Waterloo Region’s population growth stalls after international student decline: report

View from 1001 King Street East, Kitchener's tallest high-rise, on April 1, 2026. (Dave Pettitt/CTV News)

The Region of Waterloo’s years-long population boom has slowed dramatically, according to a new report that showed the number of residents grew by just 90 people in 2025.

The document, which will be presented to the region’s Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee next week, estimates the population reached 678,270 by the end of 2025 — an increase of just 0.01 per cent.

Regional staff describe it as a “dramatic shift” from record-breaking growth between 2021 and 2023.

“This stagnation is largely driven by a net decline of 9,070 students following federal caps on international study visas,” the report states.

The federal government introduced limits on new international study permits in 2024, leading to a decline in enrolment at Waterloo Region’s three post-secondary institutions: Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

The report said Waterloo Region is still feeling those effects more sharply than many other communities because of its large student population.

As of November 2025, there were 73,800 full-time post-secondary students enrolled at local schools. Regional estimates suggest more than 61,000 of those students also live within Waterloo Region.

The recent slowdown is contrasted by several years of rapid growth. Waterloo Region added nearly 28,500 people in 2023 alone, representing a 4.41 per cent increase.

Even though population growth almost slowed to a standstill in 2025, the region estimates 3,720 new households were added, bringing the total number to 246,600. Kitchener accounted for the largest increase, adding approximately 3,000 households.

Regional planners said changing demographics are also reshaping the community.

The report highlights a rise in multi-generational housing, driven partly by affordability pressures and newcomer populations. It also notes more residents aged 55 and older are moving into newly-built apartments and leaving larger detached home for younger families.

Officials said they expect the population slowdown, tied to international enrollments, to continue over the next two to three years as the students graduate and fewer newcomers replace them.

The region, meantime, plans to use the data from the upcoming 2026 census to recalibrate its population and housing models in light of what staff described as significant demographic and socio-economic changes since 2021.

Waterloo Region said it still expects to support a population of one million residents by 2051.