The Northwest Territories’ population rose by 242 people in the 12 months up to April 2024, new figures suggest.
The territory’s estimated population on April 1, 2024 was 44,920 people, the NWT Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday, an increase of 0.5 percent on a year earlier.
Canada as a whole recorded population growth of 3.2 percent over the same period. Only Nunavut, where the population grew by 0.7 percent, joined the NWT in recording growth below one percent in the past year.
The NWT’s population growth has been the lowest in Canada for every April-to-April period since April 2021. Between 2022 and 2023, the territory’s population shrank. This year’s figure represents a rebound, even if that growth is small compared to most other jurisdictions.
Yukon, reporting 45,750 residents in April, remains larger than the NWT in terms of population, which has been the case since last year.
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Meanwhile, the NWT reported its largest quarterly international migration figures since modern records began.
The territory recorded a net gain of 211 people through international migration between January and March 2024.
That figure represents the sum total of all immigrants, emigrants, returning Canadians, non-permanent residents and individuals temporarily abroad.
The NWT Bureau of Statistics said international migration to the territory has been increasing since late 2020, and the latest 2024 figure represents its highest level since comparable data began to be collected in 1971.
Births in the territory, which outstrip deaths by about 50 percent, also contribute to the population, but hundreds of people a year leave for other provinces or territories, representing the biggest drain on the number of residents.
