British Columbia's
population of 4.5 million is growing more diverse with an influx of newcomers
from other parts of Canada and around the world. B.C. is home to a culturally
diverse and geographically dispersed aboriginal population.| General
Population Statistics—2009 | | | Population
July 1, 2010 (thousands) | 4,455.2 | | Compounded
Avg.Annual growth rate 2001 to 2006 (%) | 1.16 | | Percent
of Canada (July 1, 2009) | 13.20 | | Population
per sq. km | 4.7 | | Median
age (July 1, 2009) | 40.7 | | Total
net migration (000's) July 1, 2008/09 | 58.6 | | Source:
Statistics Canada, Prepared by BC Stats | |
The age structure of British
Columbia is shaped mainly by the postwar baby boom and subsequent drop in birth
rates, which has resulted in a bulge in the population of the 42 to 60 year age
group. | Population
Estimates by Selected Age Groups—2009 ('000) | | Age
Group | Males | % | Females | % | Total | % | | 0
to 4 | 113.3 | 5.1 | 105.9 | 4.7 | 219.2 | 4.9 | | 5
to 14 | 240.7 | 10.9 | 225.5 | 10.0 | 466.3 | 10.5 | | 15
to 24 | 310.5 | 14.0 | 288.1 | 12.8 | 598.7 | 13.4 | | 25
to 34 | 297.1 | 13.4 | 299.7 | 13.4 | 596.8 | 13.4 | | 35
to 44 | 313.5 | 14.2 | 317.9 | 14.2 | 631.4 | 14.2 | | 45
to 54 | 352.9 | 16.0 | 361.9 | 16.1 | 714.7 | 16.0 | | 55
to 64 | 281.5 | 12.7 | 290.3 | 12.9 | 571.8 | 12.8 | | 65
to 74 | 169.4 | 7.7 | 177.1 | 7.9 | 346.5 | 7.8 | | 75
+ | 131.4 | 5.9 | 178.4 | 7.9 | 309.8 | 7.0 | | Totals | 2,210.3 | 100.0 | 2,244.9 | 100.0 | 4,455.2 | 100.0 | | Source:
Statistics Canada, Prepared by BC Stats |
British
Columbia’s non-immigrant population grew by 2.9 per cent between the 2001 and
2006 Census, whereas the immigrant population grew by 10.8 per cent during this
same period. The origin of immigrants has changed. Historically, the bulk of the
immigrant population came from Europe; more recently, however, Asia and the Middle
East have become the predominant source, accounting for more than half the foreign-born
persons in British Columbia (2006 Census).
Lifestyles range from cosmopolitan in the metropolitan areas of Vancouver and
Victoria to rural in the interior regions and along the Pacific coast. Regional
Population: Population
of Vancouver Island, BC More
information on the population of B.C. is available on the BC Stats website:
Population
of Municipalities, 1996–2009
BC
Population Projections |
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