Highlights

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• The Haitian community in Canada is the 10th largest non-European population group in the country. In 2001, just over 82,000 people of Haitian descent lived in Canada.



• The Haitian community in Canada is highly concentrated in the province of Quebec. In 2001, 90% of people who reported Haitian origin lived in Quebec. In fact, the vast majority of all Haitians living in Canada (83%) live in Montreal.



• The Haitian population in Canada is relatively young. Indeed, in 2001, almost half of all Canadians of Haitian descent, versus about a third of the overall population, were under the age of 25. In contrast, Haitians are only about as half as likely as those in the overall population to be seniors.



• Almost all Canadians of Haitian origin can carry on a conversation in at least one official language. In fact, in 2001, only 2% could not converse in either English or French. The Haitian population is also unique among new Canadians in that they are one of the few groups in which the majority speak French. That year, 54% of Canadians of Haitian origin could carry on a conversation in French only, while 42% were bilingual.



• Canadians of Haitian origin are considerably less likely than other people to be married; they are also less likely to be living in common-law relationships. At the same time, people of Haitian origin are considerably more likely than the overall population to be lone parents. In 2001, 20% of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 25 and over were lone parents, compared with 6% of all Canadians in this age range.
  
  
• Canadians of Haitian origin are slightly less likely than those in the overall population to have university degrees, while they are somewhat more likely than the rest of the population to have attended or completed some form of non-university post-secondary training such as a community college degree program.



• Canadians of Haitian origin are somewhat less likely to be employed than adults in the rest of the population. In 2001, 57% of Canadians of Haitian origin aged 15 and over were employed, compared with 62% of all Canadian adults. At the same time, labour force participants of Haitian origin are more than twice as likely as those in the overall population to be unemployed.



• The incomes of Canadians of Haitian origin are generally lower than those of the rest of the population. In 2000, the average income from all sources for Canadians of Haitian origin aged 15 and over was just under $20,000, almost one third less than the figure for the overall population.



• Canadians of Haitian origin are much more likely to be classified as living in low-income situations than the overall population. In 2000, 39% of the Haitian community had low incomes, versus 16% of the total Canadian population. Children of Haitian origin living in Canada are especially likely to be members of low-income families; that year 47% of children of Haitian origin under the age of 15 lived in families with low incomes, compared with 19% of all children in Canada.
  

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