Between July 2024 and July 2025, the population of the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA) — which includes the City of Toronto as well as various other parts of the GTA — dropped by 992 people.
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That might not sound like much for a region with over 7.1 million residents, but it marks only the second time since at least 2001 that Toronto didn't grow year-over-year.
The only other time? During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's also the biggest net population loss of any metro area in the country last year. In fact, it's one of only two CMAs to record a population drop in 2025, the other being Kamloops, B.C., which shrank by 259 people.
So what's going on, and where are Torontonians all going?
It's not about births or immigration
The city isn't losing residents because fewer people are being born or coming from abroad. In fact, it's kind of the opposite.
According to Statistics Canada, births in the Toronto CMA actually hit their highest level since 2019-2020, marking a five-year high. Immigration was also strong, landing above pre-pandemic levels from 2018-2019, even if it cooled off compared to the record-breaking surge of the past three years.
But those gains were no match for what was happening on the other side of the ledger.
The Toronto CMA recorded the highest level of net emigration since data collection at this level began in 2001. At the same time, it also saw its largest-ever loss of non-permanent residents.
So yes, Toronto still recorded a net-positive gain from international migration in 2025. But at just 53,397 people, it was the smallest net gain in this category since comparable data became available more than two decades ago.
For some perspective, the previous year smashed records with a net gain of 339,801 through international migration — more than six times higher than the 2025 total.
In other words, people are still being born here and newcomers are still arriving. They're just no longer enough to offset how many people are leaving — not to mention those heading to other parts of Canada...
Toronto is losing people to the rest of Canada
A huge piece of the story here is migration within the country — and no city is feeling it more than Toronto.
In 2024-2025, the Toronto CMA lost a whopping 77,492 people to internal migration. That's more than the entire population of Fredericton, New Brunswick.
That includes folks moving to another part of Ontario or packing up for a different province altogether. It's the largest internal migration loss of any metro area in the country — and by a massive margin.
Toronto saw the highest losses from both people moving within the province and those moving to other provinces. Montreal was a distant second on both fronts.
This trend isn't exactly new, but it's getting harder to ignore. So even with more babies being born and newcomers arriving from abroad, it’s clear a growing number of people are finding reasons to leave.
For many, life elsewhere in Canada is looking a lot more sustainable — or at least more affordable — than what Toronto currently offers.
So, where are people going?
Turns out, a lot of Torontonians aren't going far — but the ones who do are heading clear across the country.
The top destination for former Toronto residents is Oshawa (which has its own CMA and isn't counted in Toronto's numbers), with 11,797 more people moving there from Toronto than moved the opposite way in a single year.
Right behind it was Hamilton, with a net gain of 10,765 people from Toronto.
But beyond the GTHA, Torontonians are increasingly eyeing Alberta. Calgary saw a net gain of 7,069 from Toronto — the third-highest of any city — while Edmonton pulled in another 5,562.
In fact, there's only one place that actually sends more people to Toronto than it loses to it: Montreal.
Over the latest 12-month period, 5,297 people moved from Montreal to Toronto, compared to 4,125 who went the other way — a net gain of 1,172 for Toronto.
Mississauga leads the exodus
It's important to keep in mind that the "Toronto CMA" isn't just the City of Toronto — it includes surrounding GTA municipalities like Brampton, Mississauga, Markham, Vaughan, Oakville, Richmond Hill and even some smaller towns and cottage-country spots like Georgina, Caledon and Orangeville. And while the whole CMA saw a small population dip, not every part of it contributed equally to the loss.
Mississauga had the biggest drop in the area by far, losing over 16,700 people — a 2.14% decrease in that city's population from 2024. The City of Toronto itself lost just over 8,500, while Brampton shed another 5,822.
But other places like Milton, Pickering, Oakville and Vaughan all saw gains, some of them pretty big, helping to balance out the CMA's overall numbers.
Torontonians in search of cheaper, quieter lives
Even though international immigration remains relatively high, the data shows that more and more Canadians — including new immigrants — are settling in smaller or more affordable places.
According to Statistics Canada, the share of Ontario's new immigrants choosing Toronto has dropped from 76% to just over 60% in five years. Meanwhile, cities like Ottawa are picking up steam, with its share of immigrants about doubling over the same period.
With sky-high housing prices, long commutes and the cost of living continuing to climb, the data paints a clear picture: the Toronto dream isn't working for everyone.
Whether it's chasing affordability, a slower pace or just a fresh start, tens of thousands of people are looking elsewhere — and actually making the move.
For now, it looks like Toronto is still the country's biggest city. But if this trend continues, it might not hold that title forever.
What about you — would you ever leave Toronto?
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