 The latest census shows that BC continues to grow, but at a slower rate than at any time since WWII. Jennifer Echols photo
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Statistics Canada recently released the first results of the 2001 census and they show that British Columbia has (or had on Census Day, 13 May 2001) a population of 3,907,738. That means that BC continues to be Canada's third-largest province, behind Ontario and Quebec, with 13% of the national population.
The census also shows that BC retains, just barely, the distinction of being the only Canadian province that has grown at a faster rate than the country as a whole in every census period since 1871. Between 1996 and 2001, the Canadian population increased by 4% while the population of BC increased by 4.9%. This is a much slower rate of growth than during the period 1991-1996, when the province experienced a 13.5% increase in population. Indeed, it is the slowest rate of growth since WWII.
Growth did not occur evenly. The southwest corner of the province--the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island--grew by 7.3% and now contains close to 70% of all British Columbians. The only other area to experience growth was the Okanagan-Thompson region. Otherwise, 16 of the province's 28 regional districts showed a decline in population between 1996 and 2001; this trend raises concerns for the future of smaller communities, many of which are suffering from the effects of the downturn in BC's resource-based economy.
The census also identified several other trends:
- 85% of the provincial population now lives in urban areas.
- Between 1996 and 2001, 40,000 more people left BC for other provinces than arrived from the rest of Canada.
- BC's population growth is now dependent on immigration from other countries. Without immigration the provincial population would have declined during the census period.
- Because of the census, BC will likely receive 2 new federal electoral constituencies by 2004.
The following tables summarize some other census data.
| BC Population 1951-2001 |
| 1951 | 1,165,210 |
| 1961 | 1,629,082 |
| 1971 | 2,184,625 |
| 1981 | 2,713,615 |
| 1991 | 3,282,061 |
| 2001 | 3,907,738 |
| Fifteen Largest Communities in BC |
| 1. Vancouver | 545,671 |
| 2. Surrey | 347,825 |
| 3. Burnaby | 193,954 |
| 4. Richmond | 164,345 |
| 5. Abbotsford | 115,463 |
| 6. Coquitlam | 112,890 |
| 7. Saanich | 103,654 |
| 8. Delta | 96,950 |
| 9. Kelowna | 96,288 |
| 10. Langley District | 86,896 |
| 11. North Vancouver District | 82,310 |
| 12. Kamloops | 77,281 |
| 13. Victoria | 74,125 |
| 14. Nanaimo | 73,000 |
| 15. Prince George | 72,406 |
Fastest Growing Municipalities 1996-2001
(populations greater than 5,000) |
| Municipality | % increase |
| 1. Whistler | 24% |
| 2. Surrey | 14.2% |
| 3. Port Moody | 14.2% |
| 4. View Royal | 12.9% |
| 5. Maple Ridge | 12.5% |
| 6. Coquitlam | 10.9% |
| 7. New Westminster | 10.8% |
| 8. Richmond | 10.4% |
| 9. Port Coquitlam | 9.8% |
| 10. Abbotsford | 9.6% |
Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd and Harbour Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. © 2002.
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