Record numbers of people left Canada in 2025: government data
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120,640 Canadians emigrated to other countries in 2025, surpassing the previous high from the year prior.
(LifeSiteNews) — The number of people leaving Canada has reached a new all-time high.
Newly released data from Statistics Canada reveals that a record 120,640 Canadians emigrated to other countries in 2025, surpassing the previous high from the year prior.
This marks the highest annual number of departures in recorded history and follows a steadily increasing pattern that has been ongoing since 2021.
Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta recorded their highest-ever annual emigration figures, with Ontario leading the way at 56,000 departures, nearly half of all recorded emigration from Canada.
British Columbia followed up Ontario with over 25,000 departures and also led the way in overall emigration rate per capita, with 442 emigrants per 100,000 people. The rest of Canada averaged 290 emigrants per 100,000. Several provinces also managed to hit all-time highs, including Quebec with nearly 16,000.
Over two-thirds of emigrants from Canada are leaving British Columbia and Ontario, two provinces facing similar financial and political circumstances at the moment. Their respective governments both won their most recent elections in majority fashion (David Eby-led NDP won the British Columbia election in 2024, Doug Ford-led Progressive Conservatives won the Ontario election in 2025), yet many people of both provinces have expressed significant concern with their leadership.
Numerous departure-causing factors are shared between Ontario and British Columbia, with the economy and health care system at the top of the list. Public opinion polls throughout 2025 consistently ranked affordability and the cost of living as top concerns for Canadians, often ahead of or alongside health care. Surveys have also affirmed the idea that immigration has been too high in recent years, spiraling out of control since COVID and largely contributing to the top concerns that the country faces today.
As emigration hits an all-time high, the average annual intake of immigrants post-2015 remains significantly higher than that of any time before Justin Trudeau’s leadership. Both factors combined have led to all-time highs of immigrant population percentage in Canada (26 percent projected in 2026). The native-born population is seeing more of an outflow than any previous time, while immigration continues to bring in hundreds of thousands of new Canadians every single year.
Canada has also experienced what some analysts describe as a “brain drain.” Reports indicate that highly-educated individuals, including those in STEM fields, engineering, technology, finance, and management, are leaving at elevated rates compared to their fellow Canadians. Studies note that highly-skilled immigrants seem to depart at roughly twice the rate of lower-skilled ones within the first five years, affecting sectors such as technology, engineering, and finance.
Analysis from TD Economics highlights the pattern of highly-skilled workers moving to the United States and elsewhere in pursuit of better opportunities, higher wages, and improved affordability. It brings to the forefront issues such as “demotivating personal taxes” and “labyrinthine business taxes,” emphasizing their relevance to the exodus of Canadian workers.