As per a report from Statistics Canada, international movement continues to be the primary source of population swell in the Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs)–predominantly in the Western Canada. The research covers the period 2014-2015.

Even as immigration was the basis of as much as 60% of population increase in CMAs, its involvement was down from 2013-2014 (66%).

Besides, seven CMAs with the highest relative rate of population augmentation were all situated in Western Canada. Out of these, while Kelowna (+3.1%) and Abbotsford-Mission (+1.4%) are situated in the British Columbia (BC) region; Edmonton & Calgary (both +2.4%) are located in Alberta. Similarly, while Saskatoon (+2%) and Regina (+1.9%) are situated in Saskatchewan, Winnipeg (+1.4%) is situated in Manitoba.

On the contrary, the CMAs that registered population cuts were all situated in either Central or Eastern part of the nation.

Roughly 7 out of every 10 residents of the Maple Leaf Country, or 25,164,126 persons, live in the CMAs. Population aging is rising outside the CMAs, with the non-CMA regions having a median population of 43.9 years, as opposed to 39.3 in the CMAs. The general populace of the country is approximately 35,851,774.

Over the time-frame 2005–2015, the general population rise in the non-CMA stood at 4%. On the contrary, the CMAs witnessed an average population jump of 15% over this time.

A CMA is basically a region having one or more neighboring municipalities located around a core. It is compulsory that a CMA has a combined total populace of not less than 100,000, of which 50,000 or more reside in the core. At present, the nation boasts of 33 CMAs; areas that are not CMAs are duly cataloged as non-CMAs.