Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
2 Canada outside Quebec
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Skip to text
Text begins
2.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)
| First official language spoken | 2011 | 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-immigrants | Immigrants | Total population |
Non-immigrants | Immigrants | Total population |
|||
| Total immigrants |
Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Total immigrants |
Recent 2011 to 2016 |
|||||
| number | ||||||||
| English | 18,109,530 | 5,297,375 | 820,430 | 23,672,505 | 18,677,855 | 5,857,825 | 858,875 | 24,921,745 |
| French | 852,970 | 114,170 | 27,245 | 974,900 | 874,410 | 130,085 | 26,200 | 1,014,970 |
| Neither | 67,140 | 389,325 | 91,845 | 472,400 | 72,270 | 461,615 | 111,835 | 557,895 |
| Total | 19,029,645 | 5,800,875 | 939,515 | 25,119,805 | 19,624,535 | 6,449,515 | 996,905 | 26,494,615 |
| percent | ||||||||
| English | 95.2 | 91.3 | 87.3 | 94.2 | 95.2 | 90.8 | 86.2 | 94.1 |
| French | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 3.8 |
| Neither | 0.4 | 6.7 | 9.8 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 7.2 | 11.2 | 2.1 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
|
Notes: The “English-French” category has been equally redistributed between the “English” and “French” categories. Data on non-permanent residents are only included in the "Total population". Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||||||
Just over 9 in 10 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken
In Canada outside Quebec, 9 in 10 immigrants (90.8%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.0% who had French, and 7.2% who had neither language.
Of the 996,900 recent immigrants who settled in Canada outside Quebec between 2011 and 2016, 86.2% (858,900 people) had English as their FOLS, 2.6% (26,200 people) had French, and 11.2% (111,800 people) had neither language.
Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of immigrants who had English as their FOLS edged down from 91.3% to 90.8%. The proportion of those who had French as their FOLS remained unchanged over this period (2.0%). In contrast, the share of immigrants who had neither of these two languages as their FOLS increased slightly from 6.7% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2016. The growth in the latter group is likely due to the increase in the number of refugees who arrived in the country during this period.
Increase in the proportion of immigrants who had neither English nor French as their first official language spoken
The share of recent immigrants who had English or French as their FOLS decreased slightly between 2011 and 2016, from 87.3% to 86.2% and from 2.9% to 2.6%, respectively. On the other hand, those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS rose 1.4 percentage points over this period, from 9.8% to 11.2%.
Higher proportion of non-immigrants with French as their first official language spoken than immigrants
In 2016, 95.2% of non-immigrants had English as their FOLS, which was higher than for all immigrants (90.8%) and recent immigrants (86.2%). ’As for French, 4.5% of non-immigrants had it as their FOLS, a higher share than for all immigrants (2.0%) and recent immigrants (2.6%).
2.2 Mother tongue
| Mother tongue | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total | Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total | |
| number | ||||||
| English | 173,390 | 1,394,520 | 1,567,905 | 178,850 | 1,498,840 | 1,677,675 |
| French | 12,575 | 45,800 | 58,370 | 13,865 | 57,210 | 71,075 |
| Other languages | 753,565 | 3,421,040 | 4,174,600 | 804,190 | 3,896,590 | 4,700,770 |
| Total | 939,515 | 4,861,355 | 5,800,870 | 996,905 | 5,452,640 | 6,449,515 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 18.5 | 28.7 | 27.0 | 17.9 | 27.5 | 26.0 |
| French | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
| Other languages | 80.2 | 70.4 | 72.0 | 80.7 | 71.5 | 72.9 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
|
Notes: The “Other languages” category refers to languages other than English and French. These include Aboriginal, immigrant and sign languages. Multiples responses have been equally redistributed between the “English”, “French” and “Other languages” categories. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||||
A little over four in five recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue
In Canada outside Quebec, 80.7% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, compared with 80.2% in 2011. The share of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue rose from 70.4% to 71.5% during this same period.
