Immigration leads to record population growth in several Quebec regions

A new report from Quebec’s statistics institute says many of the province's regions grew at a record or near-record pace between 2023 and 2024, due in large part to immigration.

Montreal led the way, adding more than 91,000 people between July 2023 and July 2024 for a 4.2 per cent growth rate, which is one of the highest ever recorded in any region.

Quebec City set a new record at 2.4 per cent growth, while the city of Laval and the Outaouais and Mauricie regions followed closely behind.

The Institut de la statistique du Québec says the growth is due mostly to immigration, and temporary immigration in particular.

It says non-permanent residents such as temporary workers, international students and asylum seekers outnumbered newly admitted permanent residents in all regions and contributed the majority of the growth.

The institute also says the province recorded slightly more deaths than births during the one-year span — the first time Quebec has had a natural population decline over an equivalent time frame.