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Ethnic Origin in Canada
Canada is a multicultural nation and has a racially and ethnically diverse population. According to the 2021 Canadian census, The major origin groups in Canada are European (52.5%), North American (22.9%), Asian (19.3%), North American Indigenous (6.1%), African (3.8%), Latin, Central and South American (2.5%), Caribbean (2.1%), Oceanian (0.3%), and Other (6%).
Of the 36.3 million people enumerated in 2021 approximately 25.4 million reported being white, representing 69.8% of the population. The indigenous population represents 6.1% or 1.8 million individuals. 26.5 % of the population belonged to a non-White and non-Indigenous visible minority. The largest of which in 2021 were South Asian (2.6 million people; 7.1 %), Chinese (1.7 million; 4.7 %), and Black (1.5 million; 4.3%)
also read about the Population of Canada
Canada Ethnic composition
Ethnic origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent’s ancestors. About 450 ethnic origins were reported in Canada’s 2021 Census. The Ethnic Origin most often reported in 2021 was Canadian (15.6%) or 5.7 million persons in Canada reported this origin.
Origins from the British Isles were the next most common. In particular, “English” (5.3 million people), “Irish” (4.4 million), and “Scottish” (4.4 million) were reported most often by Canadians. “French” (4.0 million people) was ranked fifth among origins most often reported. “French Canadian” (0.9 million) was also on the list of most frequently reported origins.
In 2021, three other European origins were reported, alone or with other origins, by at least 1 million people, namely, “German” (3.0 million), “Italian” (1.5 million), and “Ukrainian” (1.3 million). And two other European origins were reported by close to 1 million people, namely, “Dutch” and “Polish”. In total, 52.5% of the population reported European origins.
“Chinese” (1.7 million people), “Indian (from India)” (1.8 million), and “Filipino” (0.9 million) were also among the ethnic or cultural origins reported most often.
Let’s look at the top Ethnic Origins in Canada
| # | Origin | Responses 2021 | Percentage |
| 1 | Canadian | 5,677,205 | 15.63% |
| 2 | English | 5,322,825 | 14.65% |
| 3 | French | 4,917,985 | 13.54% |
| 4 | Irish | 4,413,120 | 12.15% |
| 5 | Scottish | 4,392,200 | 12.09% |
| 6 | German | 2,955,695 | 8.14% |
| 7 | Indian (India) | 1,858,755 | 5.12% |
| 8 | Chinese | 1,713,870 | 4.72% |
| 9 | Italian | 1,546,390 | 4.26% |
| 10 | First Nations (North American Indian) origins | 1,426,950 | 3.93% |
| 11 | Ukrainian | 1,258,635 | 3.46% |
| 12 | Dutch | 988,585 | 2.72% |
| 13 | Polish | 982,815 | 2.71% |
| 14 | Filipino | 925,490 | 2.55% |
| 15 | Métis | 560,335 | 1.54% |
| 16 | Russian | 548,145 | 1.51% |
| 17 | Norwegian | 466,495 | 1.28% |
| 18 | Welsh | 455,725 | 1.25% |
| 19 | Portuguese | 448,305 | 1.23% |
| 20 | American | 353,495 | 0.97% |
| 21 | Spanish | 342,045 | 0.94% |
| 22 | Swedish | 334,505 | 0.92% |
| 23 | Hungarian | 320,155 | 0.88% |
| 24 | Acadian | 305,170 | 0.84% |
| 25 | Pakistani | 303,260 | 0.83% |
| 26 | Jewish | 282,015 | 0.78% |
| 27 | Vietnamese | 275,530 | 0.76% |
| 28 | Arabs | 263,710 | 0.73% |
| 29 | Greek | 262,135 | 0.72% |
| 30 | Jamaican | 249,070 | 0.69% |
| 31 | Korean | 217,650 | 0.60% |
| 32 | Romanian | 215,885 | 0.59% |
| 33 | Lebanese | 210,605 | 0.58% |
| 34 | Iranian | 200,465 | 0.55% |
| 35 | Danish | 196,945 | 0.54% |
| 36 | Austrian | 189,535 | 0.52% |
| 37 | Belgian | 182,175 | 0.50% |
| 38 | Haitian | 178,990 | 0.49% |
| 39 | Mexican | 155,495 | 0.43% |
| 40 | Swiss | 145,570 | 0.40% |
| 41 | Finnish | 144,055 | 0.40% |
| 42 | Sri Lankan | 132,410 | 0.36% |
| 43 | Croatian | 130,820 | 0.36% |
| 44 | Japanese | 129,425 | 0.36% |
| 45 | Egyptian | 105,245 | 0.29% |
| 46 | Icelandic | 101,990 | 0.28% |
| 47 | Colombian | 100,555 | 0.28% |
| 48 | Moroccan | 99,980 | 0.28% |
| 49 | Czech | 98,925 | 0.27% |
| 50 | Syrian | 98,250 | 0.27% |
*Statistics Canada reports that over 450 “ethnic or cultural origins” were self-reported by Canadians and 35.5% of the population reported multiple ethnic origins, thus the overall total is greater than 100%.
