Statistics Canada Reports Canada's Population Fell 55,000 in Q1 2026
Statistics Canada said Canada’s population fell by about 55,000 people in the first quarter of 2026, a third consecutive quarterly decline. As of April 1, 2026, canada's population stood at 41.4 million people.
The drop came as the number of temporary residents decreased by roughly 118,000 people in the quarter, or 4.4 per cent. Temporary residents totaled 2.56 million on April 1, 2026, and made up 6.1 per cent of the population, down from 3.15 million and 7.6 per cent at their peak in late 2024.
Temporary residents fall below peak
Statistics Canada said the temporary resident count has been pushed lower by policy changes and processing pressures. The agency said work and study permit extensions have increased, while processing times at the federal immigration department have lengthened.
Ottawa is targeting a temporary-resident level of 5 per cent of the total population by the end of 2027. The latest estimate leaves that goal still above the current share, even after the recent drop.
Permanent resident admissions slow
Permanent resident admissions also ran below the recent pace. Statistics Canada estimated about 83,149 permanent resident admissions between January and April 2026, down 20.2 per cent from the same period in 2025.
The federal government’s current annual target for permanent resident admissions is 380,000 people, which is just under 1 per cent of the total population. Statistics Canada also said the population was about 0.5 per cent higher a year earlier, at 41.6 million people.
Policy changes after 2024
The population decline follows adjustments introduced in 2024 and 2025 under Justin Trudeau’s government that made it more difficult for international students and temporary foreign workers to arrive and stay in Canada. Canada’s population grew significantly between 2022 and 2024 before the recent decline.
Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi wrote in a research report released last month by the C.D. Howe Institute that “Sustained improvement in economic growth under moderate immigration would require stronger productivity growth, higher labour force participation and increased hours worked.”
Statistics Canada said temporary resident figures are estimates and warned they could see “more pronounced upward changes” in the months ahead. For now, the latest release shows the population mix moving in the direction Ottawa has set, but not yet reaching the share it wants by the end of 2027.
