New, higher population for Waterloo Region ‘largely attributed’ to rise of international students

There’s a new population estimate for the Region of Waterloo, and an increase in the number of people who live here is “largely attributed to increases in international student enrollment.”

That’s according to a staff report to councillors, with year-end numbers for 2023, the number of households, and how many students are included in those numbers.

The report says at the end of 2023, the population of the Region of Waterloo was 673,910.

That’s 28,490 people more than in 2022, with a growth rate of 4.4 per cent.

All those people are living in 238,800 households, an increase of 6,240 new households since 2022, with a growth rate of 2.68 per cent.

The report says, “Population growth in 2023 exceeded the annual forecast from the Region’s Official Plan. This is largely attributed to increases in international student enrollment.”

Councillors are being told this is significant because international students need somewhere to live, and housing availability is impacted, but most domestic students live at home in Waterloo Region or live close enough to their school to commute.

The report points out that before 2016, “growth in international student enrollment was minimal.”

“Between 2016 and 2022, total enrollment increased by 3.4 per cent annually, on average. In 2023, enrollment grew by 16.5 per cent. This growth was entirely fueled by the increase of international students.”

The trend in international enrollment though is not expected to continue following changes to international enrollment regulations at the federal and provincial levels.

This report comes up for discussion at the Planning and Works Committee, on Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m.