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Kelowna News  

Thompson-Okanagan population projected to explode over next 20 years

250,000 people by 2046

If projections are accurate, about a quarter million more people will reside within the Thompson-Okanagan region within the next 20 years.

Figures released Tuesday by StatsBC suggest the overall population of the region will reach nearly 690,000 by 2046, just shy of the current population of Vancouver.

The lengthy report says while B.C. has the lowest fertility rate of any province in Canada (1.11), immigration is the biggest population driver both from within Canada and internationally.

And most of the growth will be centered within the Central Okanagan where each of the major population centres expecting to see growth in excess of 60 per cent.

Lake Country (87.5%), Westbank First Nation (72.9%), West Kelowna (62.3%) and Kelowna (61.3%) all lead the way in projected growth.

And if projections are accurate, Kelowna's population will grow to just shy of 250,000 by 2046 with the largest jump of nearly 20,000 occurring between 2040 and 2046.

Lake Country, already one of the fastest growing communities in the province is projected to 32,500, West Kelowna 62,800 and Westbank First Nation, 15,800.

Penticton is projected at the low end of the scale with a projected growth of just 37 per cent over the next 22 years, hitting a little more than 50,000.

Kamloops is expected to nudge beyond the 150,000 mark, an increase of 46.5 per cent while Vernon is forecast to surpass 67,000, an increase of 47.9 per cent.

Salmon Arm is forecast to reach 30,000, an increase of slightly less than 50 per cent while the Columbia-Shuswap region is the only other area where growth is expected to top 50 per cent.

Figures suggest the Columbia-Shuswap will grow by 54 per cent to slightly more than 14,000.

It anticipated Surrey will eclipse one million people and surpass Vancouver as the largest city in the province while Langford will be the fastest growing community more than doubling its present population of 49,000.

It's anticipated the provincial population will climb by about 2.4 million to 7.9 million by 2046 while nationally, moderate forecasts put Canada's population at 48.8 million, an increase of 27 per cent.

Not surprisingly, B.C. is older than the national average with a population averaging 42.3 years. The Thompson-Okanagan is also one of the older regions with 24.7 per cent of the population over the age of 65.



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