Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
6 New Brunswick

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6.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 6.1
Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration, New Brunswick, 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	476,470	24,705	5,945	503,770	466,125	27,440	6,715	496,830
French	227,585	3,425	975	231,435	226,095	4,595	1,070	231,605
Neither	185	345	235	635	315	1,780	1,545	2,270
Total	704,235	28,465	7,155	735,835	692,535	33,810	9,330	730,710
	percent
English	67.7	86.8	83.1	68.5	67.3	81.2	72.0	68.0
French	32.3	12.0	13.6	31.5	32.6	13.6	11.5	31.7
Neither	0.0	1.2	3.3	0.1	0.0	5.3	16.6	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.

Just over 8 in 10 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken

In New Brunswick, just over 8 in 10 immigrants (81.2%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 13.6% who had French, and 5.3% who had neither language.

Of the 9,330 recent immigrants who settled in New Brunswick between 2011 and 2016, 72.0% (6,715 people) had English as their FOLS, 11.5% (1,070 people) had French, and 16.6% (1,545 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 5.6 percentage points from 86.8% to 81.2%, while the proportion of immigrants whose FOLS is French increased from 12.0% to 13.6% over this period. Immigrants who had neither of these two languages as their FOLS rose 4.1 percentage points, from 1.2% in 2011 to 5.3% 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.

Decrease in the share of recent immigrants who had French as their first official language spoken

The percentage of recent immigrants who had English as their FOLS fell from 83.1% in 2011 to 72.0% in 2016, a decrease of 11.1 percentage points. Those who had French as their FOLS also decreased over this period, from 13.6% to 11.5%. In contrast, the proportion of those with neither English nor French as their FOLS increased 13.3 percentage points over this period, rising from 3.3% to 16.6%.

The proportion of non-immigrants with French as their first official language spoken is much higher than of immigrants

In 2016, close to one third (32.6%) of non-immigrants had French as their FOLS. This proportion was much higher than that of all immigrants (13.6%) and that of recent immigrants (11.5%). Moreover, 67.3% of all non-immigrants had English as their FOLS, a lower share than for recent immigrants (72.0%), and much lower than for all immigrants (81.2%).

6.2 Mother tongue

Table 6.2
Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration, New Brunswick, 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	2,000	12,890	14,890	1,495	12,310	13,805
French	540	1,985	2,525	580	2,630	3,205
Other languages	4,620	6,435	11,050	7,255	9,550	16,810
Total	7,150	21,315	28,465	9,330	24,490	33,810
	percent
English	28.0	60.5	52.3	16.0	50.3	40.8
French	7.6	9.3	8.9	6.2	10.7	9.5
Other languages	64.6	30.2	38.8	77.8	39.0	49.7
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. 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 recent and established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue

In New Brunswick, 77.8% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, up 13.1 percentage points from 2011 (64.6%). Similarly, the proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue also increased from 30.2% in 2011 to 39.0% in 2016, an increase of 8.8 percentage points.

Decrease in the percentage of established immigrants who reported French or English as their mother tongue

Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French decreased from 7.6% to 6.2%. Similarly, the percentage of recent immigrants with an English mother tongue decreased from 28.0% to 16.0% during this period.

Increase in the proportion of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue

The share of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue rose from 9.3% in 2011 to 10.7% in 2016, an increase of 1.4 percentage points. In contrast, the proportion of those who reported English as their mother tongue fell 10.2 percentage points over this period, from 60.5% to 50.3%.

The higher percentage 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.

6.3 Language spoken most often at home

Table 6.3
Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration, New Brunswick, 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	2,930	16,500	19,430	2,675	17,020	19,690
French	600	2,340	2,940	685	3,030	3,700
Other languages	3,620	2,485	6,105	5,975	4,460	10,420
Total	7,150	21,315	28,465	9,330	24,485	33,810
	percent
English	41.0	77.4	68.3	28.7	69.5	58.2
French	8.4	11.0	10.3	7.3	12.4	10.9
Other languages	50.6	11.7	21.4	64.0	18.2	30.8
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. 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, 40.8% of immigrants in New Brunswick reported English as their mother tongue, while 58.2% of immigrants reported speaking mainly English at home. Similarly, 10.9% of immigrants reported that they spoke French most often at home, compared with 9.5% of them who reported that French was their mother tongue.

