Growth in non-permanent residents was the other noteworthy development in 2018. The number of foreign nationals admitted to live in Canada on a Share of population temporary basis reached an all-time high of 166,000 (net of returning individu- growth from als), which represented about one-third of the total rise in population. That’s up from less than 10% two years ago. This group includes temporary foreign non-permanent workers, international students and asylum seekers. All three categories residents: soared, reflecting strong demand for skilled labour, Canada’s growing reputa- tion as a desirable place to obtain post-secondary education, and increases in cross-border refugee claimants. We see little in the short term that would reverse these trends. Canada’s population grew faster than all other G7 countries Annual % change in resident population, 2018 2.0 1 1.5 .4 1.0 0 0 . . 7 7 0.5 0 .3 0 .2 0.0 -0 -0 .2 .2 -0.5 Canada US UK France Germany Italy Japan Source: Statistics Canada, US Bureau of the Census, Eurostat, INSEE, Germany’s Federal Statistical Office, ISTAT, Japan’s Statistics Bureau, RBC Economics Research RBC Economics Research | Navigating 2019 - 9 big insights for the year ahead | January 2019 15