People
HALIFAX BREAKS RECORDS – BOTH GOOD AND BAD
Of new residents to Halifax, 74.4% were ages 15-44, the largest share in this age group ever recorded. The arrival of younger people in Halifax has resulted in a decline in the median age by 0.6 years since the previous year and by 1.4 years since 2016.
Halifax broke the student-enrolment record for the second consecutive year in 2022, with 32,526 students enrolled across six of its universities. Additionally, 4,195 students enrolled in Halifax campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). University students came from within Nova Scotia (45.5%), across Canada (32.0%), and around the world (22.5%).
Sciences and mathematics had the highest enrolment and the second highest graduation numbers across Halifax universities, while commerce and administration had the second highest enrolment and the highest graduation numbers. Moreover, enrolments in health and wellness, engineering technologies, and academic upgrading and skills development saw triple-digit growth over 2021.
Less encouraging: the fact that the percentage of grade six students in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) performing at or above expectation was at or near the lowest for every subject since these tests began in 2016-17.
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Halifax Index 2023
Population
The question of whether Halifax would maintain its pre-pandemic population-growth trajectory was answered with a resounding “yes” in 2022 as the city added 20,713 new residents, an increase of 4.5% over 2021. Halifax’s population as of July 1, 2022, was 480,582. These 2022 results far surpassed the previous record highs for both the growth rate and net persons added set in 2020.
For the fourth year in a row, Halifax was one of the top-five1fastest-growing CMAs across Canada in 2022. Halifax’s 4.5% growth rate was second only to Moncton, at 5.4%.
International migration rebounded after a slight drop in 2021 with a net addition of 12,381 people, more than double the pre-pandemic high. Interprovincial migration contributed 8,093 new residents to Halifax, 47% above the previous record set in 2021. However, for the first time in nearly 20 years, net intraprovincial migration was negative in Halifax; 124 more people departed Halifax for other parts of Nova Scotia than moved the other way.
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0135-01
Halifax Population Growth
- Between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, Halifax’s population grew by 4.5%, or 20,713 new residents.
- This was the largest annual increase Halifax has ever experienced, both in percentage terms and absolute figures, taking the total population of the city to 480,582.
- Over the last five years, on average, 87% of Nova Scotia’s net population growth occurred in Halifax. With the province seeing even stronger growth numbers over the July-December 2022 period, Halifax can expect to maintain robust growth for at least another year.
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0135-01
Population Growth by City
- Halifax’s 4.5% growth rate was not only the highest ever recorded for the city, but also the second highest across all CMAs in Canada, behind only Moncton at 5.4%.
- Across benchmark cities, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (KCW), with a growth rate of 3.8%, came second to Halifax while Montreal grew the slowest at 0.9%.
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0136-01
Population Growth by Source
- After a COVID-induced shift in 2021, when interprovincial migration was briefly the largest component of population growth, international migration was once again the major driver for growth in 2022, accounting for 12,391 new Halifax residents.
- Interprovincial migration also grew, contributing 8,093 new residents.
- Both the numbers for interprovincial and international migration in 2022 were the highest the city has ever recorded.
- For the first time since 2003-04 when a net figure of 38 Halifax residents moved to other parts of Nova Scotia, 2021-22 saw 124 more people from Halifax move to other parts of Nova Scotia than came the other way.
- The downward trend of natural population growth continues for Halifax; the difference between births and deaths was only 363 in 2022, the lowest it has ever been.
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0136-01
Components of Growth by City
- International migration was the largest source of population growth for Halifax and all its benchmark cities in 2021-22. However, compared to other benchmark cities, Halifax and Calgary saw international migration contribute the least to total growth at 59.4% and 59.3%, respectively. In Vancouver and Toronto, more than 90% of growth came from international migration.
- Interprovincial migration’s contribution to population growth was much stronger in Halifax at 38.8% and Calgary at 21.9%. On the other hand, cities like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, KCW, and Winnipeg lost residents to other provinces on net.
- Net natural growth made up about 1.7% of Halifax’s growth, whereas intraprovincial migration was negative. Natural growth was highest in Calgary, making up 15.3% of growth, while intraprovincial migration accounted for 19.5% of Quebec City’s growth.
Halifax Index 2023
Demographics
Halifax’s allure remained strong in 2022. Not only did we break records for international and interprovincial migration, but new residents have been trending younger each year. Last year 49.9% of international migrants (6,183) and 58.8% of interprovincial migrants (4,756) were ages 15-29. Furthermore, 26.0% of immigrants (3,224) and 23.9% of interprovincial migrants (1,938) were ages 30-44.
In 2022, for the first time in many years, Halifax saw more residents leave for other parts of Nova Scotia (-124 on net). While Halifax added 962 people in the 15-44 age range, on net it lost people under 15 years and above 44 years (-1,086) to other parts of the province.
Halifax’s population ages 15–44 boomed in 2022. This group grew by 15,415 people, far above the previous record in 2020. Halifax’s population ages 0-14 grew by 1,748 people, also a new record.
