This story has been edited to correct a stat.
The North Shore’s population grew by 659 people over the last year, or about 0.3 per cent.
BC Stats released its annual population change estimates this week showing the North Shore continues to lag behind other Lower Mainland municipalities when it comes to population growth.
The City of North Vancouver grew by 353 residents or 0.6 per cent between 2018 and 2019, bringing the total population to 57,325 residents, the province estimates.
The District of West Vancouver’s population went up by 228 or people 0.5 per cent in the last year, according to the latest update, bringing the total population to 43,945.
And the District of North Vancouver made it into the bottom 10 municipalities ranked by population growth, adding 78 people for a total of 89,763, a growth rate of 0.1 per cent.
During that time, Metro Vancouver added 39,041 new residents, a 1.5-per cent increase.
The only municipality in Metro Vancouver to crack the top 10 in growth rates was Surrey, which added another 16,382 people — 2.9 per cent growth. Five Metro municipalities posted a net loss, the starkest of which was Pitt Meadows, which saw its population contract by 0.8 per cent. The District of Squamish, however, led all of B.C. in shedding citizens with 2.9 per cent drop, year over year. As of July 1, 2019, B.C.’s population hit 5,071,336 residents, up 1.4 per cent from the year before.
This is the first year BC Stats has collaborated with Statistics Canada’s demographers in calculating the population estimates, introducing new methodology to the process.
