Newcomers drive N.L. population growth, as other demographic data trends downward

Immigration continues to account for the bulk of population growth in Newfoundland and Labrador, with other demographic indicators either lagging further or sliding back into negative territory.

That's according to population estimates from Statistics Canada released last month.

The new data underscores a provincial government push in recent years to bolster the number of newcomers from outside Canada. That influx of immigrants is keeping Newfoundland and Labrador's population on the rise, according to Statistics Canada figures.

From the beginning of 2021 up to the end of September last year, more than half of the people who came to live in Newfoundland and Labrador were immigrants.

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Three-quarters of the remaining migrants to the province also originated outside the country, as non-permanent residents.

A small minority relocated from other provinces.

All told, Newfoundland and Labrador's population increased by more than 20,000 from the first quarter of 2021 through last fall.

Net interprovincial migration added more than 3,800 people over that same time frame.

But the most recent quarter marked the first time in four years that Newfoundland and Labrador lost people to other provinces and territories.

That drop of 471 almost erased all the interprovincial gains from the previous three quarters combined.

The biggest population boost for Newfoundland and Labrador since the beginning of 2021 came from Ontario — a net increase of more than 5,500.

Alberta and Nova Scotia were the biggest destinations for people leaving the province, with net losses of nearly 800 people to each.

But there is another set of numbers that draws perhaps the sharpest focus on the demographic challenges facing the province.

The last natural increase in Newfoundland and Labrador population — when the number of births exceeded the number of deaths — was in 2016. 

And that data point alone has become increasingly grim since then.

Over the first nine months of 2024, more than twice as many people in the province died (over 5,000) than were born (fewer than 2,500).

Newfoundland and Labrador's population topped out more than three decades ago, at over 580,000.

By 2007, it had dipped below 510,000.

The number has since rebounded to 545,880, according to the most recent Statistics Canada data.

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In 2021, Premier Andrew Furey called immigration "a key pillar in our success" in working towards the province's social and economic recovery.

The government has since repeatedly reinforced that message.

"Our economic prosperity relies on economic immigration," Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley said in October.

And the importance of the issue was also flagged in the most recent public accounts report, which outline the financial state of Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Aging of the population is one of the most important demographic challenges confronting the province because of its significant implications for program delivery of many public services, in particular, health care," the document noted. 

As of mid-2024, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest median age (47.8 years) and highest average age (45.7 years) across Canada.

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