MigrantoMigration trends in Canada
North America
Canada takes in more people than it loses: 8.8M immigrants against 1.3M emigrants. Net balance +7.5M — 18% of the country's population
41.3M
Population
8.8M
Immigrants
1.3M
Emigrants
+7.5M
Inflow
1 in 5 residents of Canada was born abroad — and 1 in 32 people born in Canada lives abroad
#4 in the world by net migration gain
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Canada
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
4.2M immigrants · 1.1M emigrants
2000
- The foreign-born population passed 5M residents
2010
- China overtook United Kingdom as the largest source of new arrivals
- Roughly 1 in 5 residents was now foreign-born
2020
- India overtook China as the largest source of new arrivals
Today
- Since 1990: 4.6M more foreign-born residents and 232.9K more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Ask Migo
Tap a question — our AI assistant answers it in chat, with real migration data
Where to live?
Score countries, regions and cities by what matters to you
Living in Canada
See the full country overview