Study: Portrait of the Chinese populations in Canada
Released: 2026-02-13
A new in-depth analytical portrait released today explores the diversity of individuals in Canada who reported being Chinese in the census, including information on where they were born and live, their age, language, immigration characteristics, religion, education, job, income and experiences of social inclusion. It breaks down many characteristics by place of birth to provide a deeper understanding of the diversity of experiences and outcomes within Chinese populations.
This is the fourth in a series of portraits on racialized groups in Canada, developed by Statistics Canada in support of Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy. The previous portraits are The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021: A Sociodemographic Portrait, Portrait of the Arab Populations in Canada: Diversity and Socioeconomic Outcomes and Portrait of the South Asian Populations in Canada: Diversity and Socioeconomic Outcomes.
The analysis in this release is based on the 2021 Census of Population, unless otherwise specified.
Nearly 5% of the Canadian population reports being Chinese
Chinese populations in Canada numbered 1.7 million people in 2021 and made up 4.7% of the total population of Canada. They were the second-largest racialized group in Canada after the South Asian populations. The size of the Chinese populations more than doubled from 1996 to 2021.
About half of Chinese populations in Canada were born in China
In 2021, about half of Chinese populations in Canada were born in China and about half were born in other places. More than one-quarter of Chinese populations were born in Canada, while other common places of birth were Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. For Chinese individuals living in Canada who were born in Southeast Asia, Vietnam was the most common country of birth.
Chart 1
Chinese populations by place of birth, Canada, 2021
Among Chinese immigrants, places of birth differed by period of immigration. Among Chinese immigrants who immigrated to Canada during the period from 1970 to 1996, just over one-third (34.2%) were born in China, while the majority were born in Hong Kong (40.1%), Southeast Asia (13.0%) and Taiwan (7.1%). In contrast, 86.8% of Chinese immigrants who immigrated to Canada during the period from 1998 to 2021 were born in China.
Nearly two-thirds of the Chinese populations who immigrated to Canada from 1980 to 2021 are economic immigrants
Chinese immigrants who had immigrated to Canada since 1980 and were living in the country in 2021 were mainly either economic immigrants (64.9%) or sponsored by family (28.7%). However, among Chinese immigrants during this period who were born in Southeast Asia, 42.0% were economic immigrants while one-quarter (25.1%) were refugees.
More than two-thirds of individuals who report being Chinese live in Toronto and Vancouver
Over two-thirds of the Chinese populations in Canada lived in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Toronto (39.6%) and Vancouver (29.9%) in 2021. There were some variations by place of birth; for example, the majority (58.1%) of the Chinese populations in Canada who were born in Taiwan lived in Vancouver (Chart 2).
Chart 2
Place of residence of Chinese populations by place of birth, Canada, 2021
Chinese populations in Canada made up nearly one-fifth of the population of the CMA of Vancouver (19.6%) and just over one-tenth of the population of the CMA of Toronto (11.1%). Within the Vancouver CMA, the majority (54.3%) of the population in the census subdivision (CSD) (municipality) of Richmond was Chinese, as was one-third (33.3%) of the population in the CSD of Burnaby. Within the Toronto CMA, Chinese populations made up nearly half (47.9%) of the population in the CSD of Markham and just under one-third (31.9%) of the population in the CSD of Richmond Hill.
Over 70% of individuals in Canada who reported being Chinese have no religion or have secular perspectives, but this differs by place of birth
In 2021, the share of the Chinese populations who had no religion or had secular perspectives (71.7%) was more than twice as high as in the overall population of Canada (34.6%).
The share of the Chinese populations who had no religion or had secular perspectives was highest among those born in China (80.2%) or Canada (72.9%) and lowest among those born in Southeast Asia (44.9%) (Chart 3).
The most common religions among Chinese populations were Christianity (20.2%) and Buddhism (7.2%).
Chart 3
Religion of Chinese populations by place of birth, Canada, 2021
Chinese populations in Canada with a bachelor's degree or higher are less likely than the non-racialized non-Indigenous population to have jobs that align with their level of education
In 2021, over 6 in 10 individuals aged 25 to 54 years (61.8%) who reported being Chinese had a bachelor's degree or higher. Among them, 4 in 10 (40.9%) had a bachelor's degree or higher from a Canadian institution.
