Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province in Canada to see a drop in population over the last five years according to the latest figures released by Statistics Canada.

The province’s population dropped by over 9,000 people, (-1.8 per cent) from 519,716 in 2016 to 510,550 in 2021, according to Statscan data released this week.

The Northwest Territories also saw a drop of -1.7 per cent.

All other provinces and territories saw an increase, with Yukon leading the way (12.1) followed by PEI (8.0) and British Columbia (7.6).

While many areas saw an increase in their rural population, sparked in part by an exodus from major centres during the pandemic, rural Newfoundland and Labrador was hit hard.

Nunavut reported the fastest pace in rural population growth, with Newfoundland and Labrador seeing the largest decline at -6.4 per cent.