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)
| 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 |
|
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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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
| 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 |
|
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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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
| 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 |
|
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, 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
| 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 | |
|
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 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)
| 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 | ||
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 (49.7%)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)
| 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 | ||
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, 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)
| 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 | ||
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, 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)
| 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 | ||
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 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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