Most Atlantic provinces recorded first population decline in years at the end of 2025

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

Atlantic Canada’s population boom has ended, with each of the four provinces losing residents at the end of 2025.

New Brunswick’s fiscal update this week noted the province lost about 1,000 people in the fourth quarter of 2025, the first time the population has fallen since the beginning of 2017.

Statistics Canada says Nova Scotia was down about 1,400 people in the quarter, the first population drop the province has recorded since the end of 2020.

Newfoundland and Labrador lost about 200 people in the fourth quarter — its first decline since 2021.

Prince Edward Island’s population fell in two quarters in 2025, including the fourth quarter when it lost about 150 people compared with the three months prior.

The Atlantic region had seen unprecedented growth since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, with the rise of remote work and relatively cheap property prices attracting immigrants and residents from other parts of Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.