Visible minorities in Canada
Almost 26.5% of the population of Canada belongs to a visible minority group. South Asians, Chinese, African (Black), Filipino, Latinos, Arabs, etc. are visible minorities. In 2021, three racialized groups represented 16.1% of Canada’s total population: South Asians (2.6 million people; 7.1%), Chinese (1.7 million; 4.7%), and Black people (1.5 million; 4.3%), with each population topping 1 million.
Filipinos (960,000 people; 2.6%), Arabs (690,000; 1.9%), Latin Americans (580,000; 1.6%), Southeast Asians (390,000; 1.1%), West Asians (360,000; 1.0%), Koreans (220,000; 0.6%) and Japanese (99,000; 0.3%) are the other main groups. Individuals who reported more than one racialized group represented 0.9% of the total Canadian population in 2021.
The population of each group has continued to grow with each census. The South Asian (+647,000 people), Black (+349,000), Filipino (+177,000) and Arab (+171,000) populations saw the biggest increases from 2016 to 2021, while the Japanese (+6,000) group posted the lowest growth over this same period.
According to the most recent population projections, the racialized population could continue to increase. In 2041, the South Asian group could top 5 million people, the Chinese and Black populations could each exceed 3 million, and the Filipino population could go over 2 million.
| Visible minority | Population 2021 | Percentage |
| South Asian | 2,571,400 | 7.1% |
| Chinese | 1,715,775 | 4.7% |
| Black | 1,547,865 | 4.3% |
| Filipino | 957,355 | 2.6% |
| Arab | 694,020 | 1.9% |
| Latin Americans | 580,240 | 1.6% |
| Southeast Asian | 390,340 | 1.1% |
| West Asian | 360,490 | 1.0% |
| Korean | 218,135 | 0.6% |
| Japanese | 129,425 | 0.36% |
| Visible minority others | 172,885 | 0.5% |
| Multiple visible minorities | 331,800 | 0.9% |
| Total visible minority | 9,639,200 | 26.5% |
Aboriginals in Canada
In the 2021 Census, approximately 1.8 million people reported Indigenous ancestry, alone or with other ancestries, representing 6.1% of the population of Canada. Of these, approximately 1.04 million people reported at least one of the First Nations (North American Indian) ancestries, more than half a million (624,220) reported “Métis” ancestry, and 70,540 people reported “Inuit” ancestry.
The most common First Nations ancestries reported were “Cree” (250,000 people), “Mi’kmaq” (122,000), “Ojibway” (92,000), and “Algonquin” (56,000). In addition, about 632,000 people reported “First Nations (North American Indian)” ancestry without any additional clarification.
| Aboriginals | Population | Percent |
| First Nations | 1,048,405 | 2.89% |
| Métis | 624,220 | 1.72% |
| Inuit | 70,540 | 0.19% |
| Other Indigenous | 35,225 | 0.10% |
| Multiple Responses | 28,855 | 0.08% |
| Total Aboriginals | 1,807,250 | 4.97% |
Source: Statistics Canada 2021
Top Ethnic Origin by Provinces
| Province | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Others |
| Alberta | English (24.9%) | Canadian (21.8%) | German (19.2%) | Scottish, Irish, and French |
| British Columbia | English (27.7%) | Scottish (19.3%) | Canadian (19.1%) | German & Chinese |
| Manitoba | English (21.8%) | German (18.6%) | Canadian (18.5%) | Scottish, Ukrainian, Irish, French & Natives |
| New Brunswick | Canadian (50.3%) | French (27.2%) | English (25.9%) | Irish & Scottish |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | Canadian (49.0%) | English (43.4%) | Irish (21.8%) | |
| Northwest Territories | North American Indian (37.0%) | Scottish (13.9%) | English (13.7%) | Canadian, Irish & Inuit |
| Nova Scotia | Canadian (39.1%) | Scottish (31.2%) | English (30.8%) | Irish, French, & German |
| Nunavut | Inuit (85.4%) | |||
| Ontario | Canadian (23.3%) | English (23.1%) | Scottish (16.4%) | Irish & French |
| Prince Edward Island | Scottish (39.3%) | Canadian (36.8%) | English (31.1%) | Irish & French |
| Quebec | Canadian (59.1%) | French (29.1%) | Irish (5.5%) | Italian |
| Saskatchewan | German (28.6%) | English (24.9%) | Scottish (18.9%) | Canadian, Irish, Ukrainian, French & Natives |
| Yukon | English (28.5%) | Scottish (25.0%), Irish (22.0%) | North American Indian (21.8%) | Canadian, German & French |
Source: Census 2016
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