However, among the population aged 25 to 54 years who had a bachelor's degree or higher and who worked in 2020 or 2021, Chinese populations were less likely (57.4%) to work as professionals or as senior or specialized managers than the non-racialized non-Indigenous population (65.7%).
The size of this gap differed depending on gender and location of study. For example, there was little difference among men working as professionals or as senior or specialized managers when comparing Chinese men with a Canadian degree (64.3%) with non-racialized non-Indigenous men with a Canadian degree (64.7%). In comparison, this share was lower among Chinese men with a degree from outside Canada (50.9%).
Among women with a bachelor's degree or higher, Chinese women were less likely to work as professionals or as senior or specialized managers than non-racialized non-Indigenous women (67.0%), whether the Chinese women had a Canadian degree and were born in Canada (63.6%), had a Canadian degree and were born outside Canada (59.2%) or had a degree from outside Canada (41.3%).
Chinese populations are more likely to be homeowners than any other population group
In 2021, more than 8 in 10 individuals (84.5%) in Canada who reported being Chinese lived in a household that owned their home. This share is higher than those of the non-racialized non-Indigenous population (75.7%) and of any other racialized group (Southeast Asian populations [71.9%] had the next-highest share).
More than 3 in 10 individuals (31.8%) who reported being Chinese lived in a household that owned their home mortgage-free, which is more than the share among the non-racialized non-Indigenous population (27.2%) or among any other racialized group.
Chinese populations report having a lower sense of belonging to their local communities than other population groups, which is associated with lower life satisfaction
Based on the 2020 General Social Survey - Social Identity, Chinese populations were less likely to report having a very strong sense of belonging to their local community (20.3%) than the non-racialized non-Indigenous population (25.4%) and other racialized groups (36.6%) (Table 1).
In the overall population, people born outside Canada were more likely to have a very strong sense of belonging to their local community (33.8%) than people born in Canada (24.7%). This was not the case among the Chinese populations, in which the share of individuals with a very strong sense of belonging to their local community was similar between those born outside Canada (20.0%) and those born in Canada (21.4%).
Sense of belonging to one's local community was associated with life satisfaction. Just over two-thirds (68.7%) of Chinese populations with a very strong sense of belonging to their local community reported having high life satisfaction (rated as 8 or higher out of 10), compared with about one-third (32.8%) of those with a weak sense of belonging to their local community.
More than 6 in 10 individuals in Canada who report being Chinese experienced discrimination in the six years preceding 2021
Based on the 2020 General Social Survey - Social Identity, more than 6 in 10 individuals (61.4%) in Canada who reported being Chinese reported having experienced discrimination either during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic (the survey was conducted from August 2020 to February 2021) or in the five years preceding the pandemic. The share of Chinese populations who reported having experienced discrimination during the pandemic (40.9%) was higher than that of any other racialized group. Over half (56.2%) of Chinese populations reported having experienced discrimination during the five years preceding the pandemic.
The most common types of discrimination experienced by Chinese populations were discrimination based on race or colour (43.9%), ethnicity or culture (36.9%), language (26.6%) and physical appearance (14.6%).
The most common circumstances in which Chinese populations experienced discrimination were in a store, bank or restaurant (41.7%) and at work or when applying for a job or promotion (21.5%). Among Chinese populations who were attending school, or who had graduated in the previous five years, 32.1% reported having experienced discrimination when attending school or classes.
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Note to readers
The series of portraits on racialized groups in Canada was developed in partnership with the Department of Canadian Heritage to support Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy, which seeks to address racism and discrimination faced by racialized groups and Indigenous Peoples. This analytical portrait aligns with the Disaggregated Data Action Plan, a whole-of-government approach led by Statistics Canada, to enhance data collection, analysis and dissemination pertaining to diverse populations in Canada.
Data sources
The principal data source is the 2021 Census of Population. Information on sense of belonging and discrimination is from the 2020 General Social Survey – Social Identity. More detailed information on data sources is available in the portrait.
Methods
This release provides descriptive analysis of the characteristics of Chinese populations in Canada.
Definitions
Census metropolitan area: Refers to large urban centres with a population of 100,000 or more, made up of one or more census subdivisions. For more information, refer to the Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021.
Census subdivision: Refers to municipalities (as determined by provincial or territorial legislation) or areas treated as municipal equivalents for statistical purposes (e.g., Indian reserves, Indian settlements, unorganized territories).
