> > Home >> Ethnicity in Canada >> Black Canadians
Black Canadians: Population, Immigration Trends & Demographics
Black Canadians also known as Afro-Canadians, are people of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. People of African ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean and African immigrant origin, though the Black Canadian population also consists of African American immigrants and their descendants (including Black Nova Scotians). Black Canadian migration from Africa has risen substantially since 2011.
Black Canadians account for about 4.26% of the total population of Canada. According to the Canadian Census 2021, there were 1547865 (1.55 million) Black Canadians and they are the third largest group among Visible minorities in Canada after South Asians and Chinese.
Source: Census 2021
Top Source Countries of Migration for Black Canadians
Black Canadians trace their migration roots to a diverse mix of Caribbean, African, and North American countries. Jamaica, Haiti, and Nigeria are the three largest source countries, each contributing over 100,000 people to Canada’s Black population. Several African nations—including Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Somalia, Eritrea, and Ghana—also represent significant migration streams, highlighting the growing African dimension of Black Canadian demographics, alongside migration from the United States.
| Rank | Country | Population in Canada |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica | 136,505 |
| 2 | Haiti | 110,920 |
| 3 | Nigeria | 109,240 |
| 4 | Ethiopia | 43,205 |
| 5 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 37,875 |
| 6 | Cameroon | 33,200 |
| 7 | Somalia | 32,285 |
| 8 | Eritrea | 31,500 |
| 9 | Ghana | 28,420 |
| 10 | United States | 27,055 |
Source: Canada Census 2021
Black Population by Province in Canada
Ontario, with 768,740 people of African ancestry, has the largest population of Black Canadians in Canada followed by Quebec (422,405) and Alberta (177,945).
Percentage-wise Ontario (5.48%) has the highest percentage of Black Canadians followed by Quebec (5.08%) and Alberta (4.26%).
Black Population by Canadian Province (2021 Census)
| # | Province | Pop/ 2021 | Percentage |
| 1 | Alberta | 177,945 | 4.26% |
| 2 | British Columbia | 61,755 | 1.26% |
| 3 | Manitoba | 46,485 | 3.56% |
| 4 | New Brunswick | 12,155 | 1.60% |
| 5 | Newfoundland and Labrador | 3,590 | 0.71% |
| 6 | Northwest Territories | 1,060 | 2.63% |
| 7 | Nova Scotia | 28,220 | 2.95% |
| 8 | Nunavut | 565 | 1.54% |
| 9 | Ontario | 768,740 | 5.48% |
| 10 | Prince Edward Island | 1,815 | 1.21% |
| 11 | Quebec | 422,405 | 5.08% |
| 12 | Saskatchewan | 22,575 | 2.05% |
| 13 | Yukon | 560 | 1.41% |
| – | Canada | 1,547,865 | 4.26% |
Source: Canada Census 2021
Black Population by Metropolitan Area in Canada
The 10 most black-populated census metropolitan areas were Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Hamilton, Oshawa, and Québec City. Preston, in the Halifax area, is the community with the highest percentage of Black people, with 69.4%. Brooks, a town in southeastern Alberta, is the census subdivision with the highest percentage of Black people, with 22.3%.
Census Facts about Black population
In 2021, 1.5 million people reported being Black. Canada is their main country of birth, with 40.9% of Black people reporting it in the census. Some have had ancestors in the country for several generations, while others are immigrants or the children of immigrants.
Nearly one-third (32.6%) of the Black population was born in Africa, including Nigeria (7.1%), Ethiopia (2.8%) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2.4%), while 21.0% were born in the Caribbean and Bermuda, mostly in Jamaica (8.8%) and Haiti (7.2%).
Among Black immigrants, 23.7% are new immigrants who were admitted in to Canada from 2016 to 2021, while 17.8% immigrated from 2011 to 2015, and 22.3% from 2001 to 2010. The remaining share of Black immigrants (36.1%) came to Canada before the 2000s.
The ancestral diversity of the Black population is a reflection of the different waves of immigration to Canada. In fact, the Black population reported over 300 different ethnic or cultural origins in the census. In addition, one-quarter (25.6%) of the Black population reported more than one ethnic or cultural origin. Some of the most common origins reported were “African (no further clarification)” (15.7%), “Jamaican” (13.0%), “Haitian” (10.8%) and “Canadian” (5.9%).
The Black population is also very diverse in terms of language, with more than 450 mother tongues reported in the census for this population. English (58.9%) and French (21.6%) topped the list.
Various religions were reported by the Black population, the main ones being Christian (no further clarification) (25.9%), Catholic (18.1%), Muslim (11.9%) and Pentecostal (8.0%). Finally, close to one in five (18.0%) Black Canadians reported having no religion.
Source: Canada Census 2021
English
Español
Português
Deutsch