Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census of Population
Canada
Religion
Religion: In 2021, the top religious group was Catholic, with about 10,880,360 persons representing 29.9% of the total population. The second group was Christian, n.o.s., with about 2,760,760 persons representing 7.6% of the total population. The population who declared no religion and secular perspectives numbered 12,577,475 persons, representing 34.6% of the total population.
Racialized groups
Racialized groupsFootnote 1: In 2021, the largest racialized group was South Asian, with about 2,571,400 persons representing 7.1% of the total population. The second group was Chinese, with about 1,715,770 persons representing 4.7% of the total population. The third group was Black, with about 1,547,870 persons representing 4.3% of the total population.
Ethnic or cultural origins
Ethnic or cultural origins: In 2021, the most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origin was Canadian, with about 5,677,205 persons representing 15.6% of the total population. The second origin was English, with about 5,322,830 persons representing 14.7% of the total population. The third origin was Irish, with about 4,413,120 persons representing 12.1% of the total population.
Distribution (in percentage) of religious groups, Canada, 2011 and 2021
The 10 most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origins by median age, Canada, 2021
| Ethnic or cultural origin | Number of responses | % | Rank | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian | 5,677,205 | 15.6 | 1 | 37.6 |
| English | 5,322,830 | 14.7 | 2 | 45.2 |
| Irish | 4,413,120 | 12.1 | 3 | 41.2 |
| Scottish | 4,392,200 | 12.1 | 4 | 42.4 |
| French, n.o.s. | 3,985,945 | 11.0 | 5 | 42.8 |
| German | 2,955,700 | 8.1 | 6 | 39.2 |
| Chinese | 1,713,870 | 4.7 | 7 | 38.8 |
| Italian | 1,546,390 | 4.3 | 8 | 38.0 |
| Indian (India) | 1,347,720 | 3.7 | 9 | 32.8 |
| Ukrainian | 1,258,640 | 3.5 | 10 | 38.0 |
Counts of visible minority groupsFootnote 2, Canada, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021
Population by visible minority groupFootnote 2 and median age, Canada, 2016 and 2021
| 2016 | 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % of total population | % of visible minority population | Median age | Number | % of total population | % of visible minority population | Median age | |
| Total - Visible minority | 34,460,065 | 100.0 | ... | 40.5 | 36,328,480 | 100.0 | ... | 41.2 |
| Total visible minority population | 7,674,585 | 22.3 | 100.0 | 34.9 | 9,639,205 | 26.5 | 100.0 | 34.0 |
| South Asian | 1,924,635 | 5.6 | 25.1 | 34.8 | 2,571,400 | 7.1 | 26.7 | 32.4 |
| Chinese | 1,577,060 | 4.6 | 20.5 | 39.0 | 1,715,770 | 4.7 | 17.8 | 40.0 |
| Black | 1,198,540 | 3.5 | 15.6 | 31.6 | 1,547,870 | 4.3 | 16.1 | 30.2 |
| Filipino | 780,125 | 2.3 | 10.2 | 35.0 | 957,355 | 2.6 | 9.9 | 36.8 |
| Arab | 523,235 | 1.5 | 6.8 | 30.8 | 694,020 | 1.9 | 7.2 | 30.8 |
| Latin American | 447,325 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 35.9 | 580,235 | 1.6 | 6.0 | 36.8 |
| Southeast Asian | 313,260 | 0.9 | 4.1 | 35.7 | 390,340 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 35.6 |
| West Asian | 264,305 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 35.7 | 360,495 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 36.8 |
| Korean | 188,710 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 36.0 | 218,140 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 36.8 |
| Japanese | 92,920 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 38.7 | 98,890 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 39.6 |
| Visible minority, n.i.e. | 132,085 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 35.6 | 172,885 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 37.6 |
| Multiple visible minorities | 232,375 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 28.0 | 331,805 | 0.9 | 3.4 | 25.0 |
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