Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
17 Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA)
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17.1 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 | 861,555 | 216,325 | 45,835 | 1,099,605 | 934,365 | 285,790 | 71,215 | 1,247,055 |
| French | 20,570 | 4,890 | 1,480 | 25,875 | 22,365 | 7,450 | 2,330 | 30,375 |
| Neither | 2,590 | 10,990 | 2,625 | 14,105 | 3,570 | 15,370 | 4,980 | 19,845 |
| Total | 884,715 | 232,195 | 49,935 | 1,139,580 | 960,305 | 308,605 | 78,520 | 1,297,275 |
| percent | ||||||||
| English | 97.4 | 93.2 | 91.8 | 96.5 | 97.3 | 92.6 | 90.7 | 96.1 |
| French | 2.3 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 2.3 |
| Neither | 0.3 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 6.3 | 1.5 |
| 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 Edmonton, more than 9 in 10 immigrants (92.6%) had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 2.4% who had French, and 5.0% who had neither language.
Of the 78,500 recent immigrants who settled in Edmonton between 2011 and 2016, 90.7% (71,200 people) had English as their FOLS, 3.0% (2,300 people) had French, and 6.3% (5,000 people) had neither language.
The proportion of recent immigrants who had English as their FOLS slightly decreased between 2011 and 2016, from 91.8% to 90.7%, while the percentage of those who had French as their FOLS remained the same (3.0%) over this period. Furthermore, the share of those who had neither English nor French as their FOLS grew slightly, from 5.3% in 2011 to 6.3% 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.
Higher proportion of recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken than non-immigrants
In 2016, 90.7% of all recent immigrants had English as their FOLS, a lower percentage than that of all immigrants (92.6%) and that of non-immigrants (97.3%). Moreover, 3.0% of recent immigrants had French as their FOLS, which was higher than for all immigrants (2.4%) and for non-immigrants (2.3%).
17.2 Mother tongue
| Mother tongue | 2011 | 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recent 2006 to 2011 |
Established before 2006 |
Total | Recent 2011 to 2016 |
Established before 2011 | Total | |
| number | ||||||
| English | 8,295 | 45,050 | 53,340 | 13,690 | 54,990 | 68,675 |
| French | 700 | 1,810 | 2,510 | 1,235 | 2,750 | 3,985 |
| Other languages | 40,920 | 135,435 | 176,355 | 63,590 | 172,350 | 235,945 |
| Total | 49,935 | 182,260 | 232,195 | 78,520 | 230,085 | 308,605 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 16.6 | 24.7 | 23.0 | 17.4 | 23.9 | 22.3 |
| French | 1.4 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| Other languages | 81.9 | 74.3 | 76.0 | 81.0 | 74.9 | 76.5 |
| 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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Just over four in five recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue
In Edmonton, 81.0% of recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue in 2016, down from 2011 (81.9%). Conversely, the proportion of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue rose from 74.3% in 2011 to 74.9% in 2016.
Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is French rose slightly, from 1.4% to 1.6%. Similarly, the proportion of immigrants with an English mother tongue increased from 16.6% to 17.4%.
The share of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue also edged up, from 1.0% in 2011 to 1.2% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of those who reported English as their mother tongue fell 0.8 percentage points over this period, from 24.7% to 23.9%.
17.3 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 | 18,155 | 103,055 | 121,205 | 28,660 | 121,580 | 150,235 |
| French | 655 | 1,185 | 1,840 | 1,195 | 2,040 | 3,235 |
| Other languages | 31,135 | 78,010 | 109,145 | 48,655 | 106,475 | 155,140 |
| Total | 49,935 | 182,260 | 232,195 | 78,520 | 230,085 | 308,605 |
| percent | ||||||
| English | 36.4 | 56.5 | 52.2 | 36.5 | 52.8 | 48.7 |
| French | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Other languages | 62.4 | 42.8 | 47.0 | 62.0 | 46.3 | 50.3 |
| 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, 22.3% of immigrants in Edmonton reported English as their mother tongue, while more than twice as many (48.7%) reported that they spoke mainly English at home in 2016. Moreover, 1.0% of immigrants reported speaking French most often at home, compared with 1.3% 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 (49.7%) of immigrants reported speaking English or French most often at home, down from 53.0% in 2011. The share of immigrants who spoke French most often at home increased from 0.8% in 2011 to 1.0% in 2016. The proportion of immigrants who reported speaking mainly English at home decreased from 52.2% to 48.7% during this period.
