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Population growth slows, but continues, in Calgary

Click to play video: 'Calgary sees changing demographics as population slowly grows'
Calgary sees changing demographics as population slowly grows
WATCH: Despite facing tough economic challenges, Calgary is continuing to grow – though slowly. Results from the 2019 civic census also show a noticeable shift in age demographics. Blake Lough reports – Sep 3, 2019

Despite the sluggish economy, the city of Calgary’s population has increased by nearly 20,000.

Results from the civic census shows Calgary’s population is now 1,285,711, up 18,367 from last year. That change represents a 1.45 per cent increase.

Net migration and natural increases — births over deaths — are both slightly down from 2018 increases.

More than 9,500 people moved to Calgary in 2019, a number 2,000 fewer than last year. Natural increase was 8,807, a drop of 612 from 2018.

“We need immigration very badly in this city and this country,” Mayor Naheed Nenshi said Tuesday.

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Nenshi said, with an aging population, it’s important to attract a working age and child-bearing population to the community to fight against those demographic trends.

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“It’s important to get past the fear mongering on this and it’s important for us to highlight that this city and this country don’t work without young immigrants coming here and working.”

The fastest-growing age group in Calgary over the past ten years is between the ages of 65 to 74.

The southeast community of Mahogany leads the way in population growth with an increase of nearly 2,000 people. Legacy, Cornerstone and Redstone also saw growth of more than 1,000 residents.

An illustration from the City of Calgary displaying the actively developing communities (in yellow), centre city (in red) and established areas (in grey). According to the 2019 city census, 83 per cent of Calgary’s population growth since 2010 has been in the actively developing communities and centre city has seen construction drop “significantly” in 2019. City of Calgary / handout

Statistics from the annual census show that 66.41 per cent of homes in Calgary are lived in by their owners, down from 68.22 last year.

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The census covers a period from April 2018 to April 2019. It included questions on total number of residents, ownership, school support, pre-school aged children and age and gender.

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