Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
4 Prince Edward Island

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.

Table of contents

Skip to text

Text begins

4.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 4.1
Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration, Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration. The information is grouped by First official language spoken (appearing as row headers), 2011, 2016, Non-immigrants, Immigrants, Total
population, Total
immigrants, Recent
2006 to 2011 and Recent
2011 to 2016, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
First official language spoken	2011				2016
	Non-immigrants	Immigrants		Total population	Non-immigrants	Immigrants		Total population
	Non-immigrants	Total immigrants	Recent 2006 to 2011	Total population	Non-immigrants	Total immigrants	Recent 2011 to 2016	Total population
	number
English	124,775	6,345	1,925	132,000	124,980	8,050	2,720	134,300
French	4,550	115	15	4,670	4,365	200	60	4,590
Neither	65	625	610	710	65	690	580	800
Total	129,385	7,090	2,555	137,375	129,405	8,940	3,360	139,685
	percent
English	96.4	89.5	75.3	96.1	96.6	90.0	81.0	96.1
French	3.5	1.6	0.6	3.4	3.4	2.2	1.8	3.3
Neither	0.1	8.8	23.9	0.5	0.1	7.7	17.3	0.6
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.

English was the first official language spoken of 9 out of 10 immigrants

In Prince Edward Island, 9 in 10 immigrants (90.0%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.2% who had French, and 7.7% who had neither language.

Of the 3,360 recent immigrants who settled in Prince Edward Island between 2011 and 2016, 81.0% (2,720 people) had English as their FOLS, 1.8% (60 people) had French, and 17.3% (580 people) had neither language.

Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of immigrants who had English as their FOLS edged up from 89.5% to 90.0%. Those who had French as their FOLS also rose over this period, from 1.6% to 2.2%. In contrast, the proportion of those whose FOLS was neither of these two languages decreased from 8.8% in 2011 to 7.7% in 2016.

Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants who had French as their first official language spoken

The proportion of recent immigrants who had English as their FOLS rose from 75.3% in 2011 to 81.0% in 2016. The share of those who had French as their FOLS increased from 0.6% to 1.8% over this period. In comparison, the proportion of those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS fell 6.6 percentage points, from 23.9% in 2011 to 17.3% in 2016.

Higher percentage of non-immigrants with English or French as first official language spoken than immigrants

In 2016, almost all (96.6%) non-immigrants had English as their FOLS. This proportion was much higher than the share of recent immigrants (81.0%) and higher than the one for all immigrants (90.0%). Furthermore, 3.4% of all non-immigrants had French as their FOLS, a higher share than for recent immigrants (1.8%) and for all immigrants (2.2%).

4.2 Mother tongue

Table 4.2
Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration, Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration. The information is grouped by Mother tongue (appearing as row headers), 2011, 2016, Recent
2006 to 2011, Established
before 2006, Total , Recent
2011 to 2016, Established before 2011 and Total, calculated using number and percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Mother tongue	2011			2016
	Recent 2006 to 2011	Established before 2006	Total	Recent 2011 to 2016	Established before 2011	Total
	number
English	440	2,860	3,300	535	2,960	3,495
French	0	45	45	45	120	150
Other languages	2,110	1,640	3,750	2,780	2,540	5,305
Total	2,555	4,530	7,085	3,360	5,620	8,940
	percent
English	17.2	63.1	46.6	15.9	52.7	39.1
French	0.0	0.0	0.6	1.3	2.1	1.7
Other languages	82.6	36.2	52.9	82.7	45.2	59.3
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.

Over four in five recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue

In Prince Edward Island, 82.7% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, practically the same percentage as in 2011 (82.6%). In contrast, the proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue increased from 36.2% in 2011 to 45.5% in 2016, an increase of 9.3 percentage points.

The share of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English was 15.9% in 2016, down from 2011 (17.2%).

Increase in the proportion of established immigrants who reported speaking French most often at home

The percentage of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue increased from 1.0% in 2011 to 2.2% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of those who reported English as their mother tongue decreased from 63.1% to 53.0% during this period.

The increase in the share of immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue is largely attributable to the increasing number of immigrants from France and countries where French is one of the official languages.

