Australian Politics Australian Property Global Housing Immigration

Australia and Canada take opposite paths on immigration and housing

Sunday 21 June 2026

The contrast between Australia and Canada on immigration and housing could not be greater.

Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released net overseas migration and population data for the December quarter of 2025, which showed that Australia’s population grew by 412,500 (1.5%) in 2025, driven by NOM of 301,000 (1.1% of the population):

In the same week, Statistics Canada released immigration and population data for the March quarter of 2026, which revealed that Canada’s population declined by 187,500 (0.5%) over the year to be 234,600 smaller than its peak in the June quarter of 2025:

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.