Stats Canada’s 2016 Census says BC’s population continued its upward trend in 2016.
The province continued growing at a steady rate according to Demographer Jonathan Chagnon.
“British Columbia had an increase of 5.6% to their population, they’re at 4.6 million people and is one of the only provinces with a higher growth rate than the Canadian rate.”
Chagnon adds they uncovered an interesting fact about the western provinces that included Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. “For the first time ever in Census history, the western provinces of Canada are making up one-third of the population which means over 30% of the country now lives in one of the western provinces.”
The Prince George-Cariboo economic region reported a smaller increase of 1.4% in 2016.
That equates to 156,000 people living in the area with Prince George making up nearly half of the region’s population at 74,003.