More people moving to Thompson-Okanagan from within B.C. than anywhere else

Kelowna’s population shrank for the first time in 25 years, but people in B.C. are still moving to the Thompson-Okanagan from other regions.

The Thompson-Okanagan gained around 4,033 residents since July 2025, according to a press release from the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia issued, July 30.

Most of the region’s growth came from within the province.

There were 500 new residents from other provinces, 1,752 residents from other countries and 4,327 new residents who were already British Columbians. The region’s natural growth saw the population drop by 2,488 people.

“Annual population growth slowed to 0.6 per cent, in line with the provincial trend,” chartered accountant Karen Christiansen said in the release. “It’s a combination of factors, including fewer newcomers from other countries, and weaker interprovincial migration.”

Between July 2024 and July 2025, Kelowna gained 2,957 people and Kamloops’ population dropped by 259 people.

Between July 2025 and July 2026, Kelowna’s population went from 167,659 to 166,278, according to BC Statistics.

Christiansen said there used to be more people moving to the area from other parts of the country.

“In-migration from other parts of the province has been a consistent source of growth for the region,” Christiansen said. “However, we’ve seen interprovincial migration fall quite drastically over the last three years, with higher housing costs relative to other provinces playing a role.”

The chartered accountants group pointed to Kelowna’s rental market.

Kelowna’s vacancy rate is around 6.2 per cent, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the City of Kelowna’s own research, up from 1.7 per cent at the end of 2024.

Even though the vacancy rate is up significantly, Kelowna’s average rent price for all unit types is above the national average, around $2,093 while across the country it’s $2,029.

“Kelowna’s rental market is currently out of balance, due to a surge of purpose-built rentals entering the market during the last few years,” Christiansen said. “That presents some near-term challenges, while the focus remains finding ways to improve affordability in the region.”