Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
10 Ontario
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10.1 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 | 8,427,390 | 3,304,575 | 434,080 | 11,852,415 | 8,693,710 | 3,499,975 | 398,290 | 12,375,825 |
| French | 442,400 | 77,175 | 17,660 | 524,100 | 457,830 | 83,940 | 15,085 | 547,285 |
| Neither | 36,220 | 229,615 | 49,325 | 275,275 | 37,280 | 268,235 | 58,800 | 319,050 |
| Total | 8,906,005 | 3,611,365 | 501,060 | 12,651,795 | 9,188,815 | 3,852,150 | 472,170 | 13,242,160 |
| percent | ||||||||
| English | 94.6 | 91.5 | 86.6 | 93.7 | 94.6 | 90.9 | 84.4 | 93.5 |
| French | 5.0 | 2.1 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 4.1 |
| Neither | 0.4 | 6.4 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 7.0 | 12.5 | 2.4 |
| 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. |
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English was the first official language spoken of 9 out of 10 immigrants
In Ontario, 9 in 10 immigrants (90.9%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.2% who had French, and 7.0% who had neither language.
Of the 472,200 recent immigrants who settled in Ontario between 2011 and 2016, 84.4% (398,300 people) had English as their FOLS, 3.2% (15,100 people) had French, and 12.5% (58,800 people) had neither language.
Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of immigrants who had English as their FOLS decreased slightly from 91.5% to 90.9%, while the proportion of immigrants with French as their FOLS remained virtually unchanged, edging up from 2.1% to 2.2%. In contrast, the proportion of those who had neither of these two languages as their FOLS increased slightly from 6.4% in 2011 to 7.0% 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 recent immigrants who had neither English nor French as their first official language spoken
The proportion of recent immigrants who had English or French as their FOLS decreased slightly between 2011 and 2016, from 86.6% to 84.4%, and from 3.5% to 3.2%, respectively. By comparison, the proportion of those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS rose 2.6 percentage points over this period, from 9.8% to 12.5%.
Smaller percentage of immigrants with English or French as their first official language spoken than non-immigrants
In 2016, 90.9% of all immigrants had English as their FOLS. This share was higher than that of recent immigrants (84.4%), but lower than that of non-immigrants (94.6%). Also in 2016, 2.2% of all immigrants had French as their FOLS, a smaller proportion than for both non-immigrants (5.0%) and recent immigrants (3.2%).
10.2 Mother tongue
| Mother tongue | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total | Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total | |
| number | ||||||
| English | 94,060 | 894,690 | 988,750 | 85,680 | 944,935 | 1,030,620 |
| French | 8,025 | 29,240 | 37,265 | 7,730 | 35,955 | 43,685 |
| Other languages | 398,980 | 2,186,385 | 2,585,360 | 378,770 | 2,399,075 | 2,777,835 |
| Total | 501,060 | 3,110,305 | 3,611,365 | 472,170 | 3,379,975 | 3,852,150 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 18.8 | 28.8 | 27.4 | 18.1 | 28.0 | 26.8 |
| French | 1.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Other languages | 79.6 | 70.3 | 71.6 | 80.2 | 71.0 | 72.1 |
| 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. |
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Approximately four in five recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue
In Ontario, 80.2% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, up from 2011 (79.6%). Similarly, the proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue rose slightly from 70.3% to 71.0% during this period.
Between 2011 and 2016, the share of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French remained unchanged at 1.6%, while the proportion of recent immigrants with English as their mother tongue decreased from 18.8% to 18.1%.
The percentage of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue changed very little, from 0.9% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2016, while the share of those who reported that English was their mother tongue fell from 28.8% to 28.0% during this period.
The increase in the proportion 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.
10.3 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 | 179,690 | 1,723,190 | 1,902,875 | 169,450 | 1,846,680 | 2,016,125 |
| French | 8,370 | 21,085 | 29,450 | 7,990 | 29,370 | 37,355 |
| Other languages | 313,010 | 1,366,035 | 1,679,045 | 294,725 | 1,503,945 | 1,798,660 |
| Total | 501,060 | 3,110,305 | 3,611,365 | 472,170 | 3,379,975 | 3,852,150 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 35.9 | 55.4 | 52.7 | 35.9 | 54.6 | 52.3 |
| French | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Other languages | 62.5 | 43.9 | 46.5 | 62.4 | 44.5 | 46.7 |
| 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. |
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In 2016, 26.8% of immigrants in Ontario reported English as their mother tongue, while nearly twice as many (52.3%) reported speaking mainly English at home. Meanwhile, 1.0% of immigrants reported that they spoke French most often at home, compared with 1.1% of them who reported that French was their mother tongue.
