Alberta Leads Canada By Wide Margin in Interprovincial Migration Over Last Three Decades, Study Finds

More than half a million Canadians have immigrated to Alberta from other provinces in the past three decades, far outpacing interprovincial migration to other provinces, according to a new study from the Fraser Institute.

Based on Statistics Canada data on interprovincial migration from approximately 1995 to 2025, the study found that Alberta recorded the highest net gain of residents from other provinces and territories, at 538,824.

British Columbia ranked second with 214,883, followed by Nova Scotia with 23,299, and Prince Edward Island with 4,335.

By contrast, Quebec experienced a net loss of 255,988, while Ontario lost a net 168,166. Manitoba had a net loss of 155,919, followed by Saskatchewan at 123,603, Newfoundland and Labrador at 58,319, and New Brunswick at 5,862.

“Generally, Alberta stands out as the most attractive destination for interprovincial migrants in recent decades, while Newfoundland & Labrador is the least attractive,” the report concludes, noting that Newfoundland and Labrador had the biggest net emigration relative to its population.

“Alberta and British Columbia were the only provinces to attract net in-migration across all age groups,” the report adds.

Canadians on the Move

When migration is measured relative to population, the study found that Alberta still emerged first in Canada. The province had a net gain equal to 10.7 percent of its population in 2025.

Newfoundland and Labrador, by contrast, saw a net population loss from interprovincial migration equal to 10.6 percent of its current population, followed by Manitoba at 10.3 percent, and Saskatchewan at 9.8 percent.

The report notes that Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a net loss of 40,480 residents aged 18 to 24 over the study period—equivalent to 97.3 per cent of the province’s 2025 population in that age group.

This statistic does not mean that nearly all of Newfoundland and Labrador’s current 18-to-24 population moved away. Rather, it represents the cumulative net loss of people in that age group through interprovincial migration over the study period—a figure that is now nearly equivalent to the province’s entire 2025 population aged 18 to 24.

In the same age cohort, New Brunswick came second in terms of outflow, with 33.9 percent of 18-to-24 year-olds leaving as a proportion of its 2025 population in that age bracket, followed by Saskatchewan at 22.7 percent and Prince Edward Island at 20.6 percent.

Who’s Moving to Alberta?

The report notes that Alberta’s largest gains came from younger age groups, with a net increase of 192,329 residents aged 18 to 24 and 216,679 aged 25 to 44. Gains among older cohorts were more modest, with a net increase of 5,058 people aged 45 to 64 and 22,728 aged 65 and over.

The largest number of individuals who migrated to Alberta came from Ontario, at 195,236, followed by Saskatchewan at 95,949, and Manitoba at 73,025.

Munro said that Alberta has historically drawn newcomers from other parts of Canada due to increased employment opportunities, wages, and a smaller tax burden.

However, Munro explained that the report doesn’t measure those who have a residence in one province while working in another, which he noted is common in Atlantic Canada. StatCan also notes that its figures on interprovincial migration for 2024-25 are preliminary and could still be revised.