The combined population of Langley Township and City is just shy of 200,000 people, according to new Statistics Canada estimates of population released in January.
According to the updated numbers, as of 2024, Langley Township's population was 162,269, while Langley City's population was 35,316, for a combined total of 197,585 people.
That's a rapid increase over the four years since the 2021 census, when the Township had 135,885 people, and the City had 30,333, having just passed the 30,000 mark for the first time ever.
Langley Township has grown by 17.2 per cent since the last Canadian census, while the City has grown almost as fast, with a 16.4 per cent increase in population.
Comparative, the City of Vancouver itself grew by 8.6 per cent, from just under 700,000 residents in the last census to 756,008.
Surrey grew by 17.3 per cent, and was not only the fastest-growing community in the region, but added more than 100,000 residents in four years, growing from 597,141 residents to 700,549 in just four years.
With Surrey growing at this rate, it will pass the population of Vancouver within a few years, becoming the largest city in the Metro Vancouver region.
The high growth rate has challenged local, regional, and provincial governments to keep up with infrastructure.
Township Mayor Eric Woodward said the council is tackling a number of issues rapidly, and that it will take another four-year council term to catch up to the infrastructure deficit in roads and recreation facilities.
"We have to finish the plan we started, and then look to what other issues we have in the long-term, such as the lack of natural park spaces within our growing urban areas," Woodward said.
City Mayor Nathan Pachal said a number of plans are being launched by the City to deal with a variety of needs, from parks to sewer and water to rec facilities.
"With more people, we need to provide more services," he noted.
But he also pointed out that part of the infrastructure issues are the responsibility of the region or the province. Hospitals and schools are largely the responsibility of Victoria.
"We're not going to be able to do it all on our own," Pachal said.
Despite the rapid growth, Woodward said the perception of politicians in Vancouver about Langley hasn't really changed from decades ago.
"For the Township of Langley, we are definitely still seen as 'out there' by many within the region, as a rural, farming community," Woodward said. "Until they visit."
Woodward said that ultimately the Township has both a growing urban area and the rural and agricultural component of the community to the east of 216 Street.
"We have the ability to become unique in the region with a large population connected to Metro Vancouver, financial resources and economies of scale, and still 75 per cent rural," he said. "Quite amazing, really, if we manage and steward it properly in the years ahead."
Pachal said there are a lot of conversations happening at the Metro Vancouver level due to the high growth rate locally.
Asked if the population growth will level off or plateau, Pachal said it will happen at some point.
He noted that the City will preserve its industrial land, and sees future residential development potential around the Willowbrook area.
While Langley Township, City, and Surrey are all growing at a high rate, not every other community in the South of the Fraser region or in Vancouver's eastern suburbs is growing as fast.
Abbotsford's population growth, going from 160,759 to 175,087, represented an 8.9 per cent population increase, only slightly faster than the City of Vancouver. Growth in Abbotsford, once one of the fastest-growing communities in the region, has slowed down in recent years.
Pitt Meadows grew at a rate of 7.4 per cent, Delta at 10.6 per cent, and Maple Ridge at a rate of 11.9 per cent.
The rapid growth will have political consequences, both locally and at the provincial and national levels.
The Metro Vancouver board, which oversees the joint water, sewer, parks, and other regional functions in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, uses weighted voting based on population, with every 20,000 residents translating to one vote for that city. The current board's voting structure is based on an assumption that the Township has just over 130,000 residents and the City has about 25,000.
When the population numbers are updated, Langley will have more power at the board table.
Increasing population also brings realignments of provincial and federal riding boundaries. In the last provincial election in October, Langley was represented by three ridings for the first time. The next federal election will see Langley residents distributed into three ridings as well, though two are shared with parts of Surrey and one includes a large section of Abbotsford.
The next federal riding re-alignment won't start until 2031, but given how fast Langley has already grown and how much more growth is expected by then, the community can expect further drastic changes.
