Current Situation
The number of immigrants arriving in Nova Scotia increased from 2,246 (July 1, 2012 - July 1, 2013) to 6,239 (July 1, 2019 - July 1, 2020). The July 1, 2019 to July 1, 2020 period reported the second strongest annual immigration since the second world war. The largest annual immigration was between July 1, 2018 and July 1, 2019. Immigration has increased substantially in the last five years, including a one-time influx of Syrian refugees in 2016 as well as a rising number of economic immigrants. New immigration streams and pilot programs are expected to continue the trend of rising immigration.
| Year | Population Share | Immigration Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3.61% | 1.46% |
| 1973 | 3.61% | 1.39% |
| 1974 | 3.59% | 1.41% |
| 1975 | 3.57% | 1.12% |
| 1976 | 3.56% | 1.18% |
| 1977 | 3.54% | 1.42% |
| 1978 | 3.52% | 1.21% |
| 1979 | 3.51% | 1.14% |
| 1980 | 3.48% | 1.31% |
| 1981 | 3.44% | 1.00% |
| 1982 | 3.42% | 1.09% |
| 1983 | 3.42% | 0.92% |
| 1984 | 3.43% | 1.06% |
| 1985 | 3.43% | 1.25% |
| 1986 | 3.41% | 1.10% |
| 1987 | 3.38% | 0.89% |
| 1988 | 3.35% | 0.80% |
| 1989 | 3.31% | 0.82% |
| 1990 | 3.29% | 0.71% |
| 1991 | 3.26% | 0.70% |
| 1992 | 3.24% | 0.79% |
| 1993 | 3.22% | 0.97% |
| 1994 | 3.20% | 1.31% |
| 1995 | 3.17% | 1.69% |
| 1996 | 3.15% | 1.56% |
| 1997 | 3.12% | 1.38% |
| 1998 | 3.09% | 1.33% |
| 1999 | 3.07% | 0.94% |
| 2000 | 3.04% | 0.81% |
| 2001 | 3.01% | 0.69% |
| 2002 | 2.98% | 0.63% |
| 2003 | 2.96% | 0.63% |
| 2004 | 2.94% | 0.71% |
| 2005 | 2.91% | 0.70% |
| 2006 | 2.88% | 0.86% |
| 2007 | 2.84% | 1.14% |
| 2008 | 2.81% | 1.07% |
| 2009 | 2.79% | 1.00% |
| 2010 | 2.77% | 0.89% |
| 2011 | 2.75% | 0.88% |
| 2012 | 2.72% | 0.91% |
| 2013 | 2.68% | 0.85% |
| 2014 | 2.65% | 1.04% |
| 2015 | 2.62% | 1.12% |
| 2016 | 2.61% | 1.68% |
| 2017 | 2.60% | 1.60% |
| 2018 | 2.59% | 1.69% |
| 2019 | 2.58% | 2.04% |
| 2020 | 2.58% | 2.19% |
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Note: Data represents population as of July 1. Immigration share as of July 1 2020 compared to the population share in 2019.
What This Means
This reflects a general trend of greater immigration to Nova Scotia over the past five years.
Deep Dive
Read more detailed information about this goal by clicking 'Deep Dive'
