2021 census shows population growth in most areas across Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan’s population grew in some areas over the past five years, but not in others.

According to 2021 census data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan’s population is now 1,132,505 — an increase of 3.1 per cent from 1,098,352 in 2016.

Regina grew 5.3 per cent in that time, going from 215,105 residents five years ago to 226,404 in 2021.

Saskatoon’s population shot up 7.7 per cent over the five years, rising from 247,201 to 266,141.

However, Estevan’s population fell by 5.5 per cent from 11,483 to 10,851, the seventh-largest decrease in the country among cities with at least 5,000 residents.

And the province’s rural population fell from 364,848 to 358,716, a drop of 1.7 per cent. The urban population growth rate in Saskatchewan rose by 5.5 per cent.

Canada’s rural population increased by 26,609 people (or 0.4 per cent) from 2016 to reach 6.6 million in 2021. However, the rural population growth rate was 15 times slower than the growth rate of urban areas in Canada (6.3 per cent).

According to Statistics Canada, the share of the population living in rural areas in Canada decreased from 18.7 per cent in 2016 to 17.8 per cent in 2021.

The country’s population rose by 5.2 per cent to 36,991,981 over the five-year span, a growth rate that’s double that of any other G7 country.

The census data said most of the growth was before the COVID-19 pandemic began, meaning restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID also slowed the pace of immigration.

Statistics Canada said 1.8 million more people called Canada home in 2021 than in 2016, with four in every five of those being immigrants.

— With files from The Canadian Press