Introduction
A population estimate is a measure of the current or historical population at a particular point in time.
- As of April 1, 2024, Alberta’s population was 4,849,906.
- Alberta’s population growth continues to accelerate. In the 12 months preceding April 1, 2024, the province’s population expanded by 204,677 people, or 4.41%.
- This represents a significant increase from the previous year (3.67% between 2022-23) and the highest April 1 year-over-year growth rate since 1981. Alberta’s population expanded by 49,138 residents over the first quarter of 2024, or 1.02%.
Image 1. Alberta components of population change, Q1 of 2024
Source: Statistics Canada
Other highlights include:
- In comparison, Canada’s growth rate was 0.60% in the first quarter. Among the 4 largest provinces, British Columbia had the next fastest growth at 0.65%, followed by Ontario (0.54%) and Quebec (0.51%).
- International net migration was the biggest driver of Alberta’s growth in the fourth quarter, contributing 0.69%, followed by net interprovincial migration at 0.26% and natural increase with 0.08%.
- This was the seventh quarter in a row that Alberta registered the highest net interprovincial migration gains in Canada, adding a net of 12,482 new residents.
- Alberta registered the largest net inflows of interprovincial migrants in the country, followed at a distance by New Brunswick (1,627).
Table 1. Population of provinces and territories as of April 1, 2024, and growth rates since April 1, 2023
| Population April 1, 2024 | Population April 1, 2023 | Y/Y Growth rate 2023-24 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 41,012,563 | 39,739,633 | 3.20% |
| NL | 541,391 | 536,291 | 0.95% |
| PEI | 177,081 | 171,790 | 3.08% |
| NS | 1,072,545 | 1,047,803 | 2.36% |
| NB | 850,894 | 826,622 | 2.94% |
| QC | 9,030,684 | 8,814,007 | 2.46% |
| ON | 15,996,989 | 15,457,075 | 3.49% |
| MB | 1,484,135 | 1,443,875 | 2.79% |
| SK | 1,231,043 | 1,200,540 | 2.54% |
| AB | 4,849,906 | 4,645,229 | 4.41% |
| BC | 5,646,467 | 5,466,646 | 3.29% |
| YT | 45,750 | 44,596 | 2.59% |
| NT | 44,920 | 44,678 | 0.54% |
| NU | 40,758 | 40,481 | 0.68% |
International migration
- International migration added 32,893 net new residents to Alberta in the first quarter of 2024. This figure includes both permanent and temporary immigration (NPRs) from sources outside the country.
- Compared to the same period last year, 2024 first quarter international migration was higher by over 3,600.
- Alberta welcomed 15,388 immigrants in the first quarter, representing 12.6% of national arrivals. The share of national arrivals was 0.8 percentage points higher when compared to the same period last year (11.8%). This increase continues a trend of acceleration in immigration to the province where, since 2022, the quarterly share has increased over the same period in the previous year.
- Nationally, Canada landed 121,758 immigrants in the first quarter. The national target for the 2024 calendar year is 485,000 arrivals.
- Alberta saw record setting first quarter net inflows of non-permanent residents.
- Alberta welcomed 19,165 NPRs, exceeding the same period in 2023 by over 5,400 people.
- Of these new arrivals, 77% held only a work permit, and 11% held both a work and study permit. The portion of those holding study permits only shrunk by 2%.
- To reduce the proportion of temporary residents in the national population over the next 3 years, the federal government will introduce caps on the number of new NPR arrivals when it announces immigration targets this fall.
- As of April 1, 2024, over 216,000 NPRs were Alberta residents. This stock of temporary immigrants was mostly comprised of work permit holders (61%) and study permit holders (21%) while 8% held both a study and work permit. Asylum claimants comprised about 5% of all NPRs.
- With the war continuing in Ukraine, people coming in under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) are part of this stock. Most people admitted under the CUAET are permit holders, with the rest consisting of family members living with permit holders.
