Canada: Country Report | 2024
AI Generated Analysis based on UNHCR Forced Displacement Statisitics.
Executive Summary
Of course. Here is the ‘Key Trends’ executive summary based on the provided data.
Key Trends in International Protection: Canada 2024
A world in turmoil continues to seek safety, and Canada’s role as a major country of asylum has never been more critical. The population of concern reached a record high in 2024, driven by an unprecedented surge in new asylum claims. The asylum-seeker population alone grew by over 94,000 individuals in a single year—a 47.5 per cent increase—making it the largest protection group in the country. This influx is notable for its demographic concentration of working-age adults and its diverse origins, with a significant cohort fleeing crises far from the global spotlight, underscoring the breadth of Canada’s humanitarian reach.
This historic influx places immense strain on Canada’s asylum system. A widening gap between new applications and adjudicated cases has created a significant backlog, trapping individuals in prolonged periods of uncertainty that hinder their well-being and integration. While access to the system remains vital, outcomes rightly vary based on individual protection needs, with refugee recognition rates for top nationalities ranging from 23 to 87 per cent. This systemic pressure highlights the urgent need to bolster processing capacity to ensure the integrity and efficiency of the protection regime.
Yet, amidst these challenges, the data reveals a powerful story of commitment to solutions. Following a pandemic-induced slowdown, Canada demonstrated a remarkable capacity to respond, with durable solutions substantially and consistently outpacing new refugee recognitions from 2022 to 2024. This trend signifies a concerted effort to address not only new arrivals but also the needs of those in protracted situations, offering tangible pathways to stability. While the global gap between displacement and solutions remains vast, this commitment serves as a critical model for responsibility-sharing in an era of record displacement.
Population Overview
Population Overview
The number of people in need of international protection in Canada continued its significant upward trajectory, reaching new levels by the start of 2024. The data reveals a substantial increase in the overall population of concern, driven primarily by a surge in new asylum claims. This trend reflects Canada’s role as a significant destination for those fleeing persecution, conflict, and human rights violations amidst escalating global displacement.
The primary driver of this growth was a substantial rise in the number of asylum-seekers. Between the start of 2023 and 2024, the asylum-seeker population grew by over 94,000 individuals—a striking 47.5 per cent increase. This group now constitutes the single largest population of concern in the country, accounting for more than half of the total. The refugee population also saw considerable growth, underscoring the sustained need for protection.
Behind these stark numbers, the demographic profile of the overall population of concern reveals a unique composition. The data shows a pronounced concentration of working-age adults (18-59 years), with males in this cohort alone accounting for nearly half of the entire population. This atypical structure, distinct from a standard population pyramid, points to specific drivers of displacement or migration pathways that disproportionately affect adult males.
This concentration is also mirrored in the origins of the refugee population. While diverse, the intake is heavily influenced by a single major crisis, with one country of origin accounting for a significantly higher number of refugees than all other nationalities combined. Taken together, this rapid and large-scale influx places considerable pressure on Canada’s national asylum system, reception facilities, and integration services, highlighting the critical need for sustained support to ensure fair and efficient processing for all who seek safety.
Demographics
AI Insight: Treemap of the different types of Populations of Concern in Canada, where the total of 570,000 individuals is unevenly distributed across seven categories, with the largest single group accounting for more than half the total population., This treemap provides a detailed breakdown of the 570,000 individuals classified as Populations of Concern in Canada as of 2024. The chart uses rectangles of varying sizes to represent the proportion of each population type relative to the total. A larger rectangle signifies a larger population group.
The data is composed of seven distinct population categories, but the distribution is highly uneven. The largest single category accounts for 292,055 individuals, which is approximately 51.2% of the total population of concern.
The statistical profile further highlights this concentration: the median population size across the seven categories is zero, indicating that at least four of the seven categories have no individuals reported in this dataset. The 75th percentile value is 138,831, suggesting the presence of another significant population group after the largest one.
In conclusion, the visualization clearly demonstrates that the population of concern in Canada is heavily concentrated within a few key categories, with the majority of individuals belonging to just one or two groups.
AI Insight: Population pyramid of persons of concern in Canada by age and gender, where the 18-59 age group is the largest, containing a significantly higher proportion of males (49.4%) than females (28.2%)., This population pyramid displays the age and gender distribution for the 1,417,038 persons of concern (including refugees, asylum-seekers, and others) in Canada as of 2024. The data is fully disaggregated by gender across six age cohorts.
The most striking feature is the large concentration in the working-age adult category (18-59 years). This group constitutes the vast majority of the population, with males at 49.4% and females at 28.2%. The significant imbalance, with nearly half of the entire population being males aged 18-59, suggests specific drivers of displacement or migration affecting this demographic.
In contrast, younger age groups are considerably smaller. Children aged 0-4 make up 1.14% (male) and 0.66% (female) of the population. The 5-11 and 12-17 age groups show similarly small proportions. The older population (60+) is also a small fraction of the total. This demographic structure, characterized by a pronounced ‘youth bulge’ that is actually a ‘working-age male bulge’, is atypical for a standard population pyramid and points to a population profile heavily influenced by economic migration or specific protection needs related to adult males.
Trends Over Time
AI Insight: Grouped column chart of people of concern by population type in Canada from 2019 to 2024, where the total number of people has increased significantly in recent years., This grouped column chart details the number of people of concern in Canada, broken down by six distinct population types, for each year from 2019 to 2024. The vertical axis measures the number of people in thousands.
