Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
5 Nova Scotia

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5.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 5.1
Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration, Nova Scotia, 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	822,480	46,215	10,070	875,255	815,295	52,320	10,170	877,215
French	28,285	1,395	395	29,860	27,015	1,505	295	28,620
Neither	270	670	395	1,055	460	1,845	1,325	2,505
Total	851,030	48,275	10,860	906,170	842,760	55,680	11,790	908,340
	percent
English	96.6	95.7	92.7	96.6	96.7	94.0	86.3	96.6
French	3.3	2.9	3.6	3.3	3.2	2.7	2.5	3.2
Neither	0.0	1.4	3.6	0.1	0.1	3.3	11.2	0.3
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.

More than 9 out of 10 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken

In Nova Scotia, more than 9 in 10 immigrants (94.0%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.7% who had French and 3.3% who had neither language.

Of the 11,790 recent immigrants who settled in Nova Scotia between 2011 and 2016, 86.3% (10,170 people) had English as their FOLS, 2.5% (295 people) had French, and 11.2% (1,325 people) had neither language.

Increase in the proportion of immigrants who had neither English nor French as their first official language spoken

Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of immigrants who had English as their FOLS fell from 95.7% to 94.0%, a decrease of 1.8 percentage points. Those who had French as their FOLS also decreased, edging down from 2.9% to 2.7% over this period. In contrast, the proportion of those who had neither of these two languages as their FOLS rose from 1.4% in 2011 to 3.3% 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.

The proportion of recent immigrants who had English as their FOLS saw a sharp drop from 92.7% in 2011 to 86.3% in 2016, a decrease of 6.5 percentage points. The share of recent immigrants whose FOLS is French also fell, from 3.6% to 2.5%. In contrast, the share of those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS rose 7.6 percentage points over this period, from 3.6% to 11.2%.

Higher proportion of non-immigrants with French as their first official language spoken than recent immigrants

In 2016, almost all (96.7%) non-immigrants had English as their FOLS. This proportion was higher than that of recent immigrants (86.3%) and slightly higher than that of all immigrants (94.0%). Moreover, 3.2% of all non-immigrants had French as their FOLS, a slightly higher percentage than for recent immigrants (2.5%) and for all immigrants (2.7%).

5.2 Mother tongue

Table 5.2
Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration, Nova Scotia, 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	3,775	21,640	25,415	3,260	22,730	25,995
French	200	640	840	155	870	1,030
Other languages	6,885	15,110	21,995	8,365	20,300	28,660
Total	10,860	37,415	48,275	11,790	43,900	55,680
	percent
English	34.8	57.8	52.6	27.7	51.8	46.7
French	1.8	1.7	1.7	1.3	2.0	1.8
Other languages	63.4	40.4	45.6	70.9	46.2	51.5
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.

Increase in the proportion of immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue

In Nova Scotia, 70.9% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, up from 2011 (63.4%), an increase of 7.6 percentage points. Similarly, the proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue also increased from 40.4% in 2011 to 46.3% in 2016, an increase of 5.9 percentage points.

Decrease in the share of recent immigrants who reported French or English as their mother tongue

In 2016, the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French was 1.3%, down from 2011 (1.8%). Similarly, the share of recent immigrants with English as their mother tongue decreased from 34.8% to 27.7% during this period.

The percentage of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue edged up from 1.7% in 2011 to 2.0% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of those who reported English as their mother tongue decreased 6.0 percentage points during this period, going from 57.8% to 51.8%.

The increase in the share of established 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.

