Abbotsford added more than 12,000 new residents over the last five years, the 2021 census has found.
Population figures were released Wednesday (Feb. 9) by Statistics Canada.
The city’s population grew to 153,524 last year, up from 141,397 five years earlier. That’s an increase of 8.6 per cent – above the national average of 5.2 per cent and the B.C. average increase of 7.6 per cent.
It’s also a larger increase than occurred between the 2011 and 2016 censuses, when the population grew by 5.9 per cent.
Abbotsford’s 2021 population puts it as the 32nd largest in the country for census metropolitan areas and the fifth highest in the province.
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Meanwhile, some of Abbotsford’s neighbours have been growing even more quickly.
Mission’s population rose 7.7 per cent between 2016 and 2021 to 41,519, but Chilliwack’s grew by 12.1 per cent – to 93,203.
The number of residents living in the Township of Langley grew 13.1 per cent to 132,603, while the City of Langley’s population increased 11.9 per cent to 28,963.
The population of the two Langleys at 161,566 eclipses Abbotsford’s by 8,042 people.
Canada’s population comes in at 36,991,981 while B.C.’s is at 5,000,879.
The data released Wednesday also indicates that there are a total of 55,569 private dwellings in Abbotsford.
More detailed information from the census will be released throughout the year. The next release on April 27 will look at Canada’s shifting demographic profile.
vhopes@abbynews.com
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