Saskatchewan’s population continues to grow at a steady pace in spite of lower oil prices.
There were 1,133,637 people living in Saskatchewan on July 1, an increase of 3,100 since April 1. The new population number is slightly lower than the number initially reported last quarter, but that’s because Statistics Canada recently revised all of its population estimates back to 2011. Even with the revised numbers, Saskatchewan’s population has grown in every quarter for the past nine years.
Saskatchewan’s rate of population growth was the third strongest among the provinces over the past year and fourth-strongest in the past quarter.
Premier Brad Wall said the continued steady growth shows the strength and resilience of Saskatchewan’s economy.
“Even with the challenges facing the oil industry this year, people continue to see Saskatchewan as a great place to work and live,” Wall said. “This is a big change from a few years ago when a slower resource sector would invariably lead to a declining population.”
Saskatchewan’s population gain in the second quarter of 2015 was made up of a natural increase (births minus deaths) of 1,641 and net international migration of 2,903 offset by net inter-provincial outmigration of 1,444.
