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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

expanding labour pool a key driver

Alberta reaches 5 million people, according to StatsCan

May 12, 2025 | 2:39 PM

According to Statistics Canada, Alberta has now reached five million people.

You can see StatsCan’s live population tracker here.

Alberta hit four million in October 2013, it was summarized by an economic post by ATB Financial’s Mark Parsons on Monday.

Based on the medium-growth projection from Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, Parsons shared, the province will reach six million by 2036 and seven million by 2048, ATB Financial shared in an economic report Monday.

ATB projects most of that growth will be in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer.

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“That was a quick one million. Alberta added on million residents in just over a decade, after reaching the four million milestone in 2013. International migration contributed the most over this period, but Alberta’s faster population growth relative to other provinces was driven by interprovincial gains and natural increase (births minus deaths),” Parsons wrote.

“While Alberta’s population has been rising consistently over the past decade, it went into overdrive in the last two years. In 2023, the population expanded by 3.9 per cent or 173,767 people. In 2024, that number was 4.4 per cent (+204,209) — based on the mid-point of each year. Driven by interprovincial migration, Alberta has been leading all provinces in population growth for six quarters in a row.”

Parsons says by expanding its labour pool, driving house demand, and increasing ties with other parts of the country and world, population growth will remain a key economic driver for Alberta.