Growing, shrinking, and aging – Columbia Basin-Boundary regional population update

Demographic information is critical for local planning. This information can help us understand who makes up our population and what their needs are. As Statistics Canada releases more information from the 2016 Census, the RDI will be able to provide new updates, starting with an Update on Population Numbers. This update presents and compares numbers from BC Stats and Statistics Canada, and discusses why and how the two differ. From the 2016 Census data we see growth in 20 of our 28 municipalities across the region. The map below shows the population change by Electoral Area between 2011 and 2016. We can see that while the overall regional population is reasonably steady, some areas are growing while others are shrinking. Future population projections continue to show that our region is aging, posing questions and challenges related to services as well as workforce development.