Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
15 Alberta
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15.1 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 | 2,800,310 | 601,190 | 132,265 | 3,458,345 | 2,991,590 | 785,530 | 189,210 | 3,843,270 |
| French | 55,435 | 11,880 | 3,565 | 68,265 | 59,935 | 17,390 | 4,920 | 78,665 |
| Neither | 8,495 | 31,040 | 8,335 | 41,365 | 11,255 | 42,300 | 13,655 | 56,220 |
| Total | 2,864,240 | 644,115 | 144,170 | 3,567,975 | 3,062,780 | 845,220 | 207,790 | 3,978,145 |
| percent | ||||||||
| English | 97.8 | 93.3 | 91.7 | 96.9 | 97.7 | 92.9 | 91.1 | 96.6 |
| French | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 |
| Neither | 0.3 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 1.4 |
| 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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More than 9 out of 10 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken
In Alberta, more than 9 in 10 immigrants (92.9%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.1% who had French, and 5.0% who had neither language.
Of the 207,800 recent immigrants who settled in Alberta between 2011 and 2016, 91.1% (189,200 people) had English as their FOLS, 2.4% (4,900 people) had French, and 6.6% (13,700 people) had neither language.
Increase in the proportion of recent immigrants who had neither English nor French as their first official language spoken
The share of recent immigrants who had English as their FOLS edged down from 91.7% to 91.1% between 2011 and 2016, while those who had French as their FOLS (2.4%) remained virtually unchanged from 2011 (2.5%). By comparison, the proportion of those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS grew from 5.8% to 6.6% over this period. 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.
Lower proportion of immigrants with English as their first official language spoken than non-immigrants
In 2016, 91.1% of all recent immigrants had English as their FOLS, which was a lower proportion than that of all immigrants (92.9%) and that of non-immigrants (97.7%). However, 2.4% of recent immigrants had French as their FOLS, a slightly higher percentage than for all immigrants (2.1%) and for non-immigrants (2.0%).
15.2 Mother tongue
| Mother tongue | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total | Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total | |
| number | ||||||
| English | 27,750 | 136,320 | 164,070 | 39,810 | 166,585 | 206,390 |
| French | 1,630 | 4,515 | 6,145 | 2,720 | 6,780 | 9,505 |
| Other languages | 114,790 | 359,105 | 473,900 | 165,265 | 464,060 | 629,325 |
| Total | 144,170 | 499,945 | 644,115 | 207,790 | 637,425 | 845,220 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 19.2 | 27.3 | 25.5 | 19.2 | 26.1 | 24.4 |
| French | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Other languages | 79.6 | 71.8 | 73.6 | 79.5 | 72.8 | 74.5 |
| 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. |
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Nearly four in five recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue
In Alberta, 79.5% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, practically the same percentage as in 2011 (79.6%). The proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue increased from 71.8% in 2011 to 72.8% in 2016.
Between 2011 and 2016, the share of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French edged up from 1.1% to 1.3%, while the proportion of immigrants with English as their mother tongue remained unchanged at 19.2%.
The percentage of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue also edged up, from 0.9% in 2011 to 1.1% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of those who reported that English was their mother tongue fell 1.1 percentage points during this period, from 27.3% to 26.1%.
15.3 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 | 55,155 | 287,130 | 342,280 | 79,495 | 347,585 | 427,085 |
| French | 1,340 | 2,720 | 4,055 | 2,440 | 4,630 | 7,070 |
| Other languages | 87,675 | 210,110 | 297,780 | 125,845 | 285,215 | 411,070 |
| Total | 144,170 | 499,945 | 644,115 | 207,790 | 637,430 | 845,220 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 38.3 | 57.4 | 53.1 | 38.3 | 54.5 | 50.5 |
| French | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| Other languages | 60.8 | 42.0 | 46.2 | 60.6 | 44.7 | 48.6 |
| 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, 24.4% of immigrants in Alberta reported English as their mother tongue, while more than twice as many (50.5%) reported that they spoke mainly English at home. Moreover, 0.8% 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.
Just over half of immigrants reported that they spoke English or French most often at home
In 2016, 51.4% of immigrants reported that they spoke English or French most often at home, down from 2011 (53.8%). The proportion of immigrants who spoke French most often at home increased from 0.6% in 2011 to 0.8% in 2016. In contrast, the share of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home fell from 53.1% to 50.5% during this period.