Over half of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home
The proportion of immigrants who spoke French most often at home increased from 0.8% in 2011 to 1.0% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home edged down over this period, from 52.7% to 52.3%.
More than 6 in 10 recent immigrants reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home
In 2016, virtually the same proportion of recent immigrants (62.4%) as in 2011 (62.5%) reported mainly speaking a language other than English or French at home. Also, the percentage of recent immigrants who reported that they spoke English (35.9%) or French (1.7%) most often at home did not change between 2011 and 2016.
10.4 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 | 94.0 | 94.0 | 94.0 | 93.8 | 94.5 | 94.4 |
| French | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| English and French | 5.6 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.5 | |
| Neither | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| French | English | 4.4 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 7.1 | 6.5 |
| French | 16.4 | 5.1 | 7.6 | 19.1 | 5.7 | 8.1 | |
| English and French | 78.9 | 86.3 | 84.7 | 77.2 | 87.0 | 85.2 | |
| Neither | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Other languages | English | 81.8 | 85.9 | 85.3 | 79.8 | 85.9 | 85.1 |
| French | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 5.2 | 5.0 | |
| Neither | 12.5 | 8.3 | 8.9 | 15.5 | 8.7 | 9.7 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | English | 82.9 | 87.5 | 86.9 | 81.1 | 87.5 | 86.7 |
| French | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 6.4 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 6.1 | |
| Neither | 10.0 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 12.5 | 6.2 | 7.0 | |
| 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. |
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Nearly 9 out of 10 recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English or French
In Ontario, 87.5% of the 472,200 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down from 2011 (90.0%).Note 1 This means that 12.5% of recent immigrants reported they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (10.0%). In 2016, 81.1% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.7% in French only, and 5.7% in English and French.
Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 6.4% in 2016, down from 2011 (7.1%).
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 (6.2%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French
Among the 3,380,000 established immigrants, 93.8% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, a share that has remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (94.1%). In 2016, 87.5% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.2% French only, and 6.1% English and French. Thus, 6.2% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, a slight increase from 2011 (5.9%).
The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 6.3% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (6.6%).
Decline in English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French
In 2016, 4.3% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (5.2%). The share of those who reported they could conduct a conversation only in French (and not in English) went from 0.5% in 2011 to 0.4% in 2016.
The rate of English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English remained practically unchanged, from 5.6% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2016. The proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) also changed little during this period, from 94.0% to 93.8%.
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 81.8% to 79.8%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased from 12.5% to 15.5%.
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 slightly between 2011 and 2016, from 83.3% to 80.8%.
10.5 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 Ontario.
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.
10.5.A Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Haiti | 2,170 | 17.5 |
| 2 | France | 1,610 | 13.0 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1,315 | 10.6 | |
| 4 | Cameroon | 800 | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Mauritius | 785 | 6.3 | |
| 6 | Burundi | 610 | 4.9 | |
| 7 | Morocco | 610 | 4.9 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 430 | 3.5 | |
| 9 | Algeria | 385 | 3.1 | |
| 10 | Côte d'Ivoire | 355 | 2.9 | |
| Total | 9,070 | 73.3 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | France | 1,775 | 16.4 |
| 2 | Haiti | 1,525 | 14.1 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1,280 | 11.8 | |
| 4 | Cameroon | 770 | 7.1 | |
| 5 | Burundi | 575 | 5.3 | |
| 6 | Côte d'Ivoire | 560 | 5.2 | |
| 7 | Mauritius | 475 | 4.4 | |
| 8 | Djibouti | 370 | 3.4 | |
| 9 | Morocco | 255 | 2.4 | |
| 10 | Lebanon | 255 | 2.4 | |
| Total | 7,840 | 72.4 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
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Top countries of origin
In 2016, half (49.4%)Note 2 of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is French were born in France (16.4%), Haiti (14.1%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11.8%) or Cameroon (7.1%), an increase from 2011 (47.6%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top four countries of origin of recent immigrants.
Roughly 7 in 10 recent immigrants were from France, Haiti or Africa
In 2016, 70.1% of French-speakingNote 3 recent immigrants were born in France, Haiti or Africa, compared with 69.8% in 2011.
In 2016, as in 2011, 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of French-speaking recent immigrants were in Africa, compared with 4 in 2011. The proportion of these African immigrants was 39.6% in 2016.
