.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 3.0% in 1957.
- What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2021.
- How does Canada rank for population growth rate?
- Canada ranks 100th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population growth rate rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.