Roughly 6 in 10 recent immigrants reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home
In 2016, the proportion of recent immigrants who reported that they mainly spoke a language other than English or French at home was 60.6%, little changed from 2011 (60.8%). Also, in 2016, the share of recent immigrants who reported speaking English at home most often remained the same as in 2011 (38.3%). In contrast, the proportion of immigrants who reported that they spoke mainly French at home increased slightly from 0.9% in 2011 to 1.2% in 2016.
15.4 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 | 94.6 | 94.2 | 94.2 | 95.7 | 95.1 | 95.2 |
| French | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| English and French | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.6 | |
| Neither | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| French | English | 7.4 | 8.5 | 8.1 | 4.0 | 8.6 | 7.3 |
| French | 9.8 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 13.2 | 3.4 | 6.2 | |
| English and French | 81.9 | 88.6 | 86.7 | 82.6 | 88.1 | 86.5 | |
| Neither | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Other languages | English | 88.1 | 89.1 | 88.8 | 88.3 | 89.3 | 89.1 |
| French | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.0 | |
| Neither | 7.4 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 8.3 | 6.2 | 6.7 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | English | 88.5 | 89.7 | 89.4 | 88.6 | 90.0 | 89.7 |
| French | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.1 | |
| Neither | 6.0 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 5.1 | |
| 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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More than 9 out of 10 recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English or French
In Alberta, 93.3% of the 207,800 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (94.0%).Note 1 This means that 6.7% of recent immigrants reported they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (6.0%). In 2016, 88.6% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.3% in French only, and 4.3% in English and French.
Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 4.7% in 2016, down from 2011 (5.6%).
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 (4.5%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French
Among the 637,400 established immigrants, 95.5% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, a share that has remained relatively unchanged from 2011 (95.4%). In 2016, 90.0% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.1% French only, and 5.3% English and French. Thus, 4.5% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, a proportion that has changed little from 2011 (4.6%).
The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 5.5% in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (5.7%).
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, from 4.9% in 2011 to 3.9% in 2016. The proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) increased during this period, from 94.6% to 95.7%.
In 2016, 3.2% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (4.3%). However, 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) increased from 88.1% to 88.3%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased slightly more, from 7.4% to 8.3%.
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 89.3% to 86.6%.
15.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants
Until the 1970s, immigrants came mainly from Western countries and Eastern Europe. Since then, growing numbers of people, mainly from Asia, have settled in Alberta. In recent years, an increasing number of immigrants from Africa have made their home in this province.
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.
15.5.A Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 420 | 20.0 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 240 | 11.5 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 205 | 9.8 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 160 | 7.6 | |
| 5 | Morocco | 120 | 5.7 | |
| 6 | Algeria | 90 | 4.3 | |
| 7 | Rwanda | 85 | 4.1 | |
| 8 | Haiti | 70 | 3.3 | |
| 9 | Côte d'Ivoire | 50 | 2.4 | |
| 10 | Angola | 50 | 2.4 | |
| Total | 1,490 | 71.1 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Cameroon | 450 | 12.6 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 435 | 12.2 | |
| 3 | France | 380 | 10.6 | |
| 4 | Côte d'Ivoire | 375 | 10.5 | |
| 5 | Haiti | 180 | 5.0 | |
| 6 | Senegal | 155 | 4.3 | |
| 7 | Mauritius | 145 | 4.1 | |
| 8 | Morocco | 145 | 4.1 | |
| 9 | Burundi | 120 | 3.4 | |
| 10 | Guinea | 115 | 3.2 | |
| Total | 2,500 | 70.0 | ||
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, more than one third (35.4%)Note 2 of the 3,600 recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is French were born in Cameroon (12.6%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.2%) or France (10.6%). This is a decrease from 2011 (41.3%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top three countries of origin of these immigrants.
Africa is the continent of birth of 7 out of 10 recent immigrants
No Western countries (excluding France) were among the top 10 most frequently reported countries of birth in 2016. Only France, Haiti and African countries were in the top 10. In 2016, immigrants from these countries accounted for 70.0% of French-speakingNote 3 recent immigrants, compared with 71.1% in 2011.
In 2016, as in 2011, 8 of the top 10 countries of birth of French-speaking recent immigrants were in Africa. These immigrants made up 54.3% of French-speaking recent immigrants in 2016, up from 2011 (47.7%).
