Poverty rate of the bilingual population in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario in 2021

Release date: March 12, 2026
Infographic: Poverty rate of the bilingual population in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario in 2021
Description: Poverty rate of the bilingual population in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario in 2021

At the national level, the poverty rateNote 1 of the Canadian-born population aged 25 and over was 6.0% in 2021, while the rate for the bilingual population was 4.7%.

Poverty rate of the bilingual population, by province:

  • Quebec: 4.3%
  • New Brunswick: 5.3%
  • Ontario: 4.8%

Quebec

Among Quebec’s bilingual population, those with an English mother tongue had a higher poverty rate than those whose mother tongue is French, particularly in Montérégie, Outaouais and Estrie.

Poverty rate of Quebec’s bilingual population, by selected region Table summary
This table displays the results of Poverty rate of Quebec’s bilingual population, by selected region , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
  Quebec Montréal Estrie Montérégie Laval Outaouais
Total bilingual population 4.3% 6.3% 4.8% 3.5% 3.2% 3.8%
Bilingual population with English mother tongue 5.7% 6.7% 7.4% 4.5% 3.8% 4.4%
Bilingual population with French mother tongue 4.0% 6.4% 4.4% 3.3% 3.3% 3.6%

New Brunswick

The poverty rate of the total bilingual population was highest in Edmundston–Woodstock and Campbellton–Miramichi, the two regions where the mother tongue of most people is French.

Poverty rate of New Brunswick’s bilingual population, by selected region Table summary
This table displays the results of Poverty rate of New Brunswick’s bilingual population, by selected region , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
  New Brunswick Campbellton–Miramichi Edmundston–Woodstock Moncton–Richibucto Fredericton–Oromocto Saint John–St. Stephen
Total bilingual population 5.3% 5.8% 6.3% 5.1% 3.7% 4.5%
Bilingual population with English mother tongue 5.1% 6.0% 7.2% 5.6% 3.6% 4.8%
Bilingual population with French mother tongue 5.2% 5.6% 6.2% 4.8% 3.5% 3.6%

Ontario

In Ottawa, northeastern Ontario and Toronto, bilingual people whose mother tongue is French had a higher poverty rate than those whose mother tongue is English.

Poverty rate of Ontario’s bilingual population, by selected region Table summary
This table displays the results of Poverty rate of Ontario’s bilingual population, by selected region , calculated using (appearing as column headers).
  Ontario Ottawa Northeastern Ontario Toronto
Total bilingual population 4.8% 4.0% 4.8% 5.8%
Bilingual population with English mother tongue 4.7% 3.7% 4.4% 5.7%
Bilingual population with French mother tongue 4.7% 4.2% 5.0% 6.2%

Note: In this infographic, the reference population is made up of people aged 25 years and over who were born in Canada, excluding the population of the territories. The bilingual population comprises people who know English and French well enough to have a conversation. The regions presented in this infographic correspond to economic regions.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.

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