A few characteristics of bilingual people in Canada
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Overall, bilingual people are younger, more educated and slightly more likely to be male than female.
Age and bilingualism
In general, the highest rates of bilingualism are among 15- to 39-year-olds since this is the only age group with a bilingualism rate of over 20%. Therefore, nationally, bilingual people were slightly younger than non-bilingual people. In 2011, the median age of Canadians was 40, but the median age of bilingual people was 38.
However, there were some differences between the groups. For example, the median age of bilingual Anglophones was 31, compared with 42 for Francophones. The difference was more noticeable outside Quebec, where the median age of bilingual Anglophones was 29, while that of bilingual Francophones was 47.Note 1 The difference was less significant between Anglophones and Francophones in Quebec (the median age of bilingual Anglophones was 37 and that of bilingual Francophones was 41).
Sex and bilingualism
Nationally, the rate of bilingualism was 18% for males and 17% for females. However, the situation was different in Quebec than in the rest of Canada.
In Quebec, the rate of bilingualism was 42% for male Francophones and 35% for female Francophones. Male and female Anglophones in that province had a similar rate of bilingualism (61%).
Outside Quebec, the rate of bilingualism was 7% for female Anglophones, compared with 6% for male Anglophones. Conversely, among Francophones, the rate was 88% for men and 87% for women.
Education and bilingualism
According to data from the 2006 Census,Note 2 the link between educational attainment and bilingualism is different depending on whether a person is living in Quebec or outside Quebec (Chart A.1).
In Quebec, the rate of bilingualism in 2006 was 25% among those without a certificate or diploma, compared with 46% among those with a high school diploma, 55% among those with a college diploma, and 68% among those with a degree at or above the bachelor level.
In the other provinces, aside from the fact that those with a university degree at or above the bachelor level had a greater rate of bilingualism, differences in the rates of bilingualism were much smaller between the other levels of education.
Notes
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