Slight increase in the proportion of immigrants who reported speaking French most often at home

In 2016, close to 7 in 10 immigrants (69.2%) reported that they spoke English or French most often at home, down from 78.6% in 2011. The share of immigrants who spoke French most often at home was 10.9% in 2016, up slightly from 2011 (10.3%). In contrast, the proportion of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home decreased from 68.3% in 2011 to 58.2% in 2016.

Decrease in the share of recent immigrants who reported speaking French most often at home

In 2016, 64.0% of recent immigrants reported that they mainly spoke a language other than English or French at home, up from 2011 (50.6%). In contrast, in 2016, a lower percentage of recent immigrants reported speaking English (28.7% versus 41.0%) or French (7.3% versus 8.4%) most often at home, compared with 2011.

6.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

Table 6.4
Immigrants' knowledge of official languages, by mother tongue and period of immigration, New Brunswick, 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	90.0	83.0	83.9	86.6	82.7	83.2
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1
	English and French	9.8	17.0	16.1	12.7	17.2	16.7
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.1
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
French	English	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	2.3	2.2
	French	30.6	10.6	14.9	40.0	12.6	17.3
	English and French	68.5	88.2	84.0	59.1	85.3	80.6
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Other languages	English	80.2	76.0	77.8	67.3	75.3	71.8
	French	3.7	1.9	2.6	2.8	2.0	2.4
	English and French	10.7	20.4	16.4	8.6	20.3	15.2
	Neither	5.3	1.7	3.2	21.2	2.5	10.6
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Total	English	76.9	73.2	74.2	66.3	71.2	69.8
	French	4.8	1.6	2.4	4.6	2.1	2.8
	English and French	15.0	24.7	22.2	12.4	25.7	22.0
	Neither	3.5	0.5	1.3	16.7	1.0	5.3
	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.

Decrease in the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in English or French

In New Brunswick, 83.3% of the 9,300 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down from 2011 (96.6%).^{Note 1} This means that 16.7% of recent immigrants reported in 2016 that they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (3.5%). In 2016, 66.3% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 4.6% in French only, and 12.4% in French and English.

Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 17.0% in 2016, down from 2011 (19.7%).

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 (1.0%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French

Among the 24,480 established immigrants, 99.0% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, a share that has remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (99.5%). In 2016, 71.2% of these immigrants knew English only, 2.1% French only, and 25.7% English and French. Thus, 1.0% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, compared with 0.5% in 2011.

The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 27.8% in 2016, up from 2011 (26.2%).

Increase 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 increased 3.0 percentage points, from 9.8% in 2011 to 12.7% in 2016. Conversely, the proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) decreased 3.4 percentage points over this period, from 90.0% to 86.6%.

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

In 2016, 8.6% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (10.7%). Similarly, the share of those who reported they could conduct a conversation only in French (and not in English) declined from 3.7% in 2011 to 2.8% 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) decreased from 80.2% to 67.3%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased substantially, from 5.3% to 21.2%.

Decline in the share of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French 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) decreased between 2011 and 2016, from 68.5% to 60.9%.

