Immigration to Nunavut

Immigration to Nunavut since 2020 has remained very limited compared to the rest of Canada owing to the territory’s remote location high cost of living and strong reliance on natural increase from high birth rates among its predominantly Inuit population. The 2021 census recorded 250 people who had immigrated to Nunavut between 2016 and 2021 with recent arrivals primarily from countries such as the Philippines India and Nigeria. The total number of foreign born immigrants stood at 1165 or about 3.2 percent of the population in 2021 up modestly from 920 in 2016. Non permanent residents have shown some recent growth rising 25 percent to just over 300 as of January 2026 even as national immigration levels declined. Overall international migration continues to play a minor role in Nunavut’s population dynamics which grew from roughly 39 000 in 2020 to about 41 900 by late 2025 largely through births rather than inflows from abroad.