Story perspectives

Canada’s Population Shrinks 55,000 Amid Tight Immigration

6/18/2026

Summary

Story summary

Canada recorded its population decline after three quarterly drops, due to tighter temporary-resident immigration targets.
Statistics Canada said the population fell by about 55,000 to 41,417,056 on April 1 2026.
Permanent immigration fell 20.2% to 83,149, meeting the target set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), while non-permanent residents dropped about 118,000 to 2.56 million (6.1% of the population).
Economists said the decline is slowing GDP, though higher per-capita output offsets effects.

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Story summary

Canada recorded its population decline after three quarterly drops, due to tighter temporary-resident immigration targets.
Statistics Canada said the population fell by about 55,000 to 41,417,056 on April 1 2026.
Permanent immigration fell 20.2% to 83,149, meeting the target set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), while non-permanent residents dropped about 118,000 to 2.56 million (6.1% of the population).
Economists said the decline is slowing GDP, though higher per-capita output offsets effects.