Thousands of British Columbians continue to move to Alberta, budget reveals

Finance Minister Brenda Bailey presents B.C.'s 2025 budget, with a record $10.9-billion deficit, in the legislature.

While the overall population is expected to grow, British Columbia continues to see a decline in net interprovincial migration, with most people leaving the province for Alberta.

The Ministry of Finance says thousands of people moved eastward, as “the province continued to experience an outflow of interprovincial migrants over the last five quarters, largely due to migration to Alberta.”

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From January to September of 2023, an estimated net gain of 1,185 people came to B.C. from other parts of Canada, while January to September of 2024 saw a net loss of 5,030 people. The trend was first documented last year.

The numbers come from the 2025-26 provincial budget, which includes demographic trends among other big-picture statistics and information.

As of last July, B.C.’s population grew three per cent compared to the year before, reaching 5.7 million people. This year, the population is expected to increase by only 0.2 per cent and decline 0.3 per cent next year, largely due to declines in net international migration due to federal government policy.

“The updated targets for temporary residents are expected to create an outflow of temporary residents from B.C. in 2025 and 2026, which is anticipated to have a substantial impact on population growth in the upcoming years,” reads the budget document. “In addition, B.C. is expected to experience a net loss of interprovincial migrants in 2025, before turning positive in 2026.”