South Asian Canadians

South Asian Canadians
South Asian ancestry % by census division in Canada (2021)
Total population
  • 2,571,400[1]
  • 7.1% of the total Canadian population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Southern Ontario, Southwestern BC, Central Alberta, Southern Quebec, Most urban areas
Languages
Religion
Related ethnic groups

South Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to South Asia or the Indian subcontinent, which includes the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.[3] The term also includes immigrants from South Asian communities in East and South Africa, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, Mauritius, and the rest of the world.[4]

The term South Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadian and, according to Statistics Canada, can further be divided by nationality, such as Indian Canadian, Pakistani Canadian, and Bangladeshi Canadian.[5] As of 2021, South Asians (7.1 percent) comprise the second largest pan-ethnic group in Canada after Europeans (69.8 percent).[1][6]

According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2,571,400 Canadians had South Asian geographical origins, constituting approximately 7.1 percent of the total population and 35.1 percent of the total Asian Canadian population.[1] This makes them the largest visible minority group in Canada comprising 26.7 percent of the visible minority population, followed by Chinese and Black Canadians respectively.[1]

The largest South Asian Canadian communities are found in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, while metropolitan areas with large populations include Toronto (1,182,485), Vancouver (369,295), Calgary (153,200), Edmonton (123,340), and Montréal (121,260).[1] Over half (60.3 percent) of South Asian Canadians live in two metropolitan areas as of 2021; Greater Toronto and Metro Vancouver.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference population2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference religion2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts".
  4. ^ "South Asian Canadians". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Lindsay, Colin (2001). "The South Asian Community" (PDF). Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2014. ()
  6. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (October 26, 2022). "The Canadian census: A rich portrait of the country's religious and ethnocultural diversity". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved January 10, 2022. In 2021, just over 25 million people reported being White in the census, representing close to 70% of the total Canadian population. The vast majority reported being White only, while 2.4% also reported one or more other racialized groups.