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Irish Canadians

Irish Canadians are Canadians who have full or partial Irish ancestry. People of Irish ancestry form an important group in several countries in North and South America. With an estimated size of approximately 40 million, It forms an important group in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico.

Irish Canadians make up 12.15% of Canada’s population and are the third-largest ancestry group. According to the Canadian Census 2021, there were  4,413,120 (4.4 million) people of Irish descent in Canada.  

also read about Ethnicity and Origin in Canada

Irish Population by Canadian Provinces

Ontario, with 1,999,985 people of Irish ancestry, has the largest population of Irish-Canadians in Canada followed by British Columbia (627,920) and Alberta (561,910). 

Percentage-wise Prince Edward Island (27.81%) has the highest percentage of Irish ancestry followed by Newfoundland and Labrador (24.32%) and Nova Scotia (20.47%)

List of Provinces by Irish Ancestry Population

#ProvincePop. 2021% of Total
1Ontario1,999,98514.25%
2British Columbia627,92012.77%
3Alberta561,91013.45%
4Quebec404,1854.86%
5Nova Scotia195,66020.47%
6New Brunswick155,92020.54%
7Saskatchewan145,41513.18%
8Manitoba144,42011.05%
9Newfoundland and Labrador122,11524.32%
10Prince Edward Island41,84527.81%
11Yukon7,44018.79%
12Northwest Territories4,72011.69%
13Nunavut 1,5854.33%
 Total4,413,12012.15%

Source: Canada Census 2021

also read about Population of Canada

Top Canadian metropolitan areas by Irish population

Toronto Metro area with 461,660 people of Irish ancestry, has the largest population of Irish Canadians. It’s followed by Ottawa – Gatineau metra Area (256,320) and  Vancouver  (235,970).

Top Cities in Canada by Irish Population

#City (Metropolitan Area)ProvincePopulation 2021% of Total
1Toronto Ont461,6607.52%
2Ottawa – Gatineau Ont./Que256,32017.50%
3Vancouver B.C235,9709.05%
4Hamilton Ont224,47020.10%
5Montreal Que214,1905.09%
6Calgary Alta181,95012.42%
7Edmonton Alta179,75512.86%
8Halifax N.S98,09521.27%
9London Ont95,39017.80%
10Winnipeg Man88,93010.85%
11Kitchener – Cambridge – Waterloo Ont84,80014.93%
12Oshawa Ont75,39018.33%
13Victoria B.C71,38518.38%
14St. John’s N.L70,61533.82%
15St. Catharines – Niagara Ont69,11516.24%
16Windsor Ont59,06014.21%
17Barrie Ont44,69521.27%
18Kingston Ont44,50026.48%
19Saskatoon Sask41,42013.30%
20Saint John N.B39,54530.80%

Source: Canada Census 2021

Irish Population in Canada 2024 | Irish Canadians