Years ago, Surrey changed its slogan from “City of Parks” to “The Future Lives Here”.

Based on 2021 Census data compiled by real-estate marketing firm rennie, the future keeps on arriving in this rapidly growing city south of the Fraser River.

A rennie briefing paper Thursday (February 10) shows that the population of Surrey grew by 9.7 percent from the last Census in 2016 to the last one in 2021.

This rate outstrips the rate of population growth for the entire Metro Vancouver region, which was 7.3 percent.

As well, Surrey’s growth rate surpassed Vancouver by nearly double.

From 2016 to 2021, the population of Vancouver, which remains the most populous city in B.C., grew at a rate of 4.9 percent.

“One interesting observation—if not a surprising one—is that for every resident that was added in the City of Vancouver (+30,762), the City of Surrey added 1.6 (+50,435),” the rennie briefing paper noted.

Surrey has been projected to surpass Vancouver by 2030 in terms of population size.

The population of Surrey grew from 517,887 in 2016 to 568,322 in 2021.

By comparison, the population of Vancouver increased from 631,486 in 2016 to 662,248 in 2021.

In terms of absolute numbers, the population of Metro Vancouver grew by 179,394, from 2,463,431 in 2016 to 2,642,825 in 2021.

With an addition of 50,435 in its population in 2021, Surrey accounted for more than 28 percent or the biggest share in the overall increase of the population in Metro Vancouver.

Surrey has a land area of 32,621 hectares, the biggest of all cities in Metro Vancouver.

Vancouver, for its part, has 11,500 hectares.

The relative affordability of homes in comparison to Vancouver is regarded as a major factor in the continuing growth of Surrey.