Population growth rate on P.E.I. is finally below the national average again

While still near a historic high, Prince Edward Island's growth rate has fallen below the national average for the first time since 2015.

That's according to annual population figures Statistics Canada released Wednesday.As measured on July 1, P.E.I.'s population was 178,550.

At 2.8 per cent, the Island's population growth rate for 2024 is still the third-highest in Statistics Canada records going back to 1952. But the population for the country as a whole grew by 3.0 per cent in 2024, a slightly higher pace.

The top two years for Prince Edward Island overall are 2022 (with a growth rate of 3.1 per cent) and 2023 (3.9 per cent).

P.E.I. remains the fastest-growing province in Atlantic Canada.

The biggest reason for the growth slowdown was a reduction in the number of new non-permanent residents. The year 2023 saw a jump in the number of non-permanent residents, with more than 2,300 moving onto the Island. That fell back to just under 1,000 in 2024.

Another major factor in the slowdown is a huge change in net interprovincial migration.

From 2020 through 2023,the province saw a gain of more than 1,000 residents every year, with more Canadians from elsewhere moving to P.E.I. than Islanders moving to other provinces.

But in 2024, net migration fell to just 82, with about 4,000 people moving into the province and about the same number moving away.

Immigration kept P.E.I.'s growth for the year high.

The 4,149 immigrants who arrived smashed the previous record of 3,439 set in 2022.

For the second year in a row, more than 300 more Islanders died than were born.There were 1,379 births and 1,697 deaths.