Canadians are leaving the country in record numbers and nearly half are from one province
More Canadians packed up and left the country in 2025 than at any point in over a decade. And one province is driving the bulk of the departures.
According to liv.rent's 2026 Canada Rental Market Trend Report, which draws on data from Statistics Canada, 95,733 Canadians emigrated in the first three quarters of 2025. That's up 17% from 2024 and the highest level since 2011. The rise was widespread too: 11 of 13 provinces and territories posted double-digit year-over-year increases in residents leaving the country.
Ontario led the exodus by a wide margin, accounting for 47% of all departures nationwide, with 44,758 people leaving the province. That marks a new record for Ontario emigration and continues a trend that has been building for years.
For context, Ontario makes up roughly 39% of Canada's total population, meaning residents are leaving at a disproportionately high rate relative to its size.
Together, B.C. and Ontario accounted for nearly 70% of all emigrants nationwide.
Meanwhile, interprovincial migration (people moving between provinces) also slowed in 2025, declining 6% year-over-year.
Where does Quebec fit in?
Quebec accounted for 13% of Canada's total emigration in 2025, with 12,691 people leaving the province. That's a 21% year-over-year increase and the highest emigration level Quebec has seen since 2017. The jump is notable given that Quebec's immigration numbers held remarkably steady during the same period, declining just 0.4% year-over-year while most other provinces saw double-digit drops.
The province even overtook British Columbia and Alberta to become the second-largest immigration destination in the country, behind Ontario.
In other words, Quebec is attracting people in and losing them at the same time, with the outward acceleration picking up speed through the second half of the year.
B.C. also posted a striking number, with emigration jumping 32% year-over-year to 19,628 people — the largest year-over-year increase from the province in more than a decade, accounting for 21% of all Canadian departures.
Why are people leaving?
The report doesn't pin emigration to a single cause, but the broader context isn't hard to read.
Cost of living pressures, tighter federal policies affecting temporary residents and international students, and a general cooling of the economic conditions that drew people to Canada in the post-pandemic years all appear to be factors.
The federal government's updated Immigration Levels Plan also signalled a more restrained approach to population growth, which may be contributing to a shift in how people weigh their options.
For Montreal renters specifically, the departure numbers haven't yet translated into falling rents. The city bucked the national softening trend in 2025, with average rents for an unfurnished one-bedroom unit edging up 2% year-over-year to $1,693. With emigration accelerating through the second half of the year, though, liv.rent flags early signs of a potential reversal on the horizon.
The full report is available at liv.rent.
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