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Ethnic Origin in British Columbia

British Columbia the third-largest Canadian Province by population has a racially and ethnically diverse population. Ethnic origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent’s ancestors. About 300 + ethnic origins were reported in British Columbia 2021 Census. The Ethnic Origin most often reported is English followed by Scottish and Irish.

European origins (59.7%) of the population are most common and Aboriginals are 5.9% of British Columbia’s Population. First Nations, Metis and Inuit are major Aboriginal people.

Almost 34.4% of the population of British Columbia belongs to a visible minority group. The main visible minority communities are South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Korean and Southeast Asians.

also read about the Population of British Columbia

Source: Statistics Canada 2021

British Columbia population by race

European origin is most prevalent with 59.7% of the British Columbia Population. The ethnic origin most often reported in British Columbia was English, followed by Scottish, Irish, and German. Chinese and South Asian Origin are also in good percentage.

Let’s look at the top Ethnic Origins in  British Columbia

#OriginsResponses 2021Percentage
1English1,019,25020.73%
2Scottish774,45515.75%
3Irish627,92012.77%
4German539,14510.97%
5Chinese517,80510.53%
6Canadian459,3259.34%
7French origins313,8206.38%
8Indian (India)275,9705.61%
9Ukrainian210,1004.27%
10First Nations (North American Indian)209,3154.26%
11British Isles191,0253.89%
12Dutch189,9853.86%
13Filipino172,9203.52%
14Italian162,4853.31%
15Norwegian137,1752.79%
16Polish134,6352.74%
17Russian121,7552.48%
18Welsh104,2252.12%
19Swedish103,6352.11%
20Punjabi93,3951.90%
21Métis85,2001.73%
22Korean72,0251.47%
23American71,5301.46%
24Sikh69,1051.41%
25Danish54,8651.12%
26Japanese54,6351.11%
27Spanish54,3651.11%
28Hungarian51,9151.06%
29Vietnamese51,8851.06%
30Iranian49,3901.00%
31Austrian45,2800.92%
32French Canadian39,9300.81%
33Portuguese39,7550.81%
34Taiwanese37,5300.76%
35Jewish34,3950.70%
36Finnish33,6800.69%
37Romanian30,1900.61%
38Hong Konger30,0150.61%
39Swiss28,5200.58%
40Mexican28,4500.58%
41Icelandic25,9100.53%
42Cree origins25,8900.53%
43Croatian23,7500.48%
44Pacific Islands origins23,7400.48%
45Greek23,3000.47%
46Czech22,4250.46%
47Salish origins22,3450.45%
48Mennonite20,9250.43%
49British Columbian20,4500.42%
50Belgian19,5100.40%

Other 200+ population groups. 

Note: Since responses are based on self-identification, it is possible for individuals to identify with multiple categories, which may add up to more than 100%. For example, an individual may identify as both Indian and Punjabi.

Source: Statistics Canada 2021

*”Canadian” as an ethnic group has since 1996 been added to census questionnaires for possible ancestral origin or descent. “The Respondents generally are visibly European (Anglophones and Francophones) and no longer self-identify with their ethnic ancestral origins. This response is attributed to a multitude or generational distance from ancestral lineage.

Visible minorities and Aboriginals in British Columbia

Over the past few decades, the non-European population has been increasing in British Columbia. According to the 2021 Census, approximately 34.4% of the province’s population belongs to a visible minority group, while the total number of Aboriginal people is 5.90%.

Visible minority populations

Almost 34.4% of the population of British Columbia belongs to a visible minority group. Chinese, South Asians, Filipino, Korean, Southeast Asians, etc. are the largest visible minority groups.

#Visible minority GroupPop. 2021Percentage
1Chinese550,59011.20%
2South Asian473,9709.64%
3Filipino174,2803.55%
4Korean72,8201.48%
5Southeast Asian71,7851.46%
6West Asian69,2701.41%
7Latin American65,9651.34%
8Black61,7551.26%
9Japanese44,1250.90%
10Arab28,0100.57%
Visible minority, n.i.e. 818,0800.37%
Multiple visible minorities58,8401.20%
  Total1,689,49034.37%
Aboriginal populations

Around 5.90% of the population of British Columbia belongs to Indigenous People. 

Aboriginal GroupsResponsesPercentage
First Nations (North American Indian)180,0853.66%
Métis97,8601.99%
Inuit origins1,7200.03%
Indigenous responses n.i.e.5,9800.12%
Multiple Indigenous responses4,5600.09%
Total 290,2055.90%

Source: Statistics Canada 2021

British Columbia population by Race and Ethnicity 2023 | Ancestry in British Columbia