Edmonton is the second fastest-growing city in the country, according to new numbers from Statistics Canada.

Edmonton’s metropolitan area population grew by 3.3 per cent from July 2013 to July 2014 – slightly lower than its growth of 3.5 per cent the previous year – and was eclipsed only by Calgary at 3.6 per cent.

Saskatoon and Regina followed close behind, marking the fourth consecutive year that Canada’s four fastest crowing cities were in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The national average growth rate for cities in the same time frame was 1.4 per cent.

The report cites international migration as the main driver of population growth in cities, while Edmonton and Calgary recorded the highest interprovincial migration rates at one per cent each.

Saint John, New Brunswick was the only city to significantly decline in population, losing 0.5 per cent.

The Statistics Canada numbers focus on preliminary population estimates for census metropolitan areas by age and sex as of July 1, 2014.

Edmonton’s 2014 census pegged the city’s population at 877, 926, up from 817,498 in the 2012 census.

Edmonton is on par to hit one million people and surpass Ottawa as the fourth largest municipality in Canada by the end of the decade.

The city is on track to reach 1.5 million people in 30 years and 2.1 million by 2064.