Surrey sees the highest level of ‘outmigration’ in Metro Vancouver region

The City of Surrey is one of the fastest-growing communities in all of Canada, and a new report gives some insight into where new residents are coming from – but also details where the city is losing people to.

The report is by the Metro Vancouver regional government and it details the demographic changes in the region, with data from 2016 to 2021. Overall, the region has seen a whopping 60 per cent increase in migration.

Surrey has gained residents due to migration from within the region, but also logged the highest “outmigration” – losing 3,700 residents each year to other parts of B.C., with Vancouver second at 2,700. The people leaving were mostly working-age people.

The report showed that both Vancouver and Surrey welcomed an average of 15,500 new immigrants a year.

“Historically, Metro Vancouver’s net non-permanent resident levels generally ranged between 5,000 and 10,000 annually since 2001,” said the report. “However, these numbers declined during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) before surging to approximately 92,500 for the 2022-2023 annual period.”

Metro Vancouver’s population structure has shifted significantly over the past two decades, said the report.

In 2001, the region was predominantly composed of working age residents (25-60 years old). By 2021, two generational groups have become dominant: Millennials (25-40 year old) and Baby Boomers (55-75 years old).

• The 20 to 40 year old population grew by 86 per cent since 2001, reaching 650,000 in 2021, representing 40 per cent of the region’s population.

• The 55 to 75 year old population doubled over the same period, increasing from 16 per cent of regional share in 2021 to nearly a quarter in 2021.

The gender distribution remained relatively stable, with women comprising 51% and men 49% of the population in both 2001 and 2021.

However, the gender gap was more pronounced among seniors (65+), with women consistently outnumbering men by approximately 10 per cent in both years.

HOUSING STOCK

Metro Vancouver’s housing stock grew by 37 per cent between 2001 and 2021, with relatively stable five year growth rates across Census periods.

Growth peaked at 8.9 per cent between 2006 and 2011, and was lowest between 2001 and 2006. Since 2001, the number of apartment units increased by 41 per cent, reaching 450,000 in 2021, which accounted for 43 per cent of all regional housing. Multiplex and row housing also saw significant growth of 42 per cent and 53 percent respectively, while single detached homes declined over the same period.

Among Metro Vancouver’s member jurisdictions, Vancouver experienced the largest increase in apartment units, adding approximately 59,000 units between 2001 and 2021.

Surrey saw significant growth in multiplex housing (30,000 units) and row houses (20,000 units) over the same period.

Average household size reflects how the population is distributed across dwelling units. In 2021, Metro Vancouver’s average household size was 2.5 across all housing types.

Over the past four Census periods, the regional average household size has steadily declined, decreasing 3.5% since 2001. However, trends vary by household type:

• Apartment household sizes increased by 5.9 per cent, rising from 1.76 in 2001 to 1.87 in 2021.

• Single detached household sizes declined by 3.2 per cent, reaching 3.08 in 2021.

EMPLOYMENT

Metro Vancouver’s employment growth is shaped by population trends, existing job distribution, and land availability for employment sectors.

Between 2011 and 2021, total regional employment grew by 34 per cent, reaching 1.35 million jobs.

Some key trends include:

• Vancouver maintained the largest share of jobs with a usual workplace;

• Surrey became the second largest employment hub, growing by 87 per cent to 230,000 jobs;

• Richmond and Burnaby each held 10% of regional employment, with growth of 10 per cent and 20 per cent respectively; and,

• Tsawwassen First Nation saw the fastest growth, with 2021 employment levels 4.5 times higher than in 2001.