The statistical profile reveals a significant upward trend in the total population of concern over this period. While the median value for any given population type in a year is 2,070 people, the mean is substantially higher at 50,024. This discrepancy, along with a maximum value reaching 292,055, indicates that one or more population categories have experienced dramatic growth, particularly in the latter part of the period (2022-2024).
The data shows that the category ‘Returned IDPs’ is consistently zero, which is expected for Canada. The ‘Returned Refugees’ category shows modest numbers, with a maximum of 6,005. The primary driver of the overall increase is concentrated in other population types, likely asylum-seekers or other people in need of international protection, reflecting Canada’s response to recent global displacement crises.
AI Insight: Column chart of population group changes in Canada from 2023 to 2024, where the asylum-seeker population experienced the largest increase of over 94,000 people., This column chart displays the absolute and percentage changes in UNHCR’s populations of concern in Canada between the start of 2023 and the start of 2024. The data highlights a significant overall increase in displaced populations within the country, driven primarily by a surge in asylum claims.
Statistical Breakdown of Changes (2023-2024): - Asylum-seekers: This group saw the most substantial growth, increasing by 94,094 individuals. This represents a 47.5% rise from 197,961 in 2023 to 292,055 in 2024. - Refugees: The refugee population also grew significantly, with an increase of approximately 50,000 people. - Other Groups: ‘Others of concern’ and ‘Venezuelans displaced abroad’ experienced increases of roughly 30,000 and 20,000 people, respectively. - Stateless Persons: In contrast, the population of stateless persons saw a minor decrease of approximately 50 individuals. - Returned Refugees: The number of returned refugees remained unchanged at zero.
Context and Implications: The sharp increase in the asylum-seeker population aligns with global trends of rising forced displacement and reflects Canada’s position as a key destination for those seeking international protection. This rapid growth places considerable pressure on Canada’s asylum system, reception capacity, and social support services. For UNHCR and its partners, these figures underscore the urgent need to support national systems in providing access to fair and efficient asylum procedures, legal aid, and robust integration programs for new arrivals.
AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the top 9 refugee countries of origin in Canada for 2024, where one country accounts for a significantly higher number of refugees (over 84,000) than all other origins., This horizontal bar chart details the primary countries of origin for refugees in Canada as of 2024. The chart displays ten bars, representing the top nine countries and a tenth ‘Other’ category, with country flags used as icons. The x-axis quantifies the number of people, while the y-axis lists the origins.
The data reveals a highly skewed distribution. The number of refugees from a single origin ranges from 6,693 to a maximum of 84,736. The median number of refugees per origin is 13,346, but the mean is substantially higher at 26,950, indicating that the top country is a significant outlier. This leading country of origin accounts for more than three times the number of refugees as the country with the next-highest count (the 75th percentile is 23,716). The majority of the listed countries fall within the interquartile range of 11,298 to 23,716 refugees. The chart underscores a primary driver of refugee inflows to Canada from one specific region in 2024, while also showing a diverse, albeit smaller, intake from several other nations.
Geography & Movements
Geography & Movements
The geography of displacement in 2024 reveals a complex picture, with established host countries like Canada experiencing significant shifts in the scale and composition of their displaced populations. The data reveals a substantial increase in the total number of forcibly displaced people residing in Canada between 2019 and 2025. This growth is not uniform; rather, it has been driven by a sharp rise in arrivals from a few key countries of origin, whose populations have swelled to become the dominant groups.
Behind these stark numbers lies a story of profound diversity. A detailed analysis of refugees in Canada shows that the largest single group falls under a collective ‘Others’ category, numbering nearly 85,000 individuals. This figure, substantially larger than any single nationality, highlights that Canada provides protection to people fleeing a wide spectrum of global crises, many of which exist far from the international spotlight. This diversity underscores the country’s role as a destination for those seeking refuge from protracted and emerging conflicts alike.
In a striking contrast to its role as a major destination for the forcibly displaced, Canada is a country of origin for only a minimal number of people seeking protection abroad. The data confirms that cases of displacement from Canada are not only rare but also highly concentrated. Of the small number of Canadian citizens recorded as forcibly displaced globally, the vast majority—over 2,300 individuals—are hosted in a single neighboring country. The distribution among other host nations is sparse, with a median of just eight individuals per country, making the primary destination a significant outlier. This dual reality paints a clear picture: while Canada’s role as a global protection provider is growing in both scale and diversity, its own contribution to global displacement figures remains negligible and geographically contained.
AI Insight: Choropleth map of destination countries for displaced populations from Canada, where the United States is the primary destination, hosting a significant majority of the total population., This choropleth map visualizes the global distribution of displaced persons originating from Canada as of 2024. The data includes Refugees, Asylum-seekers, and other persons of concern to UNHCR. The map highlights that displacement from Canada is minimal and geographically concentrated.
Key Findings: Out of 241 countries and territories mapped, only 24 host displaced persons from Canada. The distribution is highly skewed, with the United States hosting the vast majority of these individuals.
Statistical Analysis: The number of displaced persons per country ranges from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 291. The median (50th percentile) is 8, indicating that half of the host countries have 8 or fewer individuals. The 75th percentile is approximately 20, which underscores that the maximum value of 291 in the United States is a significant outlier.
Context: Canada is a high-income country and a major refugee-hosting nation, making it a rare country of origin for displaced populations. The small figures shown on the map reflect this reality. These cases often involve unique circumstances, such as asylum claims made by citizens abroad. The visualization effectively demonstrates both the low overall number and the strong concentration of this population in a single neighboring country.