10.5.B Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 6,935 | 18.6 |
| 2 | Haiti | 4,280 | 11.5 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 3,285 | 8.8 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 2,280 | 6.1 | |
| 5 | Morocco | 1,995 | 5.4 | |
| 6 | Lebanon | 1,580 | 4.2 | |
| 7 | Egypt | 1,530 | 4.1 | |
| 8 | Belgium | 1,125 | 3.0 | |
| 9 | United States | 1,030 | 2.8 | |
| 10 | Switzerland | 1,005 | 2.7 | |
| Total | 25,045 | 67.3 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | France | 7,455 | 16.4 |
| 2 | Haiti | 5,305 | 11.7 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 4,490 | 9.9 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 3,035 | 6.7 | |
| 5 | Lebanon | 2,190 | 4.8 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 2,175 | 4.8 | |
| 7 | Egypt | 1,560 | 3.4 | |
| 8 | Burundi | 1,280 | 2.8 | |
| 9 | Algeria | 1,235 | 2.7 | |
| 10 | Belgium | 1,205 | 2.7 | |
| Total | 29,930 | 65.9 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
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Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of French-speaking established immigrants from Europe (excluding France) and the United States fell 5.8 percentage points, from 8.5% to 2.7%. In contrast, the share of such immigrants from African countries rose 5.9 percentage points during this period, from 24.5% to 30.3%.
10.5.C Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | India | 60,110 | 14.0 |
| 2 | Philippines | 52,750 | 12.3 | |
| 3 | China | 36,070 | 8.4 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 21,690 | 5.1 | |
| 5 | United States | 19,985 | 4.7 | |
| 6 | Iran | 14,605 | 3.4 | |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 14,510 | 3.4 | |
| 8 | United Kingdom | 11,105 | 2.6 | |
| 9 | Iraq | 9,275 | 2.2 | |
| 10 | Colombia | 9,105 | 2.1 | |
| Total | 249,205 | 58.1 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | India | 61,945 | 15.7 |
| 2 | Philippines | 52,700 | 13.4 | |
| 3 | China | 35,915 | 9.1 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 23,820 | 6.0 | |
| 5 | Iran | 18,545 | 4.7 | |
| 6 | United States | 14,140 | 3.6 | |
| 7 | Iraq | 11,105 | 2.8 | |
| 8 | Jamaica | 8,935 | 2.3 | |
| 9 | United Kingdom | 7,740 | 2.0 | |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 7,670 | 1.9 | |
| Total | 242,515 | 61.5 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
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Top countries of origin
In 2016, over half (52.5%) of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is English were born in India (15.7%), the Philippines (13.4%), China (9.1%), Pakistan (6.0%), Iran (4.7%) or the United States (3.6%). This is up from 2011 (47.9%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top six countries of birth of these immigrants.
Increase in the share of recent immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East)
In 2016, 53.7% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East), compared with 48.7% in 2011.
In 2016, as in 2011, 7 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were Asian countries (including those in the Middle East).
10.5.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 | 280,315 | 9.8 |
| 2 | India | 222,005 | 7.8 | |
| 3 | China | 158,165 | 5.6 | |
| 4 | Italy | 149,525 | 5.2 | |
| 5 | Philippines | 149,435 | 5.2 | |
| 6 | Jamaica | 102,780 | 3.6 | |
| 7 | Hong Kong | 95,110 | 3.3 | |
| 8 | United States | 93,030 | 3.3 | |
| 9 | Poland | 92,605 | 3.3 | |
| 10 | Pakistan | 87,700 | 3.1 | |
| Total | 1,430,670 | 50.2 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | India | 265,555 | 8.6 |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 255,970 | 8.3 | |
| 3 | China | 190,890 | 6.2 | |
| 4 | Philippines | 177,125 | 5.8 | |
| 5 | Italy | 138,035 | 4.5 | |
| 6 | Pakistan | 112,225 | 3.6 | |
| 7 | Jamaica | 110,860 | 3.6 | |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 97,580 | 3.2 | |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | 94,145 | 3.1 | |
| 10 | United States | 92,570 | 3.0 | |
| Total | 1,534,955 | 49.9 | ||
This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population. |
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Increase in the proportion of immigrants from Asian countries and decrease in the proportion of immigrants from Western countries
Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of English-speaking established immigrants from Asia rose 5.4 percentage points, from 25.0% to 30.5%. In contrast, the proportion of immigrants from Western countries fell from 21.6% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2016, a decrease of 5.8 percentage points.
Notes
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