Cities are often talked about as "engines of economic growth"; for us here at Urban Futures, we view that statement as being more opinion than fact. What is indisputable, however, is that urban areas are--if not the engines--the primary recipients of population growth in Canada.

Today's viz summarizes total population change from 2010 to 2015 in each Canadian province, delineated by whether the change occurred within each province's Census Metropolitan Area(s) or outside of them.

Not surprisingly, the total population additions realized within each province's CMA(s) far outnumbered those realized outside these broad urban regions. Part of that is due to the fact that more people already live within CMAs (excluding the Territories, where there are no CMAs, 67 percent of Canadians currently live in CMAs). However, the rate of CMA population growth also outpaced that of non-CMAs in every province over this 2010-2015 period. As a result, the big (CMAs) have been getting bigger.

Furthermore, outside of PEI (which doesn't have a CMA), each of the Atlantic provinces saw their non-CMA populations decline over the most recent five-year period--a distressing sign that locals are all too aware of.

Expect more of the same going forward--with Canada becoming increasing urban over time.