Lethbridge's 2026 population is now estimated at 116,401. In 2001, the population of Lethbridge was 69,228. Lethbridge has grown by 2,730 in the last year, which represents a 2.4% annual change. These population values and projections come from Statistics Canada Table 17-10-0155-01: Population estimates, July 1, by census subdivision, 2021 boundaries and World Population Review Internal Projections .
Lethbridge is not just an average city, but rather an integral part of the economy of Alberta. This is not just because it is the fourth largest city in the region, dwarfed only by Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer. Lethbridge is, in fact, the central location for the primary financial institutions for the area in Canada. Centers for transportation, commercial, and industrial amenities for south Alberta are found within Lethbridge, and the economy has, therefore, remained stable throughout the city’s history.
The city of Lethbridge comes in with a total surface area of 122.09 square kilometers (47.14 square miles). In combination with the population total nearing 100,000 - the population density is increasing. Currently, the density is around 759.5 residents per square kilometer (1,967 people living per square mile).
Demographic data from 2016 shows that 50.9% of the population is female and 49.1% is male.
There are 40,803 households within the city and an average of 2.41 people per dwelling. Among the total number of homes, there are only 2,127 vacant structures, accounting for 5.2% of all dwellings within Lethbridge. Currently, there are 335 dwellings under construction in the city.
The average age of Lethbridge residents is 38.1, with females averaging 39.1 and males averaging 37.1 years of age.
Many cities throughout Alberta have been affected by the economic downturn and the results have sent unemployment rates skyrocketing. Lethbridge has shown an increase in unemployment from 2015 to 2016 and, according to an annual report sent out by the government of Alberta, Lethbridge had a 6.9% unemployment rate for 2016, up from 5% in 2015. There were 7,700 people receiving unemployment as of 2015 and that number increased to 11,000 people in 2016. That is a 42.9% increase in the short span of one year.
Those who are working are grouped into one of two categories within Lethbridge: the goods-producing sector and the service-producing sector. The goods-producing sector of employed people did see a drop in numbers from 52,700 people in 2015 to 42,700 people in 2016. However, the service-producing sector saw an increase over the two years with 94,300 people for 2015 and 106,200 people in 2016.
One of the best aspects of Canada is the fact that it is a diverse culture and, although 85.5% of the total population of Lethbridge speak English, there are many other cultures and languages represented. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 4.3% speak German, 2.1% speak Dutch, 1.1% speak French, 1.1% speak Spanish, and .4% speak Japanese. Other languages represented within Lethbridge include Tagalog, Chinese, Polish, and Hungarian. Each of these languages is spoken by .5% of the population of the city.
According to the most recent census of 2017, the population of Lethbridge is steadily growing. The current growth rate stands at 1.41%, and the total population is 98,198. The city of Lethbridge is divided into three areas: north, south, and west. The south was the only area of the city that showed a negative growth rate of -.19% when compared to 2016. The other regions experienced a growth rate of 1.01% in the north and 3.05% in the west.
| City | 2026 Pop. ↓ | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | 3,358,275 | 2.64% |
| Montreal | 1,943,903 | 1.49% |
| Calgary | 1,678,073 | 4.04% |
| Edmonton | 1,284,480 | 3.73% |
| Ottawa | 1,218,903 | 2.59% |
| Winnipeg | 870,032 | 2.33% |
| Brampton | 801,732 | 3.08% |
| Mississauga | 768,794 | 0.55% |
| Vancouver | 751,644 | 1.51% |
| Surrey | 731,630 | 3.99% |
| Hamilton | 652,266 | 1.84% |
| Quebec | 602,025 | 1.58% |
| Halifax | 532,856 | 3.1% |
| London | 508,883 | 2.85% |
| Laval | 466,247 | 1.03% |
| Markham | 376,096 | 1.24% |
| Vaughan | 364,031 | 1.53% |
| Kitchener | 338,883 | 4.62% |
| Saskatoon | 328,613 | 3.32% |
| Burnaby | 309,694 | 3.34% |