More Canadians are fleeing the country than ever and one province just broke a record

Canadians are leaving the country in record numbers — and the departures just keep climbing.

Emigration from Canada hit an all-time high in 2024, with over 118,000 residents choosing to pack up and leave. But according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, released Wednesday, 2025 is already on track to break that record.

In the first six months of this year, 54,530 people left the country — the most ever recorded in that time frame. And that's just the warm-up. Historical Canadian migration trends show that emigration tends to spike in the second half of the year.

But the wave of departures is far from evenly spread. Two provinces are leading the charge, and one in particular is smashing records and saying goodbye at a much faster pace than the rest.

People are fleeing B.C. faster than any other province

British Columbia saw its highest-ever Q2 emigration this year — a continuation of last year's record-breaking trend in the province.

In just the first six months of 2025, a whopping 12,017 people left B.C. That might not sound massive on its own, but when you compare it to B.C.'s population share, the scale of the exodus becomes clearer.

B.C. makes up about 13.7% of Canada's total population, but it accounted for 22% of all emigration in the first half of 2025. That means British Columbians are 61% more likely to leave the country than the average Canadian.

Put another way, that's 211 people leaving per 100,000 residents — more than 10 times the per capita rate of Newfoundland and Labrador, which had the lowest emigration rate of any province.

Ontario still leads in raw numbers

Ontario continues to be the top source of Canadian emigrants overall. This shouldn't come as a huge surprise, given that Ontario is also the most populous province by far, accounting for 39% of the overall population of Canada.

Still, nearly half (47%) of all people who left Canada in the first half of 2025 came from Ontario — well above the province's share of the population. That means Ontarians are leaving at a rate about 20% higher than the national average.

With 25,604 emigrants so far this year — the second-highest number for a first half on record — Ontario's role in Canada's rising emigration numbers can't be ignored.

Alberta's outflow is slowing down

Alberta appears to be bucking the trend in 2025. While it had an outsized share of emigrants in 2024, that's no longer the case this year.

In the first half of 2025, Alberta's 6,246 emigrants represented just under 11.5% of the national total — slightly below its 12.1% share of the Canadian population.

That drop suggests Albertans are getting more and more likely to stay put.

Quebec and Newfoundland aren't going anywhere

Over on the opposite end of the spectrum, Quebec's emigration numbers are way below what you might expect given its size. Despite being home to over 21% of the national population, Quebec only made up about 12.5% of emigrants so far in 2025.

And Newfoundland and Labrador? Only 118 residents left in the first half of the year — that's just 21 per 100,000 people. To compare, B.C.'s per-capita rate was more than 10 times higher.

So, what's behind the surge?

Canada's cost of living crisis, housing affordability issues and overall economic uncertainty continue to push some residents to consider a new life abroad.

While the exact reasons behind each person's decision to leave vary, the growing numbers show a clear trend: more and more Canadians are deciding the grass might be greener elsewhere.

And if the current pace continues, 2025 could become Canada's biggest year yet for saying goodbye.

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