In 2020, the NWT gained 17 people compared to the year previously, the NWT Bureau of Statistics said in a news release Thursday.
The increase brings the population of the territory to 45,136 people as of Jan. 1, 2021, according to Statistics Canada data.
Between Jan. 1, 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021, there were 572 births and 264 deaths, resulting in a net increase of 308 people.
Interprovincial migration – the main driver of population change in the NWT – saw 1,674 people move into the territory from elsewhere in Canada, and 2,015 people moving away, representing a net loss of 341.
Migration generally follows a seasonal pattern where more people move to and from the territory in the first half of the year compared to the second half.
Internationally, there was a net arrival of 50 people.
Nationally, Canada’s population growth in 2020 was 1.1 per cent points lower than in 2019, mainly because of decreased international migration and higher numbers of deaths due to Covid-19.
All provinces and territories experienced smaller growth rates compared to the previous year, except for Nunavut which grew by 1.8 per cent. Growth was negative in Newfoundland and Labrador at -0.6 per cent.