More than 6 in 10 recent immigrants reported speaking a language other than English or French most often at home
In 2016, 62.0% of recent immigrants reported mainly speaking a language other than English or French at home, a lower percentage than in 2011 (62.4%). In contrast, the proportion of recent immigrants who reported that they spoke English (36.4% versus 36.5%) or French (1.3% versus 1.5%) most often at home was little changed between 2011 and 2016.
17.4 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 | 93.9 | 93.9 | 95.3 | 95.0 | 95.1 |
| French | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
| English and French | 5.4 | 5.9 | 5.8 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.8 | |
| Neither | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| French | English | 7.9 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 5.3 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| French | 12.9 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 15.0 | 4.2 | 7.4 | |
| English and French | 78.6 | 87.3 | 84.7 | 80.6 | 86.9 | 84.9 | |
| Neither | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Other languages | English | 88.5 | 89.2 | 89.0 | 88.1 | 89.3 | 89.0 |
| French | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | |
| English and French | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 | |
| Neither | 6.5 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 6.0 | 6.5 | |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | |
| Total | English | 88.3 | 89.6 | 89.3 | 88.1 | 89.7 | 89.3 |
| French | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | |
| English and French | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.4 | |
| Neither | 5.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 4.5 | 5.0 | |
| 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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More than 9 out of 10 recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English or French
In Edmonton, 93.6% of the 78,500 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, down slightly from 2011 (94.6%).Note 1 This means that 6.4% of recent immigrants reported they could not conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (5.4%). In 2016, 88.1% of these immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 0.4% in French only, and 5.0% in English and French.
Thus, the share of recent immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 5.5% in 2016, down from 2011 (6.3%).
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 230,100 established immigrants, 95.5% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, virtually unchanged from 2011 (95.4%). In 2016, 89.7% of these immigrants knew English only, 0.2% French only, and 5.5% English and French. Thus, 4.5% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, a proportion that has remained virtually unchanged from 2011 (4.7%).
The share of established immigrants who could conduct a conversation in French (French + English and French) was 5.7% in 2016, a proportion that has changed little from 2011 (5.8%).
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 5.4% in 2011 to 4.2% in 2016. The proportion who reported they could conduct a conversation only in English (and not in French) increased slightly during this period, from 94.0% to 95.3%.
In 2016, 3.8% of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French reported being bilingual (English–French), down from 2011 (4.7%). Meanwhile, the share of those who reported they could conduct a conversation only in French (and not in English) remained unchanged at 0.3% 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
The proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue is a language other than English or French who knew only English (and not French) decreased slightly, from 88.5% to 88.1%, while the share of those who knew neither English nor French increased from 6.5% to 7.8%.
Slight 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 86.4% to 85.8%.
17.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants
17.5.A Recent immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | France | 110 | 11.6 |
| 2 | Cameroon | 110 | 11.6 | |
| 3 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 95 | 10.1 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 90 | 9.5 | |
| 5 | Rwanda | 80 | 8.5 | |
| 6 | Morocco | 50 | 5.3 | |
| 7 | Côte d'Ivoire | 40 | 4.2 | |
| 8 | Haiti | 30 | 3.2 | |
| 9 | Liberia | 30 | 3.2 | |
| 10 | Algeria | 25 | 2.6 | |
| Total | 660 | 69.8 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Côte d'Ivoire | 260 | 15.1 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 255 | 14.8 | |
| 3 | Cameroon | 175 | 10.2 | |
| 4 | Burundi | 105 | 6.1 | |
| 5 | France | 85 | 4.9 | |
| 6 | Guinea | 85 | 4.9 | |
| 7 | Senegal | 80 | 4.7 | |
| 8 | Morocco | 75 | 4.4 | |
| 9 | Mauritius | 70 | 4.1 | |
| 10 | Haiti | 65 | 3.8 | |
| Total | 1,255 | 73.0 | ||
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, 40.1%Note 2 of the 1,700 recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is French were born in the Ivory Coast (15.1%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (14.8%) or Cameroon (10.2%). In 2016, these countries were the top three countries of origin of these immigrants.
No Western countries (excluding France) were among the top 10 most frequently reported countries of birth for French-speakingNote 3 recent immigrants in 2016. Only France, Haiti and African countries were in the top 10. Immigrants from these countries made up 73.0% of French-speaking recent immigrants in 2016, compared with 69.8% in 2011.
Increase in the share of recent immigrants from Africa
In 2016, as in 2011, 8 of the top 10 countries of birth of French-speaking recent immigrants were in Africa. The share of these immigrants was 64.2% in 2016, up 9.2 percentage points from 2011 (55.0%).
