Calgary and Edmonton had highest growth of major Canadian cities in last four years as Toronto slowed: Statistics Canada

Canada’s major urban centres experienced widely varying population growth between 2021 and 2025, with Calgary and Edmonton leading the country’s largest cities, while the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) saw virtually no change in the past year, according to new Statistics Canada data released Tuesday. Calgary’s census metropolitan area grew by 19.2 percent over the four-year period, adding nearly 296,000 residents to reach 1.84 million people by 2025. Edmonton followed closely behind with 14.9 percent growth, bringing its population to 1.69 million from 1.47 million. The data shows that Canada’s overall population increased by 3.34 million people during that timespan, rising from 38.2 million in 2021 to 41.7 million in 2025. Much of the growth stemmed from increased immigration levels brought in under the Trudeau government between 2021 to 2024. Among major metropolitan areas, Oshawa posted the third-highest growth rate at 13.8 percent, hitting a population of 493,441, while Barrie grew 13.7 percent and reached 252,446 people. In Atlantic Canada, Halifax led with 13 percent growth, reaching 544,834 total residents. Toronto, Canada’s largest city, and surrounding census metropolitan areas (including Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Vaughan, and Oakville), presented a striking contrast. After years of steady increases, its population remained essentially flat between 2024 and 2025, dropping by roughly 1,000 people to 7.11 million. This represented the only decline among Canada’s five largest metropolitan areas by the end of 2025. Vancouver grew 11.4 percent from 2021 and 2025 to reach 3.09 million residents, though its growth also slowed considerably in 2025. Montreal increased by 6.2 percent to 4.6 million, while the national capital region of Ottawa-Gatineau rose 10.4 percent to 1.7 million. Smaller cities swell Several smaller cities recorded dramatic population gains. Moncton, N.B., grew by 21.6 percent to reach 196,143 people. Kelowna, B.C., expanded by 9.7 percent, while Saskatoon increased 15.3 percent and Regina grew 13.1 percent. The Statistics Canada figures show all census metropolitan areas (a large city combined with large neighbouring urban areas or cities) and census agglomerations (a smaller city and surrounding towns that make up between 10,000 to 100,000 people) combined were home to 35.3 million people by 2025, up from 32.1 million in 2021. That means roughly 85 percent of Canadians now live in these urban centres. A mixed mid-city picture Growth rates varied sharply in mid-sized cities. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo grew 16.5 percent to just over 700,000 residents. London, Ont., increased by 11.5 percent to 633,002 people, while Windsor rose 11.2 percent to 488,738. Some urban areas saw minimal growth. Kamloops, B.C., added only 8,149 residents over four years for a 6.8 percent increase. Greater Sudbury grew just 9.5 percent, while Thunder Bay expanded by only 4.5 percent to 133,765 people. Atlantic Canada’s smaller cities showed mixed results. Saint John, N.B., grew 8.6 percent while Fredericton increased 12.9 percent. St. John’s, N.L., rose 10.6 percent to 243,478 residents. Quebec’s smaller metropolitan areas generally recorded modest gains. Saguenay grew 4.8 percent while Trois-Rivières increased 7.3 percent. Drummondville rose 6.6 percent over the four-year span. The data shows areas outside metropolitan and smaller urban centres grew slower, increasing by 3.7 percent to 6.4 million people. Rural Newfoundland and Labrador actually lost population, declining by one percent between 2021 and 2025. Among census agglomerations, Charlottetown posted strong growth at 16.1 percent, reaching 96,516 people. Cape Breton grew 11 percent while Grande Prairie, Alta., increased 8.2 percent to 72,120 residents. In the years measured, the federal government had significantly increased immigration targets as the economy recovered from pandemic disruption and labour shortages emerged across multiple sectors.