In 2016, 1.4% of recent immigrants reported that their mother tongue is French, practically the same percentage as in 2011 (1.3%). In contrast, the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English fell slightly from 18.5% to 17.9%.
Decrease in the share of established immigrants who reported English as their mother tongue
The share of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue was essentially the same in 2011 and 2016, at 0.9% and 1.0% respectively. However, the proportion of those who reported English as their mother tongue fell 1.2 percentage points over this period, from 28.7% to 27.5%.
2.3 Language spoken most often at home
| Language spoken most often at home | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total | Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total | |
| number | ||||||
| English | 334,565 | 2,706,855 | 3,041,420 | 359,510 | 2,963,910 | 3,323,420 |
| French | 12,020 | 31,075 | 43,100 | 13,380 | 43,625 | 57,010 |
| Other languages | 592,950 | 2,123,400 | 2,716,345 | 624,005 | 2,445,090 | 3,069,105 |
| Total | 939,515 | 4,861,355 | 5,800,870 | 996,905 | 5,452,615 | 6,449,515 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 35.6 | 55.7 | 52.4 | 36.1 | 54.4 | 51.5 |
| French | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.9 |
| Other languages | 63.1 | 43.7 | 46.8 | 62.6 | 44.8 | 47.6 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
|
Notes: The “Other languages” category refers to languages other than English and French. These include Aboriginal, immigrant and sign languages. Multiple responses have been equally redistributed between the “English”, “French” and “Other languages” categories. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||||
In 2016, 26.0% of immigrants in Canada outside Quebec reported English as their mother tongue, while close to twice as many (51.5%) immigrants reported speaking mainly English at home in 2016. On the other hand, 0.9% of immigrants reported speaking French most often at home, compared with 1.1% of them who reported French as their mother tongue.
Over half of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home
In 2016, over half (52.4%) of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home, much like 2011, at 53.2%. The proportion of immigrants who spoke French most often at home showed little change, being 0.7% in 2011 and 0.9% in 2016. In contrast, the percentage of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home fell from 52.4% to 51.5% during this period.
Nearly two thirds of recent immigrants reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home
In 2016, 62.6% of recent immigrants reported speaking mainly a language other than English or French at home, compared with 63.1% in 2011. Furthermore, 36.1% of immigrants reported that they spoke mainly English at home in 2016, up from 35.6% in 2011.
2.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue
| Mother tongue | Knowledge of official languages | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total Immigrants |
Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total Immigrants |
||
| percent | |||||||
| English | English | 93.9 | 93.6 | 93.7 | 94.5 | 94.3 | 94.3 |
| French | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| English and French | 5.6 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.6 | |
| Neither | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| French | English | 5.2 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 3.7 | 7.1 | 6.4 |
| French | 14.2 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 16.6 | 5.1 | 7.3 | |
| English and French | 80.3 | 87.2 | 85.7 | 79.5 | 87.7 | 86.1 | |
| Neither | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Other languages | English | 82.9 | 86.0 | 85.4 | 82.3 | 86.2 | 85.5 |
| French | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | |
| Neither | 12.3 | 8.8 | 9.4 | 13.9 | 9.0 | 9.8 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | English | 83.9 | 87.5 | 86.9 | 83.4 | 87.6 | 86.9 |
| French | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 5.7 | |
| Neither | 10.0 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 11.3 | 6.5 | 7.2 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
|
Notes: Multiples responses have been equally redistributed between the “English”, “French” and “Other languages” categories. The “Other languages” category refers to languages other than English and French. These include Aboriginal, immigrant and sign languages. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
|||||||
Nearly 9 out of 10 recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English or French
In Canada outside Quebec, 88.7% of recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (90.0%).Note 1 This means that just over 1 in 10 recent immigrants (11.3%) reported in 2016 not being able to conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (10.0%). In 2016, 83.4% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.5% in French only, and 4.8% in English and French.
Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 5.3% in 2016, down from 2011 (6.1%).
The increase in the proportion of immigrants who reported knowing neither English nor French is likely due to the increase in the number of refugees, particularly among recent immigrants with a mother tongue other than English or French.
A small share (6.5%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French
Among established immigrants, 93.5% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, little changed from 2011 (93.8%). In 2016, 87.6% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.2% French only, and 5.8% English and French. Thus, 6.5% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, a slight increase from 2011 (6.2%).
The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 6.0% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (6.3%).
Decline in English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English
The rate of English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English decreased, from 5.6% in 2011 to 5.0% in 2016. As a corollary, the proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English rose slightly during this period, going from 93.9% to 94.5%.
In 2016, 3.5% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (4.4%). The share of those who reported being able to conduct a conversation only in French changed little, edged from 0.4% in 2011 to 0.3% in 2016.
Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French who could not conduct a conversation in English or French
Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French who knew only English (and not French) fell slightly from 82.9% to 82.3%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French rose from 12.3% to 13.9%.
Decline in the share of recent immigrants with a French mother tongue who reported being able to conduct a conversation in English
The self-reported ability of recent immigrants with French as their mother tongue to conduct a conversation in English (English + English and French) dropped between 2011 and 2016, from 85.6% to 83.1%.
2.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants
Until the 1970s, immigrants came mainly from Western countries and Eastern Europe. Since then, growing numbers of people from Asia (including the Middle East), Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa have settled in Canada outside Quebec.
The results of the 2016 Census of Population and the 2011 National Household Survey reflect the changes in source countries of immigration in recent decades.
2.5.A Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 3,125 | 16.9 |
| 2 | Haiti | 2,500 | 13.6 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1,895 | 10.3 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 1,170 | 6.3 | |
| 5 | Cameroon | 1,110 | 6.0 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 920 | 5.0 | |
| 7 | Burundi | 675 | 3.7 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 595 | 3.2 | |
| 9 | Algeria | 545 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Côte d'Ivoire | 490 | 2.7 | |
| Total | 13,025 | 70.6 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | France | 3,665 | 19.4 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2,365 | 12.5 | |
| 3 | Haiti | 1,770 | 9.4 | |
| 4 | Cameroon | 1,360 | 7.2 | |
| 5 | Côte d'Ivoire | 1,070 | 5.7 | |
| 6 | Mauritius | 830 | 4.4 | |
| 7 | Burundi | 810 | 4.3 | |
| 8 | Morocco | 580 | 3.1 | |
| 9 | Djibouti | 415 | 2.2 | |
| 10 | Lebanon | 370 | 2.0 | |
| Total | 13,235 | 70.2 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||
Top countries of origin
In 2016, just over 4 in 10 recent immigrants (41.4%)Note 2 with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) were born in France (19.4%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.5%) or Haiti (9.4%). This is a slight increase from 40.8% in 2011. In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top three countries of origin of these immigrants.
Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants from France, Haiti or Africa
In 2016, 68.3% of French-speakingNote 3 recent immigrants were from France, Haiti or Africa, up from 2011 (67.4%).
France and Haiti’s share fell from 30.5% in 2011 to 28.8% in 2016, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points. Africa’s share rose 2.5 percentage points over this period, from 36.9% to 39.4%.
In 2016, as in 2011, 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of French-speaking recent immigrants were in Africa.
