Released on September 17, 2014
Saskatchewan’s population could top 1.5 million people by 2038, according to a new report released today by Statistics Canada.StatsCan issues its population projections every five years, outlining seven possible scenarios for population growth in Canada and the provinces. Its projections for Saskatchewan range from the province having a population of anywhere from 1,174,000 people to 1,527,000 people by 2038. The lower growth projections are based on population trends dating back to Saskatchewan’s zero-growth period of the 1990s and early 2000s, while the higher growth scenarios are based on
Saskatchewan’s strong population growth trends in recent years.
Premier Brad Wall said he believes the strong growth scenarios are more likely, based on the experience in Saskatchewan in the past few years.
“Saskatchewan is strong and growing,” Wall said. “These projections show we are expected to keep growing and that’s a good thing. There are many challenges that come with growth, but I would rather deal with those than the challenges of decline our province was facing just a few short years ago.”
Wall noted that when Statistics Canada issued its population projections in 2005, four of the six scenarios saw Saskatchewan actually losing population over the next 25 years. Even the most optimistic scenario at the time saw Saskatchewan growing to just 1,064,000 people by 2031. Today, there are more than 1,120,000 people living in the province.
“Saskatchewan has now grown by more than 120,000 people in just the past seven years,” Wall said. “Today, the least optimistic projection shows stronger growth than the most optimistic one just a decade ago. Things have changed a lot in Saskatchewan.”
Wall said the government will continue working hard to keep Saskatchewan strong and meeting the challenges of growth.
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For more information, contact:
Karen Hill
Executive Council
Regina
Phone: 306-787-2127
Email: karen.hill@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-529-9207