CNN
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Canada saw record population growth in 2022, with immigration accounting for the vast majority of the 1.05 million new residents.
It is the first time in the country’s history that its population has increased by more than one million people in 12 months, according to a Statistics Canada press release published on Wednesday.
The total population reached 39,566,248 million as of January 1, up 2.7% from a year earlier, with immigration accounting for 95.9% of that growth, according to the country’s statistics agency.
While other developed countries are struggling with slowing population growth, Canada has the fastest population growth of any G7 country, and a growth rate of 2.7% ranks among the top 20 in the world.
If the country’s population were to continue growing at the same rate, it would double in about 26 years, according to Statistics Canada.
The number of immigrants arriving in Canada reached a record 437,180 in 2022, and the increase in immigration “is linked to the Government of Canada’s efforts to alleviate labor shortages in key sectors of economy,” said Statistics Canada.
“High job vacancies and labor shortages come amid accelerated population aging in Canada and unemployment rates that remain near record lows,” the agency added. .
At the end of 2022, the Canadian government announced that it wanted to bring in 1.5 million immigrants by 2025, to fill the gap in its economy created by an aging population.
Canada ranks first on Gallup’s Migrant Acceptance Index, and Gallup data released on December 7 found that Canadians are consistently among the most likely in the world to view their communities as good places where to live for migrants.
However, Statistics Canada raises some potential future challenges if the 2022 trend continues.
“An increase in the number of permanent and temporary immigrants could also pose additional challenges for some regions of the country in terms of housing, infrastructure and transportation, and the provision of services to the population,” the agency said.
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing pressure from political opponents over migration levels, due to a sharp increase in the number of people entering Canada from the United States.
In January, Canadian authorities encountered nearly 5,000 asylum seekers crossing illegally, according to government data.