2.5.B Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 12,665 | 22.6 |
| 2 | Haiti | 4,720 | 8.4 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 4,485 | 8.0 | |
| 4 | United States | 3,205 | 5.7 | |
| 5 | Mauritius | 2,810 | 5.0 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 2,595 | 4.6 | |
| 7 | Belgium | 2,135 | 3.8 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 1,955 | 3.5 | |
| 9 | Egypt | 1,785 | 3.2 | |
| 10 | Switzerland | 1,565 | 2.8 | |
| Total | 37,920 | 67.7 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | France | 13,930 | 20.0 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 6,590 | 9.4 | |
| 3 | Haiti | 6,050 | 8.7 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 3,985 | 5.7 | |
| 5 | United States | 3,210 | 4.6 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 3,170 | 4.5 | |
| 7 | Lebanon | 2,710 | 3.9 | |
| 8 | Belgium | 2,145 | 3.1 | |
| 9 | Algeria | 2,065 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Egypt | 1,845 | 2.6 | |
| Total | 45,700 | 65.5 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||
The proportion of French-speaking established immigrants from Europe (excluding France) and the United States fell 4.6 percentage points, from 12.3% in 2011 to 7.7% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants from African countries rose from 20.8% to 25.3% during the same period.
2.5.C Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Philippines | 143,580 | 17.7 |
| 2 | India | 102,480 | 12.6 | |
| 3 | China | 74,080 | 9.1 | |
| 4 | United States | 38,680 | 4.8 | |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 31,630 | 3.9 | |
| 6 | Pakistan | 30,685 | 3.8 | |
| 7 | Iran | 23,840 | 2.9 | |
| 8 | South Korea | 23,390 | 2.9 | |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 17,255 | 2.1 | |
| 10 | Colombia | 13,840 | 1.7 | |
| Total | 499,460 | 61.5 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Philippines | 181,810 | 21.4 |
| 2 | India | 126,215 | 14.8 | |
| 3 | China | 75,425 | 8.9 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 37,135 | 4.4 | |
| 5 | Iran | 30,405 | 3.6 | |
| 6 | United States | 28,315 | 3.3 | |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 23,510 | 2.8 | |
| 8 | South Korea | 18,405 | 2.2 | |
| 9 | Nigeria | 16,685 | 2.0 | |
| 10 | Iraq | 15,160 | 1.8 | |
| Total | 553,065 | 64.9 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||
Top countries of origin
In 2016, more than 4 in 10 recent immigrants (45.0%) whose first official language spoken is English were born in the Philippines (21.4%), India (14.8%) or China (8.9%). This was an increase from 2011 (39.4%). In 2016, as in 2011, these were the top three countries of origin of these recent immigrants.
Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East)
In 2016, 56.9% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East), compared with 51.2% in 2011.
In 2016, 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were Asian countries (including those in the Middle East).
2.5.D Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | United Kingdom | 490,045 | 11.0 |
| 2 | India | 364,185 | 8.2 | |
| 3 | China | 284,515 | 6.4 | |
| 4 | Philippines | 283,910 | 6.4 | |
| 5 | United States | 193,305 | 4.3 | |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 179,400 | 4.0 | |
| 7 | Italy | 176,115 | 4.0 | |
| 8 | Germany | 129,960 | 2.9 | |
| 9 | Poland | 128,350 | 2.9 | |
| 10 | Jamaica | 111,050 | 2.5 | |
| Total | 2,340,835 | 52.6 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | United Kingdom | 461,995 | 9.3 |
| 2 | India | 447,855 | 9.0 | |
| 3 | Philippines | 377,530 | 7.6 | |
| 4 | China | 352,660 | 7.1 | |
| 5 | United States | 194,525 | 3.9 | |
| 6 | Hong Kong | 183,450 | 3.7 | |
| 7 | Italy | 163,245 | 3.3 | |
| 8 | Pakistan | 146,395 | 2.9 | |
| 9 | Germany | 128,250 | 2.6 | |
| 10 | Poland | 125,010 | 2.5 | |
| Total | 2,580,915 | 52.0 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
||||
Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of English-speaking established immigrants from Asia was up 5.4 percentage points, from 25.0% to 30.4%. In contrast, the percentage of established immigrants from Europe and the United States fell 3.5 percentage points from 25.1% in 2011 to 21.6% in 2016.
Notes
- Date modified: