Statistics Canada says the country posted its highest annual population growth rate in more than six decades last year.

The agency says the population grew 3.2 per cent, its fastest pace since 1957 when it grew 3.3 per cent.

The increase brought the population to 40,769,890on Jan. 1, 2024.

The total was up by 1,271,872 people compared with the start of 2023.

Statistics Canada says most of the growth was due to temporary immigration last year.

Without temporary immigration, it says Canada’s population growth rate would have been 1.2 per cent.