population estimates<\/a> by Statistics Canada. The census counted about 631,500 Vancouverites in 2016. New estimates placed the population at 700,000 in 2020.<\/p>\nBut come 2021, it dipped by 6,780.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not necessarily leaving the region. There\u2019s just a big shuffle,\u201d says Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University\u2019s city program.<\/p>\n
So where\u2019s the growth?<\/p>\n
Just look elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, where many communities experienced gains.<\/p>\n
Surrey welcomed just over 13,000 additional residents during the same period, the greatest of all B.C. communities, bringing its total population to 614,600. Langley, its next-door neighbour, added 4,702 to reach 166,400.<\/p>\n
On Vancouver Island, Langford, which forms part of Greater Victoria, saw 6.5 percent growth during the pandemic, pushing its population to 47,313. It\u2019s a tremendous jump from 2016 when its population was 35,300.<\/p>\n
Victoria itself also lost a handful of people. In 2020, the population was estimated to be 94,929. By 2021, it lost 39 people.<\/p>\n
These population estimates are not census data, which is collected from Canadian residents every five years. Instead, Statistics Canada calculates the estimates using Canadians\u2019 financial data every July.<\/p>\n
The census may be more detailed when it comes to demographics, but these estimates \u2014 released last week \u2014 offer us a year-by-year look at what\u2019s happening to our population during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
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