This youthful trend has driven Halifax’s median age down by 1.4 years since 2016. Halifax has the fifth-youngest median age across benchmark cities, 4.4 years younger than the oldest, Quebec City, at 43.4 years. Additionally, 69.4% of Halifax’s population is of working age, the second highest across these cities.
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0136-01
Migration by Age
- 11,673 people ages 15-29 migrated to Halifax in 2022; 6,183 came from other countries while 4,756 came from other Canadian provinces.
- The population group ages 30-44 also increased by 5,390 people of whom 3,224 were international migrants and 1,938 were from other provinces.
- Although it has been noted that on net in 2022 Halifax saw more people leaving for other parts of Nova Scotia than ever before, these were mostly people under age 15 or above age 44. The city gained people ages 15-44 from other parts of Nova Scotia (+962).
Source: Statistics Canada, Annual Demographic Estimates, Table 17-10-0135-01
Population Growth by Age
- After losing those ages 15-29 and 30-44 for many years to other Canadian provinces, the trend reversed in 2016. This was followed by a growth spurt spanning five years until the pandemic caused a small pause in 2021. However, 2022 saw this age group grow again by a massive 135.2% over the previous high in 2020.
- For the first time in over 10 years, Halifax’s population ages 45-54 increased (+606 people). Conversely, for the first time in over 10 years, those ages 55-64 saw a decline in their numbers.
- Halifax’s population ages 0-14 increased by 1,748 people in 2022, the largest growth ever for that age group.
Halifax Index 2023
Post-Secondary
Halifax’s record-breaking population growth in 2022 was mirrored by substantial growth in post-secondary student enrolment. Across six of Halifax’s universities,2student enrolment grew by 3.2% (+994) between 2021 and 2022 to 32,526 students. The Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) had 4,195 students enrolled at its Halifax campuses in 2022.
University enrolment grew in 2022 for all three categories of student origin. The largest growth area was students from other Canadian provinces, up 8.2% or 791 students. Enrolment of students from within Nova Scotia grew by 142 students (+1.0%), and international student enrolment increased by 61 (+0.8%).
Country-of-origin data for post-secondary students are available only at the provincial level. India was the number one country for international students in 2022 with 3,356, followed by China with 2,755 at Nova Scotia's 10 universities. These two countries have been the top two source countries for international students over the past five years, together representing an annual average of 57% of international enrolments in Nova Scotia.
Across Halifax’s universities, commerce and administration had the greatest number of graduates in 2021 with 1,644 credentials granted. A close second was sciences and mathematics with 1,635 graduates. In terms of enrolment, these two fields were the most popular. However, sciences and mathematics had 8,088 enrolments compared with commerce and administration’s 5,879. STEM broke its enrolment record for the 13th straight year with 15,781 enrolments across STEM fields. At NSCC, business remained the most popular field for enrolment, but other fields like health and wellness (+124.1%) and engineering technologies (+107.9%) experienced tremendous growth over the previous year.
Tuition costs in Halifax were the highest across benchmark cities. Undergraduate domestic students in Halifax paid $2,752 above the Canadian average and $862 more than in KCW, the second-most expensive benchmark city. Quebec City, with the lowest tuition across benchmark cities, was $6,724 below Halifax.
Source: Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, Enrolment Data
Halifax University Enrolment by Origin
- The academic year 2021-22 saw Halifax reach record university enrolment for the fourth successive year, with 32,526 students enrolled across six of the city’s universities – 3.2% (+994 students) higher than the previous record set the year before.
- International enrolments were up 0.8% (+61) over the previous year but remained 2.8% below the record set in 2019-20.
- Enrolment from other Canadian provinces increased significantly in 2021-22, growing by 8.2% (+791) over 2020-21. This was a reversal of the previous decade when enrolment from other provinces fell 0.5% on average annually.
- Enrolment of Nova Scotian students remained strong, making up 45.5% (14,786) of total enrolment.
Source: Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, Enrolment Data
University Enrolment by Country of Origin
- India surpassed China to become the top source country for international students at Nova Scotia's 10 universities, with 3,356 enrolments in 2021-22, 27 fewer than in 2020-21.
- There were 2,755 Chinese students enrolled across universities in Nova Scotia, 747 fewer than in 2021.
Source: Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, Credentials Granted Data
University Graduates by Field of Study
- Academic year 2020-21 saw a record-setting 7,731 credentials granted by Halifax universities. Of these, 73% were in undergraduate programs and 27% in graduate programs.
- Across fields, the largest number of credentials granted was in commerce and administration (1,644), followed by science and mathematics (1,635). The latter had 8,088 enrolments in 2022 while commerce and administration had 5,879. The high graduation numbers for these fields will likely remain stable.
- Graduate degrees granted in the health professions in 2021, at 245, were at their lowest since 2017. However, enrolment seems to be picking up: 2022 saw the highest number of graduate student enrolments in the health professions (1,509).
*The Halifax calculations include the Akerley, Ivany, and Institute of Technology campuses. NSCC's eCampus enrolments (1,422 students) are not included.
Source: Nova Scotia Community College, Custom Request
NSCC Enrolment by Field
- Enrolment in every field at NSCC has grown since 2021 with triple-digit growth observed in health and wellness (+124%), engineering technologies (+108%), and academic upgrading and skills development (+101%).