5.3 Language spoken most often at home

Table 5.3
Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration, Nova Scotia, 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 percent 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	5,930	30,340	36,270	5,340	33,660	38,995
French	100	405	505	95	545	630
Other languages	4,810	6,700	11,505	6,360	9,705	16,050
Total	10,860	37,415	48,275	11,790	43,890	55,680
	percent
English	54.6	81.1	75.1	45.3	76.7	70.0
French	0.9	1.1	1.0	0.8	1.2	1.1
Other languages	44.3	17.9	23.8	53.9	22.1	28.8
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, 46.7% of immigrants in Nova Scotia reported English as their mother tongue, while 70.0% of them reported speaking mainly English at home. In contrast, 1.1% of immigrants reported that they spoke French most often at home, compared with 1.8% 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, just over 7 in 10 immigrants (71.2%) reported speaking English or French most often at home, down from 2011 (76.2%). The percentage of immigrants who spoke French most often at home was 1.1% in 2016, practically the same percentage as in 2011 (1.0%). In contrast, the proportion of immigrants who reported that they spoke mainly English at home decreased from 75.1% in 2011 to 70.0% in 2016.

Increase in the share of recent immigrants who reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home

In 2016, 53.9% of recent immigrants reported that they mainly spoke a language other than English or French at home, up from 2011 (44.3%). In contrast, in 2016, a lower percentage of recent immigrants (45.3%) reported English as their language spoken most often at home, compared with 54.6% in 2011. The proportion of those who reported speaking French most often at home was 0.8% in 2016, a share that has remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (0.9%).

5.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

Table 5.4
Immigrants' knowledge of official languages, by mother tongue and period of immigration, Nova Scotia, 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	89.0	89.8	89.7	94.2	90.1	90.6
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	English and French	11.1	10.2	10.3	5.2	9.9	9.3
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.0	0.1
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
French	English	0.0	6.3	4.8	15.6	5.2	6.8
	French	0.0	3.1	2.4	6.3	2.3	2.9
	English and French	95.0	92.2	92.3	81.3	90.8	89.8
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.0
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Other languages	English	85.0	85.9	85.6	79.2	87.5	85.1
	French	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1
	English and French	9.1	12.1	11.1	4.7	9.8	8.3
	Neither	5.9	1.8	3.1	15.9	2.6	6.5
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Total	English	84.9	86.7	86.3	82.5	87.2	86.2
	French	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1
	English and French	11.3	12.4	12.1	5.9	11.5	10.3
	Neither	3.8	0.7	1.4	11.5	1.2	3.4
	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 not conduct a conversation in English or French

In Nova Scotia, 88.5% of the 11,790 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down from 2011 (96.2%).^{Note 1} This means that 11.5% of recent immigrants reported they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (3.8%). In 2016, 82.5% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.1% in French only, and 5.9% in English and French.

Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 6.0% in 2016, down from 2011 (11.4%).

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 (1.2%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French

Of the 43,900 established immigrants, 98.8% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, little changed from 2011 (99.3%). In 2016, 87.2% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.1% French only, and 11.5% English and French. Thus, 1.2% of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, compared with 0.7% in 2011.

The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 11.6% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (12.5%).

Decline in English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English or a language other than English or French

The rate of English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English decreased 5.9 percentage points, from 11.1% in 2011 to 5.2% in 2016. Conversely, the proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) increased 5.2% over this period, from 89.0% to 94.2%.

In 2016, 4.7% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 9.1% in 2011.

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) decreased from 85.0% to 79.2%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased from 5.9% to 15.9%.

5.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

Table 5.5.A.1
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 5.5.A.1 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 5.5.A.1 Note 2} Nova Scotia, 2011 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 percent (appearing as column headers).
	Rank	Country of birth	Number	Percent
2011 National Household Survey3	1	Lebanon	80	29.1
	2	France	60	21.8
	3	Democratic Republic of the Congo	20	7.3
	4	Belgium	10	3.6
	4	Total	170	61.8
2016 Census of Population^{Table 5.5.A.1 Note 3}	1	France	70	41.2
	2	Democratic Republic of the Congo	20	11.8
	3	Morocco	15	8.8
	4	Mexico	10	5.9
	5	Haiti	10	5.9
	6	Belgium	10	5.9
	7	Mali	10	5.9
	8	Tunisia	10	5.9
	9	French Polynesia	10	5.9
	9	Total	165	97.1
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. 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.

Table 5.5.A.2
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 5.5.A.2 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 5.5.A.2 Note 2} Nova Scotia, 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	1	France	205	28.1
	2	United States	125	17.1
	3	Lebanon	60	8.2
	4	Belgium	40	5.5
	5	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	35	4.8
	6	Egypt	30	4.1
	7	Germany	20	2.7
	8	United Kingdom	20	2.7
	9	Cameroon	15	2.1
	10	Democratic Republic of the Congo	5	0.7
	10	Total	555	76.0
2016 Census of Population	1	France	345	36.9
	2	United States	135	14.4
	3	Lebanon	60	6.4
	4	Democratic Republic of the Congo	50	5.3
	5	Egypt	35	3.7
	6	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	30	3.2
	7	Morocco	30	3.2
	8	Belgium	25	2.7
	9	Switzerland	25	2.7
	10	Romania	20	2.1
	10	Total	755	80.7
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 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.

Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken

In 2016, there were 175 recent immigrants in Nova Scotia whose first official language spoken is French.

Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken

In 2016, there were 930 French-speaking^{Note 2} recent immigrants in Nova Scotia. Just over half (51.3%)^{Note 3} of these immigrants came from France (36.9%) or the United States (14.4%).

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

Table 5.5.B
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 5.5.B Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 5.5.B Note 2} Nova Scotia, 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	United Kingdom	1,440	14.5
	2	United States	1,080	10.8
	3	Philippines	830	8.3
	4	Iran	615	6.2
	5	China	530	5.3
	6	India	460	4.6
	7	Bangladesh	260	2.6
	8	Egypt	250	2.5
	9	South Korea	235	2.4
	10	Taiwan	235	2.4
	10	Total	5,935	59.6
2016 Census of Population	1	Philippines	1,500	14.9
	2	United Kingdom	1,070	10.6
	3	India	890	8.9
	4	China	800	8.0
	5	United States	600	6.0
	6	Israel	265	2.6
	7	Iran	240	2.4
	8	Iraq	235	2.3
	9	South Korea	215	2.1
	10	Germany	200	2.0
	10	Total	6,015	59.9
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, over 4 in 10 recent immigrants (42.4%) with English as their first official language spoken were born in the Philippines (14.9%), the United Kingdom (10.6%), India (8.9%) or China (8.0%).

Just over 4 in 10 recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East)

In 2016, 41.2% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East), compared with 31.8% 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).

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

Table 5.5.C
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 5.5.C Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 5.5.C Note 2} Nova Scotia, 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 Kingdom	9,535	26.6
	2	United States	7,065	19.7
	3	Germany	2,045	5.7
	4	Netherlands	1,355	3.8
	5	Lebanon	1,105	3.1
	6	China	1,020	2.8
	7	India	930	2.6
	8	Ireland	595	1.7
	9	Poland	525	1.5
	10	Philippines	490	1.4
	10	Total	24,665	68.8
2016 Census of Population	1	United Kingdom	10,195	24.3
	2	United States	6,615	15.8
	3	Germany	2,330	5.6
	4	China	1,675	4.0
	5	Netherlands	1,565	3.7
	6	India	1,310	3.1
	7	Lebanon	1,110	2.7
	8	Philippines	1,060	2.5
	9	Iran	675	1.6
	10	Poland	580	1.4
	10	Total	27,115	64.8
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 8.1 percentage points, from 58.9% in 2011 to 50.8% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East) rose 4.0 percentage points during that period, from 9.9% to 13.9%.

Notes

Date modified:: 2019-01-28

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
5 Nova Scotia

Archived Content

5.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

5.2 Mother tongue

5.3 Language spoken most often at home

5.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

5.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

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

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

Notes

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016 5 Nova Scotia

Archived Content

5.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

5.2 Mother tongue

5.3 Language spoken most often at home

5.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

5.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

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

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

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
5 Nova Scotia