China: In this release, refers to the People's Republic of China, excluding the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao. This follows the Standard Classification of Countries and Areas of Interest 2019 – Countries and Areas of Interest for Social Statistics, used to classify places of birth and locations of study in the 2021 Census of Population.
Chinese populations: Since 1996, Statistics Canada has used the population group question in the census to measure the racialized populations through the visible minority concept in accordance with the Employment Equity Act. This portrait uses the category of "Chinese" in the visible minority variable to establish the counts of the Chinese populations in Canada and to conduct analysis. The "Chinese" category includes individuals who reported "Chinese," or "Chinese" and "White," or write-in responses associated with those categories. For more information about the derivation of the "Chinese" and other racialized population categories, please consult the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.
Educational attainment: "Educational attainment," and "level of education" refer to the highest level of education that a person has successfully completed, using the classification of the highest certificate, diploma or degree. The general hierarchy used in deriving this variable (high school, trades, college, university) is loosely tied to the "in-class" duration of the various types of education.
Gender: Refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman) and includes the following concepts:
• gender identity, which refers to the gender that a person feels internally and individually
• gender expression, which refers to the way a person presents their gender, regardless of their gender identity, through body language, aesthetic choices or accessories (e.g., clothes, hairstyle, makeup) that may have traditionally been associated with a specific gender.
A person's gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. A person's gender may change over time. Some people may not identify with a specific gender.
The sex variable in census years before 2021 and the two-category gender variable in the 2021 Census are combined in this analysis to make historical comparisons. Although sex and gender refer to two different concepts, the introduction of gender in 2021 is not expected to have a significant impact on data analysis and historical comparability, given the small size of the transgender and non-binary populations. For additional information on changes of concepts over time, please consult the Age, Sex at Birth and Gender Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.
Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is sometimes necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses. In these cases, individuals in the category "non-binary persons" are distributed into the other two gender categories. Unless otherwise indicated, the category "men" includes men, boys and some non-binary people, while the category "women" includes women, girls and some non-binary people.
Major field of study: Refers to the predominant discipline or area of learning or training of a person's highest completed postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, classified according to the Classification of Instructional Programs Canada 2021.
Non-racialized non-Indigenous population: In this release, refers to people who were not categorized as a "visible minority" using the visible minority variable; were not categorized as "White and Arab," "White and Latin American" or "White and West Asian" using the population group variable; and did not report First Nations, Métis or Inuit identity in the question on Indigenous identity. In contrast to the standard definition, it excludes people who reported being both Arab and White, both Latin American and White, or both West Asian and White. For more information on the visible minority and population group variables, consult the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.
Occupation: Refers to the kind of work performed in a job, a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete their duties. An occupation is a set of jobs that are sufficiently similar in work performed. In the 2021 Census of Population, occupations are classified according to the National Occupational Classification 2021.
Place of birth: Refers to the name of the geographic location (in this portrait, the country or area of interest) where the person was born. The geographic location is specified according to geographic boundaries current at the time of data collection, not the geographic boundaries at the time of birth.
Racialized populations: In this release, refers to people categorized as "visible minorities" ("South Asian," "Chinese," "Black," "Filipino," "Latin American," "Arab," "Southeast Asian," "West Asian," "Korean," "Japanese," "multiple visible minorities" and "visible minority not identified elsewhere") according to the visible minority variable, as well as those categorized as "White and Arab," "White and Latin American" or "White and West Asian" according to the "population group" variable. The inclusion of the "White and Arab," "White and Latin American" and "White and West Asian" populations as part of the racialized populations is a departure from the standard concept of the racialized populations. In this analysis, the racialized populations exclude Indigenous respondents. For more information about the derivation of the racialized populations, consult the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.
Religion: Refers to a person's self-identified connection to or affiliation with any religious denomination, group, body or other religiously defined community or system of belief. Religion is not limited to formal membership in a religious organization or group. For infants or children, religion refers to the specific religious group or denomination, if any, in which they are being raised.
Year of immigration: Refers to the year in which a person obtained permanent residency in Canada. This may not be the same as the year that they first arrived in Canada.
Products
The analytical paper "Portrait of the Chinese Populations in Canada: Diversity and Socioeconomic Outcomes," which is part of the Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series (89-657-X), is now available.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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