The relative importance of the population of the island of Montréal is declining. In fact, Montréal CMA presents this pattern : decline of the largest city (Montréal), slowed growth of the remainder of the urbanized core and increased growth of the fringe. On the other hand, the non-metropolitan population is growing more rapidly, especially in the distant suburb. This study is intended to provide an overview of Montréal's population growth between 1971-1976 and 1976-1981. The author also suggests some factors explaining the spatial distribution of new residents.