Canada saw the largest population drop in its history in the third quarter of 2025 – a result of changes made to federal immigration strategy.

According to Statistics Canada, the country’s population dropped by about 76,000 between July and October of this year.

The reduction was largely driven by fewer non-permanent residents, primarily in Ontario, followed by B.C., Quebec and Alberta.

There were 18,544 non-permanent residents in Newfoundland and Labrador as of October 1, a drop of 1.9 per cent from the previous quarter, while there was no statistical change in the province’s overall population over the previous quarter.

The federal government plans to significantly reduce the number of temporary residents allowed into Canada over the next three years.

Stats Can says while temporary immigration was the main reason for the drop in population, the country welcomed just over 102,000 immigrants in the third quarter – numbers similar to the previous three quarters.