Inside Surrey’s Growth Surge: How One City Became Canada’s New Urban Magnet

Surrey, British Columbia, has entered a new phase of national attention — not through hype, but through sheer demographic momentum. Once viewed simply as Vancouver’s quieter neighbour, Surrey has added more than 45,000 residents in the last five years, pushing its population beyond 726,000.

The shift is visible on the ground: new neighbourhoods, denser transit corridors, and a swelling mix of cultures that now make Surrey one of the most dynamic urban centers in the province.

Immigration remains the engine behind Surrey’s rapid rise, with thousands of newcomers settling in the city every year. But the story is broader than migration patterns alone. Surrey still has something many Canadian cities have already lost — space.

As housing pressures intensify across the Lower Mainland, Surrey’s larger land base and ongoing development approvals give it a practical advantage. The city has fast-tracked new construction near transit lines and updated long-term planning policies to accommodate a younger, rapidly diversifying population.

These measures allow Surrey to grow without hitting the physical limits that constrain neighbouring municipalities.

Within the larger Metro Vancouver region — now topping three million residents — Surrey has become a major driver of annual population gains. More people mean new businesses, expanded services, and a broader labour market that feeds the region’s economy.

But growth also brings pressure. Transit demand is rising faster than capacity, healthcare facilities are straining under expanding catchment areas, and schools are racing to keep up with enrolment. Housing affordability remains a defining challenge that will shape the city’s next decade.

Demographic projections suggest Surrey will continue its upward climb, with some forecasts indicating it could surpass Vancouver later this century. Whether that happens or not, the trend is clear: Surrey is shifting the balance of British Columbia’s urban landscape.

Its growth story reflects a broader Canadian reality — cities that combine affordability, diversity, and room to expand are becoming the new gravitational centres. And Surrey, more than ever, is standing at the heart of that transformation.