The latest Statistics Canada population estimates were released Wednesday morning, and they show Saskatchewan continues to see growth in the population, albeit slowing down slightly compared to the previous quarter.
The population is currently at 1,225,493 according to Statistics Canada, which is 2.56 percent higher than the 1st quarter of 2023. In the final quarter of 2023, the population growth was 2.64 percent.
The net change by quarter for Saskatchewan was 6,517, of which immigration was the primary driver. Interprovincial migration would see more people leaving Saskatchewan for other provinces, as opposed to coming to Saskatchewan from elsewhere. The most popular destination for Saskatchewanians in the last quarter of 2023 was Alberta, with most of those coming from other provinces to Saskatchewan coming from our western neighbours as well.
Over the past ten years, Saskatchewan has seen a total increase in population of 108,356. This works out to an increase of 9.7 percent over that period. The data also showed the population of Saskatchewan increased by 31,369 in 2023, the largest increase in one calendar year since 1914.
While Saskatchewan has seen record growth in terms of population, the province still slightly lags behind the other prairie provinces, with Manitoba seeing a 2.9 percent increase in population, and Alberta 4.4 percent.