17.5.B Established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 330 | 14.9 |
| 2 | France | 300 | 13.5 | |
| 3 | United States | 235 | 10.6 | |
| 4 | Burundi | 95 | 4.3 | |
| 5 | Belgium | 85 | 3.8 | |
| 6 | Rwanda | 80 | 3.6 | |
| 7 | Algeria | 80 | 3.6 | |
| 8 | Lebanon | 70 | 3.2 | |
| 9 | Senegal | 65 | 2.9 | |
| 10 | Côte d'Ivoire | 60 | 2.7 | |
| Total | 1,400 | 63.1 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 765 | 22.1 |
| 2 | France | 375 | 10.8 | |
| 3 | Côte d'Ivoire | 175 | 5.1 | |
| 4 | Cameroon | 170 | 4.9 | |
| 5 | Morocco | 160 | 4.6 | |
| 6 | Haiti | 155 | 4.5 | |
| 7 | Burundi | 130 | 3.8 | |
| 8 | Mauritius | 130 | 3.8 | |
| 9 | Colombia | 125 | 3.6 | |
| 10 | Algeria | 100 | 2.9 | |
| Total | 2,285 | 66.0 | ||
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, there were 3,500 French-speaking established immigrants. The proportion of immigrants from African countries increased 15.1 percentage points, from 32.0% in 2011 to 47.1% in 2016.
17.5.C Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Philippines | 10,240 | 22.6 |
| 2 | India | 6,365 | 14.1 | |
| 3 | China | 3,185 | 7.0 | |
| 4 | Pakistan | 1,840 | 4.1 | |
| 5 | United States | 1,700 | 3.8 | |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 1,435 | 3.2 | |
| 7 | South Korea | 860 | 1.9 | |
| 8 | Somalia | 850 | 1.9 | |
| 9 | Colombia | 835 | 1.8 | |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 765 | 1.7 | |
| Total | 28,075 | 62.0 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Philippines | 21,380 | 30.3 |
| 2 | India | 12,305 | 17.4 | |
| 3 | China | 2,815 | 4.0 | |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 1,855 | 2.6 | |
| 5 | Pakistan | 1,810 | 2.6 | |
| 6 | Nigeria | 1,565 | 2.2 | |
| 7 | United States | 1,445 | 2.0 | |
| 8 | South Korea | 1,315 | 1.9 | |
| 9 | Somalia | 1,215 | 1.7 | |
| 10 | Ethiopia | 1,165 | 1.7 | |
| Total | 46,870 | 66.4 | ||
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, just over half (51.7%) of recent immigrants whose first official language spoken is English were born in the Philippines (30.3%), India (17.4%) or China (4.0%). This proportion is up from 2011 (43.7%). 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, 56.1% of English-speaking recent immigrants were from Asia, compared with 49.7% in 2011. This is an increase of 6.5 percentage points.
In 2016, as in 2011, 5 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking recent immigrants were Asian countries.
17.5.D Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)
| Rank | Country of birth | Number | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 National Household Survey | 1 | Philippines | 15,825 | 9.3 |
| 2 | India | 15,490 | 9.1 | |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 15,290 | 9.0 | |
| 4 | China | 10,750 | 6.3 | |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 8,065 | 4.8 | |
| 6 | Poland | 7,160 | 4.2 | |
| 7 | Germany | 7,045 | 4.2 | |
| 8 | United States | 6,645 | 3.9 | |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 6,300 | 3.7 | |
| 10 | Netherlands | 3,920 | 2.3 | |
| Total | 96,490 | 57.0 | ||
| 2016 Census of Population | 1 | Philippines | 23,745 | 11.2 |
| 2 | India | 22,945 | 10.8 | |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 14,990 | 7.0 | |
| 4 | China | 12,825 | 6.0 | |
| 5 | Viet Nam | 7,820 | 3.7 | |
| 6 | Poland | 7,375 | 3.5 | |
| 7 | United States | 7,040 | 3.3 | |
| 8 | Hong Kong | 6,650 | 3.1 | |
| 9 | Germany | 6,540 | 3.1 | |
| 10 | Pakistan | 6,085 | 2.9 | |
| Total | 116,015 | 54.5 | ||
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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Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of English-speaking established immigrants from Asia rose 4.3 percentage points, from 33.3% to 37.6%. However, the proportion of immigrants from Europe and the United States fell 6.8 percentage points, from 23.7% in 2011 to 16.9% in 2016.
Notes
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