15.5.B Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 1,025 | 18.9 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 665 | 12.2 | |
| 3 | United States | 365 | 6.7 | |
| 4 | Belgium | 220 | 4.0 | |
| 5 | Algeria | 220 | 4.0 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 195 | 3.6 | |
| 7 | Mauritius | 180 | 3.3 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 150 | 2.8 | |
| 9 | Cameroon | 135 | 2.5 | |
| 10 | Germany | 130 | 2.4 | |
| Total | 3,285 | 60.4 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | France | 1,405 | 17.0 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1,215 | 14.7 | |
| 3 | Haiti | 380 | 4.6 | |
| 4 | Algeria | 375 | 4.5 | |
| 5 | Côte d'Ivoire | 350 | 4.2 | |
| 6 | Cameroon | 350 | 4.2 | |
| 7 | Morocco | 335 | 4.1 | |
| 8 | Mauritius | 325 | 3.9 | |
| 9 | Colombia | 245 | 3.0 | |
| 10 | Belgium | 235 | 2.8 | |
| Total | 5,215 | 63.2 | ||
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 Europe (excluding France) and the United States fell 10.3 percentage points to 2.8%, down from 13.2% in 2011. Conversely, the share of immigrants from African countries increased by nearly as much (10.1 percentage points) during this period, from 25.7% to 35.8%.
15.5.C Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Philippines | 28,955 | 22.1 |
| 2 | India | 15,225 | 11.6 | |
| 3 | China | 8,240 | 6.3 | |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 7,320 | 5.6 | |
| 5 | United States | 6,125 | 4.7 | |
| 6 | Pakistan | 5,695 | 4.4 | |
| 7 | Mexico | 3,680 | 2.8 | |
| 8 | Nigeria | 3,160 | 2.4 | |
| 9 | South Korea | 2,755 | 2.1 | |
| 10 | Colombia | 2,640 | 2.0 | |
| Total | 83,795 | 64.1 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Philippines | 58,960 | 31.4 |
| 2 | India | 25,885 | 13.8 | |
| 3 | China | 7,550 | 4.0 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 6,350 | 3.4 | |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 6,205 | 3.3 | |
| 6 | Nigeria | 6,100 | 3.2 | |
| 7 | United States | 4,550 | 2.4 | |
| 8 | Mexico | 4,025 | 2.1 | |
| 9 | South Korea | 3,470 | 1.8 | |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 3,250 | 1.7 | |
| Total | 126,345 | 67.3 | ||
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 (49.2%) of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is English were born in the Philippines (31.4%), India (13.8%) or China (4.0%). This proportion is higher than in 2011 (40.1%). In 2016, as in 2011, these countries were the top three countries of origin of these immigrants.
Increase in the share of recent immigrants from Asia
In 2016, 54.4% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia, compared with 46.5% in 2011.
In 2016, as in 2011, 5 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were Asian countries.
15.5.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 | 50,875 | 10.9 |
| 2 | Philippines | 40,050 | 8.6 | |
| 3 | India | 38,205 | 8.2 | |
| 4 | China | 30,575 | 6.6 | |
| 5 | United States | 24,420 | 5.2 | |
| 6 | Viet Nam | 19,945 | 4.3 | |
| 7 | Germany | 18,120 | 3.9 | |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 15,670 | 3.4 | |
| 9 | Poland | 14,810 | 3.2 | |
| 10 | Netherlands | 14,505 | 3.1 | |
| Total | 267,175 | 57.3 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Philippines | 63,970 | 10.8 |
| 2 | India | 56,400 | 9.5 | |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 52,910 | 8.9 | |
| 4 | China | 37,925 | 6.4 | |
| 5 | United States | 25,565 | 4.3 | |
| 6 | Pakistan | 20,490 | 3.5 | |
| 7 | Viet Nam | 20,195 | 3.4 | |
| 8 | Germany | 17,615 | 3.0 | |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 17,295 | 2.9 | |
| 10 | Poland | 15,440 | 2.6 | |
| Total | 327,805 | 55.4 | ||
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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Increase in the proportion of immigrants from Asian countries and decrease in the proportion of immigrants from Europe and the United States
Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of English-speaking established immigrants from Asia rose 5.5 percentage points, from 31.0% to 36.5%. In contrast, the proportion of immigrants from Europe and the United States fell 7.5 percentage points, from 26.3% in 2011 to 18.8% in 2016.
Notes
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