Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
11 Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)

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11.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)


Table 11.1
Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration, Toronto CMA, 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
Total
immigrants
Recent
2006 to 2011
Total
immigrants
Recent
2011 to 2016
number
English 2,814,715 2,304,865 332,490 5,201,700 2,942,635 2,445,065 305,250 5,511,205
French 52,015 39,540 8,735 93,870 51,985 42,050 7,735 97,180
Neither 25,265 193,000 40,530 225,665 25,790 218,450 43,950 254,470
Total 2,891,990 2,537,410 381,745 5,521,230 3,020,410 2,705,550 356,930 5,862,855
percent
English 97.3 90.8 87.1 94.2 97.4 90.4 85.5 94.0
French 1.8 1.6 2.3 1.7 1.7 1.6 2.2 1.7
Neither 0.9 7.6 10.6 4.1 0.9 8.1 12.3 4.3
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

A vast majority of immigrants had English as their first official language spoken

In Toronto, 9 in 10 immigrants (90.4%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 1.6% who had French, and 8.1% who had neither language.

Of the 356,900 recent immigrants who settled in Toronto between 2011 and 2016, 85.5% (305,300 people) had English as their FOLS, 2.2% (7,700 people) had French, and 12.3% (44,000 people) had neither language.

In 2016, the proportion of immigrants who had English as their FOLS was 90.4%, which was practically unchanged from 2011 (90.8%). For those who had French as their FOLS, the proportion (1.6%) remained the same in 2016 as in 2011. On the other hand, the percentage of those who had neither of these two languages as their FOLS rose slightly, from 7.6% in 2011 to 8.1% 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 share of recent immigrants whose FOLS is English decreased slightly from 87.1% in 2011 to 85.5% in 2016, while the proportion with French as their FOLS remained virtually unchanged, edging down from 2.3% to 2.2%. In contrast, those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS rose 1.7 percentage points over this period, from 10.6% to 12.3%.

Slightly lower proportion of immigrants with English as their first official language spoken than non-immigrants

In 2016, 90.4% of all immigrants had English as their FOLS, which was higher than the proportion of recent immigrants (85.5%), but lower than that of non-immigrants (97.4%). Furthermore, 1.6% of all immigrants had French as their FOLS, similar to non-immigrants (1.7%) and slightly lower than recent immigrants (2.2%).

11.2 Mother tongue


Table 11.2
Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration, Toronto CMA, 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 67,450 552,380 619,830 62,810 588,145 650,950
French 4,225 14,570 18,795 4,145 17,860 21,995
Other languages 310,070 1,588,710 1,898,775 289,980 1,742,630 2,032,605
Total 381,745 2,155,665 2,537,410 356,930 2,348,610 2,705,550
percent
English 17.7 25.6 24.4 17.6 25.0 24.1
French 1.1 0.7 0.7 1.2 0.8 0.8
Other languages 81.2 73.7 74.8 81.2 74.2 75.1
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

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

In Toronto, in 2016, as in 2011, 81.2% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue. The proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue rose slightly from 73.7% to 74.2% during this period.

The share of recent and established immigrants with a French mother tongue remained stable

The percentage of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French or English was little changed, edging up from 1.1% in 2011 to 1.2% in 2016 and down from 17.7% in 2011 to 17.6% in 2016, respectively.

The proportion of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue also showed little change between 2011 and 2016, edging up from 0.7% to 0.8%. In contrast, the proportion of those whose mother tongue is English edged down from 25.6% in 2011 to 25.0% in 2016.

11.3 Language spoken most often at home


Table 11.3
Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration, Toronto CMA, 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 130,505 1,077,930 1,208,430 124,530 1,168,975 1,293,510
French 3,625 8,280 11,900 3,565 12,025 15,585
Other languages 247,630 1,069,450 1,317,075 228,825 1,167,635 1,396,455
Total 381,745 2,155,665 2,537,410 356,930 2,348,610 2,705,550
percent
English 34.2 50.0 47.6 34.9 49.8 47.8
French 0.9 0.4 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.6
Other languages 64.9 49.6 51.9 64.1 49.7 51.6
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

In 2016, 24.1% of immigrants in Toronto reported English as their mother tongue, while nearly twice as many (47.8%) reported speaking mainly English at home. Moreover, 0.6% of immigrants reported that they spoke French most often at home, compared with 0.8% of them who reported that French was their mother tongue.

