Canada’s death rate has exceeded its birth rate: StatsCan

Between January and March, Canada registered 90,173 births and 90,328 deaths, resulting in a natural population decline of 155 people.

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Author: Quinn Patrick

The first quarter of this year marked the third consecutive quarter in which Canada’s population declined, according to the latest Statistics Canada data. The most notable factor is that deaths have been outpacing births.

On April 1, Canada’s population stood at 41.4 million, a decrease of 55,025 from the start of the year. While the decline is largely attributable to net emigration, a declining birth rate is also a contributing factor.

Between January and March, Canada recorded 90,173 births and 90,328 deaths, resulting in a natural population decline of 155 people.

The Q1 data mark the fifth quarter on record in which Canada has experienced a net natural population decline, first emerging in the first quarter of 2022.

Prior to that, Canada routinely posted natural population increases in the tens of thousands each quarter, with births outnumbering deaths for more than 75 years.

The trend is most pronounced in Quebec, which recorded the largest natural decline in Canada, with 18,550 births and 21,350 deaths.

Newfoundland and Labrador also set a record, recording 865 births and 1,806 deaths in the first quarter of 2026, its largest natural population decline on record.

Meanwhile, Alberta recorded 12,857 births and 9,289 deaths, resulting in a natural increase of 3,568 people, or about 38 per cent more births than deaths over the quarter.

Only three other provinces posted a positive natural increase - Ontario (+1,019), Manitoba (+485) and Saskatchewan (+446), while all three territories also recorded more births than deaths.