Alberta’s population grew more than rest of Canada last year, data shows

Alberta’s population continues to grow — and faster than almost all of Canada.

Statistics Canada estimates that more than 5.1 million people lived in Alberta as of July 1, up nearly 76,500 people — or about 1.5 per cent — from a year before, according to the agency’s latest data.

No jurisdiction added as many people over the year, data suggests, and only Nunavut and the Yukon — places with much lower populations than Alberta — grew at a greater rate.

“We’re still a destination, and I think that speaks to economic opportunities,” said Jenny Godley, a professor in the University of Calgary’s anthropology and archaeology department. “Hopefully it also speaks to the openness of Alberta as a place for people to come and work and live and have their families.”

Alberta’s population has boomed for several years, but that growth is calming down, data shows. The estimated growth rate from 2025 to 2026 was the slowest since 2021, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data suggests the province’s natural increase — births versus deaths — stayed level. Several thousand fewer Canadians migrated from other provinces — but tens of thousands of people from B.C. and Ontario, and more people from the other Prairie provinces,  flocked to Alberta.

The federal government’s new immigration policies are also a factor.

The levels plan, included in last year’s budget, aims to limit admissions into Canada over the next few years, in part to ensure immigration matches labour market needs and doesn’t exceed the housing supply. Ottawa capped permanent resident admissions at 380,000 each year until 2028, and non-permanent resident admissions — including asylum seekers and people here on study and work visas — at 385,000 this year, with a further decrease upcoming.

StatsCan data suggests more than 50,000 immigrants landed in Alberta in the past year — which is still high, historically, but roughly 8,000 fewer than the year before, and the fewest since the pandemic started.

The province also reported a net loss of almost 8,000 non-permanent residents, driven almost entirely by international students leaving, data shows.

“That has been true all across the country,” Godley said.

“[Ottawa’s] cutback has been successful in terms of reducing that pressure, a little bit anyway, on the housing market,” she said. “But it certainly does change the nature of our student body as well; our student body becomes a little bit less diverse.”

The Alberta government plans to keep pressing the federal government for “a more sustainable” immigration approach, Juliana Rodriguez, spokesperson for Finance Minister Jason Nixon, told CBC News in an emailed statement.

Strong population growth can bolster the province’s economy, but “unsustainable levels” can strain public services, the housing supply and labour market, she said.

Heather Thomson, the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of economy and engagement, said immigration ought to align with the province’s economic needs. But she said there also needs to be an awareness of who’s leaving, ensuring they aren’t part of the skilled workforce.

Looking ahead, Thomson worries about how the upcoming provincial referendum — and the uncertainty surrounding it — could affect Alberta’s economy.

The referendum, scheduled for Oct. 19, will pose 10 questions to voters on various issues.

Only one of the questions pertains to Alberta’s place within Canada. Five others focus on immigration policy, including whether the Alberta government should have more control over immigration, and whether non-permanent residents should have to pay — at least for a time — to access social services, like health care and education.

“Anytime we’re talking about a level of uncertainty — whether it comes from investment, talent and just what’s going to happen with a certain jurisdiction — that can pause, or delay, or put investment off altogether,” Thomson said.

“Whether people want to come live here and invest their time and their skillset in the province, or if it’s an organization or a massive company that wants to come here, certainty is going to be a big part of that,” she said.

The federal government has been studying potential consequences of Albertans choosing to move closer to independence, including an incredible financial shock and mass exodus of businesses and residents from the province.