Nearly half of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home

In 2016, nearly half (48.4%) of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home, compared with 48.1% in 2011. The proportion of immigrants who spoke French most often at home remained virtually the same, increasing from 0.5% in 2011 to 0.6% in 2016. Similarly, the share of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home changed little during this period (47.6% versus 47.8%).

Nearly two thirds of recent immigrants reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home

In 2016, 64.1% of recent immigrants reported that they mainly spoke a language other than English or French at home, a lower percentage than in 2011 (64.9%). In contrast, a higher percentage of recent immigrants reported speaking English most often at home in 2016 (34.9%) than in 2011 (34.2%). The proportion of those who reported that they spoke French most often at home remained relatively unchanged during this period, edging up from 0.9% to 1.0%.

11.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue


Table 11.4
Immigrants' knowledge of official languages, by mother tongue and period of immigration, Toronto CMA, 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 94.8 94.7 94.7 94.7 95.1 95.1
French 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
English and French 4.8 5.1 5.0 4.8 4.8 4.8
Neither 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.2
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
French English 5.1 8.3 7.6 5.0 8.6 7.9
French 6.7 2.5 3.4 11.5 2.7 4.3
English and French 87.9 89.0 88.8 83.1 88.5 87.5
Neither 0.0 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Other languages English 82.7 85.8 85.3 81.2 85.9 85.2
French 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1
English and French 3.9 4.5 4.4 3.5 4.0 4.0
Neither 13.2 9.7 10.2 15.2 10.0 10.8
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Total English 84.0 87.6 87.0 82.7 87.6 86.9
French 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1
English and French 5.0 5.2 5.2 4.6 4.9 4.8
Neither 10.8 7.2 7.7 12.4 7.5 8.1
Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

Nearly 9 out of 10 recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English or French

In Toronto, 87.6% of the 356,900 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down from 2011 (89.2%).Note 1 This means that 12.4% of recent immigrants reported they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (10.8%). In 2016, 82.7% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.3% in French only, and 4.6% in English and French.

Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 4.9% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (5.2%).

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 (7.5%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French

Among the 2,348,600 established immigrants, 92.5% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, a share that has remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (92.8%). In 2016, 87.6% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.1% French only, and 4.9% English and French. Thus, 7.5% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, up from 2011 (7.2%).

The proportion of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 4.9% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (5.3%).

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

The rate of English–French bilingualism among recent immigrants whose mother tongue is English was 4.8% in 2016, the same proportion as in 2011. Similarly, the proportion of those who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) changed little during this period, edging down from 94.8% to 94.7%.

In 2016, 3.5% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (3.9%). Meanwhile, the share of those who reported they could conduct a conversation only in French (and not in English) remained stable at 0.2% during this period.

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 82.7% to 81.2%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased from 13.2% to 15.2%.

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 93.0% to 88.0%.

11.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

11.5.A Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)


Table 11.5.A
Top countries of birth of recent immigrantsTable 11.5.A Note 1 with French as their first official language spoken,Table 11.5.A Note 2 Toronto CMA, 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 France 1,120 19.9
2 Mauritius 680 12.1
3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 525 9.3
4 Cameroon 410 7.3
5 Morocco 365 6.5
6 Haiti 350 6.2
7 Côte d'Ivoire 240 4.3
8 Algeria 215 3.8
9 Lebanon 175 3.1
10 Burundi 130 2.3
Total 4,210 74.9
2016 Census of Population 1 France 1,255 25.1
2 Mauritius 415 8.3
3 Haiti 410 8.2
4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 405 8.1
5 Cameroon 360 7.2
6 Côte d'Ivoire 255 5.1
7 Egypt 150 3.0
8 Guinea 125 2.5
9 Morocco 120 2.4
10 Senegal 105 2.1
Total 3,600 72.0

Top countries of origin

In 2016, half (49.7%)Note 2 of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is French were born in France (25.1%), Mauritius (8.3%), Haiti (8.2%) or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (8.1%).

Close to three quarters of recent immigrants were from France, Haiti or Africa

In 2016, 72.0% of French-speakingNote 3 recent immigrants were from France, Haiti or Africa, a share that has remained nearly unchanged from 2011 (71.8%).