4.3 Language spoken most often at home

Table 4.3
Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration, Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration. The information is grouped by Language spoken most often at home (appearing as row headers), 2011, 2016, Recent
2006 to 2011, Established
before 2006, Total , Recent
2011 to 2016, Established before 2011 and Total, calculated using number and percentage units of measure (appearing as column headers).
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	575	3,875	4,445	875	4,235	5,110
French	0	30	30	35	80	100
Other languages	1,975	620	2,590	2,450	1,275	3,730
Total	2,555	4,530	7,085	3,360	5,580	8,940
	percent
English	22.5	85.5	62.7	26.0	75.9	57.2
French	0.0	0.7	0.4	1.0	1.4	1.1
Other languages	77.3	13.7	36.6	72.9	22.8	41.7
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.

In 2016, 39.1% of immigrants in Prince Edward Island reported English as their mother tongue, while 57.2% of them reported speaking mainly English at home. In contrast, 1.1% of immigrants reported speaking French most often at home, compared with 1.7% of them who reported that French was their mother tongue.

Decrease in the proportion of immigrants who reported speaking English most often at home

In 2016, nearly 6 in 10 immigrants (58.3%) reported that they spoke English or French most often at home, compared with 63.2% in 2011. The share of immigrants who spoke French most often at home increased from 0.4% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home decreased from 62.7% to 57.2% during this period.

Nearly three quarters of recent immigrants reported that they spoke a language other than English or French most often at home

In 2016, 72.9% of recent immigrants reported speaking mainly a language other than English or French at home, a lower percentage than in 2011 (77.3%).

4.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

Table 4.4
Immigrants' knowledge of official languages, by mother tongue and period of immigration, Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Immigrants' knowledge of official languages. The information is grouped by Mother tongue (appearing as row headers), Knowledge of official languages, 2011, 2016, Recent
2006 to 2011, Established
before 2006, Total
Immigrants, Recent
2011 to 2016 and Established before 2011, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
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	83.0	91.8	90.6	91.7	90.0	90.4
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	English and French	9.1	8.4	8.5	7.4	9.5	9.2
	Neither	5.7	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.5	0.4
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
French	English	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	10.3
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	11.1	9.5	10.3
	English and French	0.0	77.8	77.8	77.8	90.5	89.7
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	Total	0.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Other languages	English	67.8	87.2	76.3	76.4	87.9	81.9
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	0.3
	English and French	2.1	11.3	6.1	2.3	7.5	4.8
	Neither	29.9	0.9	17.2	21.0	4.2	13.0
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Total	English	70.3	89.5	82.6	78.1	87.5	84.0
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.2
	English and French	3.9	9.9	7.8	4.2	10.1	7.9
	Neither	25.6	0.2	9.4	17.4	2.2	7.9
	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.

Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in English or French

In Prince Edward Island, 82.6% of the 3,360 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, up from 2011 (74.2%).^{Note 1} This means that 17.4% of recent immigrants reported in 2016 that they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, down from 2011 (25.6%). In 2016, 78.1% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.3% in French only, and 4.2% in English and French.

Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 4.5% in 2016, up from 2011 (3.9%).

A small share (2.2%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French

Among the 5,580 established immigrants, 97.8% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down from 2011 (99.4%). In 2016, 87.5% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.2% French only, and 10.1% English and French. Thus, 2.2% of these established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, up from 2011 (0.2%).

The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 10.3% in 2016, up slightly from 2011 (9.9%).

Decrease in the share 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) increased from 67.8% to 76.4%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French decreased from 29.9% to 21.0%.

4.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

4.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 4.5.A.1
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 4.5.A.1 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 4.5.A.1 Note 2} Prince Edward Island, 2011^{Table 4.5.A.1 Note 3} and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top countries of birth of recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken Rank, Country of birth, Number and Percentage (appearing as column headers).
	Rank	Country of birth	Number	Percentage
2016 Census of Population^{Table 4.5.A.1 Note 4}	1	Belgium	20	44.4
	2	Haiti	10	22.2
	3	France	10	22.2
	3	Total	40	88.9
Note 1 “Recent immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained his or her landed immigrant or permanent resident status in the five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, the period extends between January 1, 2011, and May 10, 2016. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Note 3 In order to ensure the confidentiality of the responses collected, the data for the top 10 countries of birth are not shown for the year 2011. Return to note 3 referrer Note 4 In order to ensure the confidentiality of the responses collected, the data for the top 10 countries of birth are not shown. Return to note 4 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

