Turning the Tide: Demographic Developments in New Brunswick, 1951-2020

Abstract

New Brunswick experienced virtually no population growth in the 17-year period from 1991 to 2007 after enjoying a 0.92 per cent average annual growth rate from 1951 to 1991. Since 2007, the tide has turned, and the population of the province is once again growing, averaging 0.36 per cent per year. The main driver of this development is gross immigration. After averaging less than 1,000 per year in the1972-2007 period, gross immigration rose to around 2,000 per year between 2008 and 2013 and then jumped to an annual average of around 4,000 in the 2014-2020 period. Net interprovincial migration also contributed to the turnaround, rising from an average annual loss of around 600 in the 1972-2007 period to an average annual gain of about 900 in the 2017-2020 period. The report provides a detailed analysis of these demographic developments at the level of the province, the 15 census divisions (counties), and the three census metropolitan areas and four census agglomerations.

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