The proportion of English-speaking recent immigrants from Africa was 38.7% in 2016, compared with 45.6% in 2011.

In 2016, 8 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were African countries.

11.5.B Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)


Table 11.5.B
Top countries of birth of established immigrantsTable 11.5.B Note 1 with French as their first official language spoken,Table 11.5.B Note 2 Toronto CMA, 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 3,445 20.1
2 Mauritius 2,010 11.7
3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,505 8.8
4 Morocco 1,355 7.9
5 Egypt 1,065 6.2
6 Haiti 820 4.8
7 Lebanon 630 3.7
8 Italy 410 2.4
9 Belgium 400 2.3
10 Cameroon 360 2.1
Total 12,000 70.1
2016 Census of Population 1 France 3,620 17.8
2 Mauritius 2,505 12.3
3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,865 9.2
4 Morocco 1,455 7.2
5 Egypt 990 4.9
6 Haiti 945 4.6
7 Lebanon 925 4.5
8 Cameroon 565 2.8
9 Algeria 530 2.6
10 Belgium 435 2.1
Total 13,835 68.0

In 2016, the proportion of French-speaking established immigrants from Western countries (excluding France) fell 2.6 percentage points to 2.1%, down from 4.7% in 2011. In contrast, the share of established immigrants from African countries rose 2.1 percentage points during the same period, from 36.8% to 38.9%.

11.5.C Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)


Table 11.5.C
Top countries of birth of recent immigrantsTable 11.5.C Note 1 with English as their first official language spoken,Table 11.5.C Note 2 Toronto CMA, 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 India 53,280 16.2
2 Philippines 45,150 13.7
3 China 30,085 9.1
4 Pakistan 18,445 5.6
5 Sri Lanka 13,410 4.1
6 Iran 12,660 3.8
7 United States 10,080 3.1
8 Bangladesh 7,810 2.4
9 Jamaica 7,320 2.2
10 Nigeria 6,095 1.9
Total 204,335 62.0
2016 Census of Population 1 India 52,300 17.3
2 Philippines 43,215 14.3
3 China 29,790 9.8
4 Pakistan 20,380 6.7
5 Iran 16,320 5.4
6 United States 7,785 2.6
7 Jamaica 7,295 2.4
8 Bangladesh 6,445 2.1
9 Iraq 6,440 2.1
10 Sri Lanka 6,370 2.1
Total 196,340 64.9

Top countries of origin

In 2016, nearly half (48.2%) of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is English were born in India (17.3%), the Philippines (14.3%), China (9.8%) or Pakistan (6.7%). This is an increase over 2011 (44.6%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top four countries of birth of these immigrants.

Increase in the share of recent immigrants from Asia (including the Middle East)

In 2016, 59.9% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia (including the Middle East), compared with 54.9% of recent immigrants in 2011.

In 2016, 8 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were in Asia (including the Middle East).

11.5.D Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)


Table 11.5.D
Top countries of birth of established immigrantsTable 11.5.D Note 1 with English as their first official language spoken,Table 11.5.D Note 2 Toronto CMA, 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 India 190,235 9.7
2 China 128,450 6.6
3 Philippines 126,750 6.5
4 United Kingdom 107,180 5.5
5 Italy 98,480 5.0
6 Jamaica 88,770 4.5
7 Hong Kong 87,615 4.5
8 Sri Lanka 81,135 4.1
9 Pakistan 74,185 3.8
10 Guyana 66,055 3.4
Total 1,048,855 53.5
2016 Census of Population 1 India 225,505 10.6
2 China 156,310 7.4
3 Philippines 147,445 6.9
4 United Kingdom 94,960 4.5
5 Pakistan 93,440 4.4
6 Jamaica 92,325 4.3
7 Hong Kong 90,165 4.2
8 Italy 88,595 4.2
9 Sri Lanka 86,990 4.1
10 Guyana 66,365 3.1
Total 1,142,100 53.7

Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of English-speaking established immigrants from Asia rose 2.5 percentage points, from 35.1% to 37.6%. In contrast, the proportion of immigrants from Western countries fell 1.9 percentage points from 10.5% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2016.

Notes

 
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