Nova Scotia Migration
Changes in population from migration and immigration
Positive net international immigration added to gains from interprovincial migration, resulting in a net increase of 1,850 people to Nova Scotia’s population in the first quarter of 2026. This was a decrease of 33.9% from the net gain in the first quarter of 2025.
Changes in population from movement within Canada
Some 4,565 people moved to Nova Scotia from other provinces in the first quarter of 2026, down 2.9% from a year earlier. A total of 3,362 people left the province for elsewhere in Canada in the first quarter, a decrease of 15.4% from the same period in 2025. The result was a net gain of 1,203 people to Nova Scotia’s population in the first quarter. This was an increase of 66.2% from the net gain from the first quarter of 2025.
Changes in population from immigration
Net international immigration added 647 people to Nova Scotia’s population in the first quarter of 2026. This was a decrease of 68.8% from the net gain from the same period in 2025.