Table 4.5.A.2
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 4.5.A.2 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 4.5.A.2 Note 2} Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top countries of birth of established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken Rank, Country of birth, Number and percent (appearing as column headers).
	Rank	Country of birth	Number	Percent
2011 National Household Survey^{Table 4.5.A.2 Note 3}	1	France	20	30.8
2011 National Household Survey^{Table 4.5.A.2 Note 3}	1	Total	20	30.8
2016 Census of Population	1	France	30	27.3
	2	United States	15	13.6
	3	Belgium	10	9.1
	4	Romania	10	9.1
	5	Mauritius	10	9.1
	6	Morocco	10	9.1
	7	Tunisia	10	9.1
	8	Cameroon	10	9.1
	9	Lebanon	10	9.1
	10	Syria	10	9.1
	10	Total	125	100.0
Note 1 “Established immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status at least five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, it is an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status before 2011. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Note 3 In order to ensure the confidentiality of the responses collected, the data for the top 10 countries of birth are not shown. Return to note 3 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

In Prince Edward Island, there were 45 recent immigrants and 110 established immigrants whose first official language spoken is French in 2016.

4.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 4.5.B
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 4.5.B Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 4.5.B Note 2} Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top countries of birth of recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken Rank, Country of birth, Number and percent (appearing as column headers).
	Rank	Country of birth	Number	Percent
2011 National Household Survey	1	China	770	40.3
	2	Iran	215	11.3
	3	United Kingdom	140	7.3
	4	United States	90	4.7
	5	India	70	3.7
	6	South Korea	40	2.1
	7	Sri Lanka	40	2.1
	8	Iceland	35	1.8
	9	Turkey	35	1.8
	10	Bhutan	35	1.8
	10	Total	1,470	77.0
2016 Census of Population	1	China	990	36.6
	2	Philippines	375	13.9
	3	United States	125	4.6
	4	United Kingdom	115	4.3
	5	India	110	4.1
	6	Iran	95	3.5
	7	Syria	75	2.8
	8	Nepal	65	2.4
	9	Viet Nam	40	1.5
	10	Germany	35	1.3
	10	Total	2,025	74.9
Note 1 “Recent immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained his or her landed immigrant or permanent resident status in the five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, the period extends between January 1, 2011, and May 10, 2016. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. 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, there were 2,705 recent immigrants in Prince Edward Island whose first official language spoken is English. More than half (55.1%)^{Note 2} of these immigrants came from China (36.6%), the Philippines (13.9%) or the United States (4.6%).

Nearly two thirds of recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East)

In 2016, Asian countries (including those in the Middle East) accounted for 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking^{Note 3} recent immigrants, and a 64.7% share of all recent immigrants.

4.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 4.5.C
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 4.5.C Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 4.5.C Note 2} Prince Edward Island, 2011 and 2016
Table summary
This table displays the results of Top countries of birth of established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken Rank, Country of birth, Number and percent (appearing as column headers).
	Rank	Country of birth	Number	Percent
2011 National Household Survey	1	United States	1,230	28.1
	2	United Kingdom	1,125	25.7
	3	Netherlands	445	10.1
	4	China	215	4.9
	5	Germany	195	4.4
	6	Japan	90	2.1
	7	Kosovo	75	1.7
	8	Belgium	55	1.3
	9	Viet Nam	55	1.3
	10	El Salvador	50	1.1
	10	Total	3,535	80.6
2016 Census of Population	1	United Kingdom	1,245	23.5
	2	United States	1,060	20.0
	3	Netherlands	445	8.4
	4	China	385	7.3
	5	Germany	215	4.1
	6	Iran	125	2.4
	7	Philippines	105	2.0
	8	India	95	1.8
	9	Portugal	70	1.3
	10	South Korea	65	1.2
	10	Total	3,810	71.9
Note 1 “Established immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status at least five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, it is an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status before 2011. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. 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 English-speaking established immigrants from Europe and the United States fell 14.0 percentage points, from 71.3% in 2011 to 57.3% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East) rose 6.4 percentage points during this period, from 8.2% to 14.6%.

Notes

Date modified:: 2019-01-28

Language selection

Search and menus

Search

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
4 Prince Edward Island

Archived Content

4.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

4.2 Mother tongue

4.3 Language spoken most often at home

4.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

4.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

4.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

4.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

4.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Notes

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016 4 Prince Edward Island

Archived Content

4.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

4.2 Mother tongue

4.3 Language spoken most often at home

4.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

4.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

4.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

4.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

4.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Notes

Note of appreciation

Standards of service to the public

Copyright

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
4 Prince Edward Island