6.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

Table 6.5.A.1
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 6.5.A.1 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 6.5.A.1 Note 2} New Brunswick, 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 Survey	1	Haiti	155	18.6
	2	France	125	15.0
	3	Morocco	50	6.0
	4	United States	45	5.4
	5	Rwanda	35	4.2
	6	Democratic Republic of the Congo	35	4.2
	7	Mali	30	3.6
	8	Tunisia	30	3.6
	9	Lebanon	30	3.6
	10	Burkina Faso	15	1.8
	10	Total	550	65.9
2016 Census of Population	1	France	275	30.9
	2	Democratic Republic of the Congo	65	7.3
	3	United States	45	5.1
	4	Belgium	45	5.1
	5	Guinea	40	4.5
	6	Central African Republic	40	4.5
	7	Tunisia	35	3.9
	8	Haiti	30	3.4
	9	Cameroon	30	3.4
	10	Syria	30	3.4
	10	Total	635	71.3
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 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 6.5.A.2
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 6.5.A.2 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 6.5.A.2 Note 2} New Brunswick, 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	United States	1,370	59.8
	2	France	220	9.6
	3	Germany	55	2.4
	4	Colombia	50	2.2
	5	Belgium	50	2.2
	6	China	50	2.2
	7	Haiti	45	2.0
	8	Romania	45	2.0
	9	Morocco	45	2.0
	10	Cameroon	40	1.7
	10	Total	1,970	86.0
2016 Census of Population	1	United States	1,460	45.3
	2	France	385	11.9
	3	Morocco	120	3.7
	4	Haiti	110	3.4
	5	Algeria	95	2.9
	6	Democratic Republic of the Congo	75	2.3
	7	Belgium	70	2.2
	8	China	70	2.2
	9	Lebanon	65	2.0
	10	Cameroon	45	1.4
	10	Total	2,495	77.4
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 890 recent immigrants in New Brunswick whose first official language spoken is French.

Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken

In 2016, there were 3,225 French-speaking^{Note 2} established immigrants in New Brunswick. Close to 6 in 10 of these immigrants (57.2%)^{Note 3} were from the United States (45.3%) or France (11.9%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top two countries of origin of these immigrants.

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

Table 6.5.B
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 6.5.B Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 6.5.B Note 2} New Brunswick, 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	South Korea	1,290	22.3
	2	United States	780	13.5
	3	United Kingdom	680	11.7
	4	Philippines	375	6.5
	5	China	350	6.0
	6	Viet Nam	250	4.3
	7	Germany	175	3.0
	8	Colombia	155	2.7
	9	Iran	115	2.0
	10	India	110	1.9
	10	Total	4,280	73.9
2016 Census of Population	1	China	1,125	17.2
	2	Philippines	910	13.9
	3	United States	530	8.1
	4	South Korea	495	7.6
	5	Viet Nam	440	6.7
	6	India	260	4.0
	7	United Kingdom	245	3.7
	8	Syria	220	3.4
	9	Iran	215	3.3
	10	Romania	195	3.0
	10	Total	4,635	70.9
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, nearly 4 in 10 recent immigrants (39.3%) whose first official language spoken is English were born in China (17.2%), the Philippines (13.9%) or the United States (8.1%).

More than half of recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East)

In 2016, 56.1% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East), compared with 43.0% of recent immigrants in 2011.

In 2016, 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were in Asia (including the Middle East).

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

Table 6.5.C
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 6.5.C Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 6.5.C Note 2} New Brunswick, 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	6,010	32.3
	2	United Kingdom	4,570	24.6
	3	Germany	1,360	7.3
	4	Netherlands	685	3.7
	5	India	670	3.6
	6	China	525	2.8
	7	Philippines	330	1.8
	8	South Korea	210	1.1
	9	Italy	195	1.0
	10	Colombia	165	0.9
	10	Total	14,720	79.1
2016 Census of Population	1	United States	5,530	27.1
	2	United Kingdom	4,350	21.3
	3	Germany	1,450	7.1
	4	Netherlands	905	4.4
	5	South Korea	810	4.0
	6	China	650	3.2
	7	India	540	2.6
	8	Philippines	405	2.0
	9	Iran	220	1.1
	10	Romania	195	1.0
	10	Total	15,055	73.7
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 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 was down 8.0 percentage points, from 68.9% in 2011 to 60.9% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East) rose 3.5 percentage points, from 9.3% to 12.9% during that period.

Notes

Date modified:: 2019-01-28

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
6 New Brunswick

Archived Content

6.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

6.2 Mother tongue

6.3 Language spoken most often at home

6.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

6.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

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

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

Notes

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016 6 New Brunswick

Archived Content

6.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

6.2 Mother tongue

6.3 Language spoken most often at home

6.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

6.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

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

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

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

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
6 New Brunswick