News release

More Youth Choose Nova Scotia

Finance and Treasury Board
Labour and Advanced Education (Jan. 2011 - Aug. 2021)

Nova Scotia has had three years of positive growth in youth population after more than three decades of a trend that saw more youth leaving than coming to the province.

“For the third year in a row, more young people came to Nova Scotia than left,” said Finance and Treasury Board Minister Karen Casey. “We are pleased that this trend continues in the right direction and we will continue to monitor youth migration.”

The figures are in a report by Statistics Canada.

“I’m thrilled to see so many youth succeeding early in their careers,” said Labour and Advanced Education Minister Labi Kousoulis. “We continue to support programs that connect our young people to the workforce so they can live, work and thrive in Nova Scotia.”

During 2017-18, 7,364 youth aged 15-34 came into the province, while 6,745 left.

The under 14 age group is also a key driver of the total number of people moving between provinces. The province saw 2,587 children coming here versus 2,039 who left, for a gain of 558. Youth aged 26-35 were the biggest source of migration from other provinces with a gain of 657 people, when compared with all other 10-year age groups.

Nova Scotia's population was an estimated 959,942 as of July 1, 2018. This is a gain of 9,262 people compared to the estimate for July 1, 2017. This one per cent growth is the strongest in 34 years.

For more information, visit https://novascotia.ca/finance/statistics/news.asp?id=14515 .