Planning for Growth

The Regional Municipality of Durham is one of the fastest growing regions in the world.

Our population increased by more than six per cent between 2011 and 2016. At the end of 2016, there were about 673,000 people living in the region. Our population is expected to grow to 1.2 million by 2041.

With proper planning, growth improves our quality of life.

Growth management

Directing more growth to our built-up areas means:

Different types of housing availability.
Appealing public spaces and walkable communities.
Communities accessible by transit.
Better protection for our natural systems.

Planning benefits

There are many benefits to planning for growth in Durham:

Jobs
Local services
Public facilities
Housing options

These benefits of planning improve the quality of people of all ages.

Planning means that we can:

Plan for healthy and complete communities.
Protect farmland and green spaces.
Reduce traffic jams.
Refresh downtowns.
Support long-term economic growth.

Monitoring

The Planning Division monitors population and household data.

Growth trends

The 2020 Commissioner's Report 98 has semi-annual population and household estimates. It also has short-term population and household estimates.

The 2021 Commissioner's Report 51 details semi-annual population and household estimates.

Future growth trends
Year	Population	Households	Employment
2021	809,990	289,480	309,980
2026	894,575	324,920	332,915
2031	960,000	356,610	350,000

See Section 7 of the Durham Regional Official Plan for population, household and employment forecasts up to 2031.

Development activity

The Planning division provides a yearly update on subdivision and condominium activity.

Annual subdivision/condominium activity

Report 2021-INFO-33 focuses on applications that have reached major goals in 2020.
Report 2020-INFO-68 focuses on applications that have reached major goals in 2019.
Report 2019-P-17 focuses on applications that have reached major goals in 2018.
Report 2018-INFO-60 focuses on applications that have reached major goals in 2017.
Report 2017-INFO-51 focuses on applications that have reached major goals in 2016.

Building activity

Building activity shows us:

Housing activity.
Employment activity.
Investment.
Economic performance.

The 2020 Annual Building Activity Review summarizes the key results of the 2020 Annual Building Activity Review. The appendix includes background data and analysis used to formulate the report.

Statistics

The Census of Population is our main source of demographic data. Statistics Canada conducts the census every five years.

Census data

The 2017 Commissioner's Report 40 recaps the 2016 Census of Population first release on population and dwelling counts.
The 2017 Commissioner's Report 66 recaps the 2016 Census of Population second release on age, gender and dwelling type.
The 2017 Commissioner's Report 71 recaps the key findings from the 2016 Census of Agriculture.
The 2017 Commissioner's Report 135 recaps the 2016 Census of Population third and fourth release on families, households, marital status, language and income.
The 2018 Commissioner's Report 53 recaps the 2016 Census of Population fifth and sixth release on immigration and ethnocultural diversity, housing, Aboriginal peoples, education, labour, journey to work, language of work, and mobility and migration.

Durham Region profile

The Durham Region profile is a complete set of demographic and socio-economic data.

The 2020 Commissioner's Report 44 summarizes highlights from the Durham Region profile.
Our Infographic is a visual summary of the information from the profile.
Our Technical Report is a complete, detailed report with more than 100 tables of data.
Our Online Portal is an interactive tool that provides an overview of the Durham Region Profile data using various maps, graphics, and tables.

Employment, business and land inventory

Every year, we count the number of businesses and employees in Durham Region.

Business count

Durham Region Business Count Highlights 2019 includes basic information about businesses such as:

Type and nature of business.
Number of employees.
Floor space.

Employment lands inventory

We keep track of the supply of employment lands (2018):

The results of the previous Employment Lands Inventory are also available:

Employment areas - Region of Durham (2014)

Please note: The Region of Durham has initiated Envision Durham - the Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR) of the Durham Regional Official Plan. For further information and to subscribe for project updates, please visit: durham.ca/EnvisionDurham.