The population of Quebec is growing in almost all regions of the province, and particularly in Montreal, according to data released Thursday by the Institut de la tourisme du Québec (ISQ). The metropolis alone is responsible for almost half of the population growth, which is largely explained by immigration, in particular the influx of temporary residents.
Approximately 208,000 people were added to the Quebec population between 1is July 2023 and 1is July 2024, an increase of 2.3%. The population of Quebec is now estimated at nearly 9.1 million people.
The ISQ explains that this is the “most significant growth recorded for an equivalent period since at least 1971-1972, that is, since comparable data has been available for Quebec.” Growth was 2% during the 2022-2023 period.
The population of the administrative region of Montreal itself jumped by 91,300 inhabitants between 2023 and 2024, which represents an increase of 4.2%. Again, this is the greatest growth, but since data became available on a regional scale, i.e. since 1986-1987. The Montreal agglomeration alone welcomed 44% of the province’s new residents.
The Capitale-Nationale ranks second among administrative regions in terms of the strength of population growth in 2023-2024 (2.4%), followed by Outaouais (2.2%) and Laval (2. 1%).
Only the North Shore recorded a negative result, seeing its population decrease slightly, by 0.1%. This is a decline for a second year in a row for the region.
Temporary immigration, an engine of growth
Almost everywhere in Quebec, this unprecedented growth is based on immigration, which is itself propelled by the growing number of temporary immigrants.
The ISQ specifies that “temporary immigration (made up mainly of temporary workers, foreign students and asylum seekers) has contributed more strongly to demographic growth than permanent immigration”.
-Thus, the growth in the number of non-permanent residents everywhere exceeds the number of immigrants admitted as permanent residents. For example, Montreal received 26,452 permanent immigrants, compared to 94,938 non-permanent residents.
The metropolis welcomed 47.7% of new arrivals from the province in 2023-2024, far ahead of Montérégie (14.6%), Capitale-Nationale (11.3%) and Laval (5.7%).
Quebec as a whole admitted 55,451 permanent immigrants and 162,549 non-permanent residents.
Despite this growth, Quebec’s natural growth has stalled. For the first time, the ISQ recorded a negative natural balance (a number of deaths greater than the number of births) over a period of one year.
The natural balance of the province thus amounts to -1,150 people, compared to +696 people in 2022-2023.
Deaths exceed newborns in 12 of the 17 administrative regions. Only Montreal, Outaouais, Laval, Montérégie and Nord-du-Québec recorded positive natural growth, often of low magnitude.
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