- A total of 10,473 students were enrolled in NSCC’s campuses across Nova Scotia, 40% in the metro campuses.
- Of the 4,195 students at NSCC metro campuses, 2,983 were from Halifax, 490 from other parts of Nova Scotia, and 65 from other provinces.
- International student numbers at NSCC reached record levels in 2022 up 30% (935) over the previous year. Of these international students, 657 (70.3%) were studying at Halifax campuses.
Source: Statistics Canada, Undergraduate Tuition Fees, Table 37-10-0120-01
Undergraduate Domestic Tuition Costs
- Tuition costs for domestic undergraduate students in Halifax ($9,586) were $2,752 above the national average in 2022.
- Halifax had the highest tuition cost across all benchmark cities, with KCW in second place at $8,724, and Quebec City with the lowest at $2,862.
- Halifax tuition costs grew by 3.2% over 2021. The largest annual increase was in St. John’s (up 12.4%) while the lowest was KCW (at 0.0%).
Halifax Index 2023
P-12 Education
The Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia (PLANS)3conducts yearly4assessments of reading, writing, and mathematics. Student performance has declined since the pandemic. In 2022-23, results ranged from a high of 75% in reading to a low of 57% in writing. The share of grade six students in the Halifax Regional Centre for Education at or above expectation was at or near its lowest level for each subject since these tests began in 2016-17. The decline since the 2019-20 results was most noticeable for mathematics: the share of students at or above expectation fell four percentage points by 2022-23.
Looking at the performance of grade six students of African Nova Scotian (ANS) descent (across the entire province), the story was not very different, with the share of students at or above expectation improving only in reading. For Indigenous students, the share of those at or above expectation worsened for every subject. In fact, the 2022-23 results showed the lowest-ever shares of Indigenous sixth graders at or above expectation in writing and mathematics.
Since 2019-20, gaps in performance between ANS students and the overall Nova Scotia student population narrowed in reading and mathematics, and only slightly widened in writing. The performance gaps widened for Indigenous students across all subjects, however, with gaps in mathematics reaching their widest since testing began in 2016-17.
*No assessments were conducted in the 2020-21 academic year.
Source: Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Assessment Results
Student Performance by Subject
- Following a year with no assessments in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, results in 2021-22 and 2022-23 showed that the shares of Halifax’s sixth graders at or above expectation dropped across all subjects.
- Writing and mathematics saw the largest declines, with shares falling by four percentage points each since 2019-20. The share of those at or above expectation for reading fell by two percentage points.
- Even in the highest-scoring subject, reading, one in four Halifax sixth grade students performed below expectations in 2022-23.
*Only includes students who self-identified as having “African heritage” or in prior years self-identified as being of “African descent”.
**No assessments were conducted in the 2020-21 academic year.
Source: Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Disaggregated Assessment Results
ANS Student* Performance by Subject
- Mathematics was the only subject in which the 2022-23 share of ANS students across Nova Scotia improved over 2021-22 results, increasing by two percentage points.
- The share of ANS students at or above expectation saw a stark decline of four percentage points in writing, with no change in reading.
*Only includes students who self-identified as having “African heritage” or in prior years self-identified as being of “African descent”.
**No assessments were conducted in the 2020-21 academic year.
Source: Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Disaggregated Assessment Results
Gap in Performance for ANS Students*
- The gap in the share of students at or above expectation between ANS students and the overall Nova Scotian student population has narrowed in some subjects and widened in others.
- The gaps widened in reading and writing by one percentage point each but narrowed for mathematics by two percentage points.
- The largest gap across all subjects remained in mathematics where the share of students at or above expectation is 14 percentage points lower for ANS students compared to Nova Scotia students overall. However, this gap appears to be narrowing over time.
*Only includes students who self-identified as being of one or more Indigenous ancestries.
**No assessments were conducted in the 2020-21 academic year.
Source: Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Disaggregated Assessment Results
Indigenous Student* Performance by Subject
- The shares of Indigenous students at or above expectations were lower in 2022-23 for all subjects than they were prior to the pandemic. This marks a reversal from 2019-20 when results had improved almost across the board.
- The largest decline between the pandemic and 2022-23 was in mathematics, a 15-percentage-point drop in the share of sixth grade students performing at or above expectation.
- There were similar but smaller declines in reading and writing, where the share fell by nine percentage points in each category compared to 2019-20.
*Only includes students who self-identified as being of one or more Indigenous ancestries.
**No assessments were conducted in the 2020-21 academic year.
Source: Program of Learning Assessment for Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Disaggregated Assessment Results
Gap in Performance for Indigenous Students*
- After shrinking in 2019-20, gaps in performance between Indigenous students and the overall student population widened by 2022-23 for every subject.
- The largest differences are in mathematics and writing, where the gaps are 15 and 12 percentage points, respectively. For reading, the share of Indigenous students at or above expectation was nine percentage points lower than their Nova Scotian counterparts.
- Also noteworthy is that the gap in writing was temporarily higher at 15 percentage points in 2021-22, but this decreased to 12 percentage points in 2022-23.