Table 2. Number of non-permanent residents by type
| April 1 2023 | January 1, 2024 | April 1, 2024 | ∆Q/Q | ∆Y/Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total non-permanent residents | 132,584 | 197,241 | 216,406 | 19,165 | 83,822 |
| Total asylum claimants | 5,076 | 9,531 | 11,292 | 1,761 | 6,216 |
| Total, permit holders and their family members | 127,508 | 187,710 | 205,114 | 17,404 | 77,606 |
| Work permit holders only | 76,301 | 116,404 | 131,206 | 14,802 | 54,905 |
| Study permit holders only | 35,296 | 46,538 | 46,070 | -468 | 10,774 |
| Work and study permit holders | 9,428 | 15,302 | 17,369 | 2,067 | 7,941 |
| Other | 6,483 | 9,466 | 10,469 | 1,003 | 3,986 |
Interprovincial migration
- Alberta was the only province to register significant net gains from interprovincial migration, adding 12,482 people in the first quarter.
- This was the seventh quarter in a row that Alberta registered the highest net interprovincial gains.
- On a net basis, Alberta gained the most interprovincial migrants from Ontario (5,505), BC (3,474), Saskatchewan (932), Nova Scotia (794) and Manitoba (747).
- Alberta has been recording gains in population from interprovincial migration since 2022, a reverse of the trend seen from 2016 to 2021, when more people left the province than arrived from other parts of Canada.
Natural increase
- Natural increase added 3,763 people in the first quarter, the balance of 12,352 births and 8,589 deaths.
- Alberta had the second highest natural growth rate amongst the provinces at 0.08%, slightly behind Manitoba (0.09%).
Image 2. Net population movement for Alberta (January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024)
Source: Statistics Canada
Table 3. Interprovincial migration statistics (January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024)
| Province/ territory | In | Out | Net | Outflow to Alberta | Inflow from Alberta | Net flow to Alberta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL | 1,998 | 2,093 | -95 | 637 | 443 | 194 |
| PEI | 1,171 | 1,190 | -19 | 316 | 135 | 181 |
| NS | 4,705 | 4,900 | -195 | 1,242 | 448 | 794 |
| NB | 4,671 | 3,044 | 1,627 | 611 | 446 | 165 |
| QC | 6,375 | 6,650 | -275 | 957 | 621 | 336 |
| ON | 18,167 | 27,187 | -9,020 | 9,398 | 3,893 | 5,505 |
| MB | 4,252 | 4,850 | -598 | 1,654 | 907 | 747 |
| SK | 4,716 | 5,914 | -1,198 | 3,045 | 2,113 | 932 |
| AB | 27,538 | 15,056 | 12,482 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| BC | 14,113 | 16,679 | -2,566 | 9,218 | 5,744 | 3,474 |
| YT | 506 | 446 | 60 | 78 | 94 | -16 |
| NWT | 677 | 773 | -96 | 344 | 175 | 169 |
| NVT | 519 | 626 | -107 | 38 | 37 | 1 |
Detailed population tables
- Population estimates and components of growth and population by age and sex – Excel files, updated June 19, 2024
- Municipal (Census Subdivision) Population Estimates (2016 to 2023) – Excel files, updated May 22, 2024
- Components of Migration, Mobility – Alberta, 19 Census Divisions and 8 Economic Regions
- Vital statistics (births and deaths) – Alberta, 19 Census Divisions and 8 Economic Regions
Population change components
Population change is a result of the relationship between births, deaths and migration.
Definitions
- Natural increase – The difference between the number of births and deaths.
- Migration (net) – The difference between movements into a region and those out of a region.
- International migration (net) – This includes immigrants, emigrants, non-permanent residents (net), temporarily abroad (net) and returning migrants:
- Immigrants – permanent residents moving to Canada from other countries and landing in Alberta.
- Emigrants – people permanently leaving Canada
- Non-permanent residents (net) – in and out movements of foreign students, workers and refugee claimants, and the families of each of these categories
- Temporarily abroad (net) – movements of people who do not have a residence in Canada, but intend to return
- Returning migrants – former emigrants who have returned to Canada to live
- Interprovincial migration (net) – The movement between the provinces and territories of Canada, which equals 0 at the national level.
- Intraprovincial migration (net) – The movement within the province of Alberta, which equals 0 at the provincial level.
Archived publications
These detail Alberta population estimates between 2002 and 2019 on a quarterly basis.
Archived annual report: 2021-22 Annual Population Report (January 19, 2022)
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