Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
21 Northwest Territories

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21.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 21.1
Population by first official language spoken and period of immigration, Northwest Territories, 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
	Non-immigrants	Total immigrants	Recent 2006 to 2011	Total population	Non-immigrants	Total immigrants	Recent 2011 to 2016	Total population
	number
English	36,385	2,725	705	39,440	35,905	3,455	720	39,645
French	1,015	110	60	1,125	1,110	115	30	1,240
Neither	185	50	25	240	135	115	70	260
Total	37,590	2,880	785	40,800	37,140	3,690	815	41,135
	percent
English	96.8	94.6	89.8	96.7	96.7	93.6	88.3	96.4
French	2.7	3.8	7.6	2.8	3.0	3.1	3.7	3.0
Neither	0.5	1.7	3.2	0.6	0.4	3.1	8.6	0.6
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.

More than 9 out of 10 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken

In the Northwest Territories, 93.6% of the 3,690 immigrants had English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) in 2016, compared with 3.1% for both those who had French and those who had neither language.

Of the 815 recent immigrants who settled in the Northwest Territories between 2011 and 2016, 88.3% (720 people) had English as their FOLS, 3.7% had French, and 8.6% had neither language.

Slight drop in the proportion of immigrants who had English or French as their first official language spoken

Between 2011 and 2016, the percentage of immigrants who had English or French as their FOLS decreased slightly, from 94.6% to 93.6% and from 3.8% to 3.1%, respectively.

Lower share of immigrants with English as their first official language spoken than non-immigrants

In 2016, almost all (96.7%) non-immigrants had English as their FOLS, which was higher than the proportion of recent immigrants (88.3%) and for all immigrants (93.6%). By comparison, 3.0% of non-immigrants had French as their FOLS, a share similar to that of all immigrants (3.1%) and slightly lower than that of recent immigrants (3.7%).

21.2 Mother tongue

Table 21.2
Immigrants by mother tongue and period of immigration, Northwest Territories, 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	125	695	820	220	950	1,170
French	30	35	65	10	45	65
Other languages	625	1,370	1,995	585	1,870	2,460
Total	785	2,095	2,880	815	2,865	3,690
	percent
English	15.9	33.2	28.5	27.0	33.2	31.7
French	3.8	1.7	2.3	1.2	1.6	1.8
Other languages	79.6	65.4	69.3	71.8	65.3	66.7
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.

More than 7 in 10 recent immigrants reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue

In the Northwest Territories, the proportion of recent immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue decreased from 79.6% in 2011 to 71.8% in 2016. The share of established immigrants who reported a language other than English or French as their mother tongue changed little, edging down from 65.4% to 65.2% during this period.

Between 2011 and 2016, the proportion of recent immigrants whose mother tongue was French decreased from 3.8% to 1.2%. The share of immigrants whose mother tongue was English increased from 15.9% in 2011 to 27.0% in 2016.

The proportion of established immigrants who reported French as their mother tongue changed little, from 1.7% in 2011 to 1.6% in 2016. The share of those who reported English as their mother tongue also changed little, edging down from 33.2% to 33.1% during this period.

21.3 Language spoken most often at home

Table 21.3
Immigrants by language spoken most often at home and period of immigration, Northwest Territories, 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	385	1,420	1,800	415	1,940	2,350
French	25	15	40	10	45	60
Other languages	380	665	1,040	395	890	1,285
Total	785	2,095	2,880	815	2,870	3,690
	percent
English	49.0	67.8	62.5	50.9	67.6	63.7
French	3.2	0.7	1.4	1.2	1.6	1.6
Other languages	48.4	31.7	36.1	48.5	31.0	34.8
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.

In 2016, 31.7% of immigrants in the Northwest Territories reported English as their mother tongue, while more than twice as many (63.7%) reported that they mainly spoke English at home in 2016. In addition, 1.6% of immigrants reported that they spoke French most often at home, compared with 1.8% of them who reported French as their mother tongue.

More than 6 in 10 immigrants reported that they spoke English or French most often at home

In 2016, 65.3% of immigrants reported that they spoke English or French most often at home, up from 2011 (63.9%). The proportion of immigrants who spoke French most often at home increased slightly from 1.4% in 2011 to 1.6% in 2016. The share of immigrants who reported that they mainly spoke English at home increased slightly from 62.5% to 63.7% during this period.

Nearly 5 in 10 recent immigrants reported that they spoke a language other than English or French most often at home

In 2016, 48.5% of recent immigrants reported that they mainly spoke a language other than English or French at home, practically the same percentage as in 2011 (48.4%). The proportion of recent immigrants who reported that they spoke English most often at home went from 49.0% in 2011 to 50.9% in 2016. However, the share of those who spoke French most often at home decreased between 2011 and 2016, falling from 3.2% to 1.2%.

21.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

Table 21.4
Immigrants' knowledge of official languages, by mother tongue and period of immigration, Northwest Territories, 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	84.0	88.5	87.8	86.4	92.1	91.0
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	English and French	12.0	12.2	12.2	11.4	7.9	8.5
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
French	English	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	English and French	83.3	100.0	92.3	100.0	100.0	100.0
	Neither	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Other languages	English	84.8	90.5	88.7	82.4	90.6	88.6
	French	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	0.3	0.6
	English and French	9.6	7.7	8.3	3.4	7.2	6.3
	Neither	4.0	1.5	2.3	12.6	1.9	4.5
	Total	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Total	English	81.5	88.3	86.5	84.0	89.2	88.1
	French	0.0	1.0	0.7	1.2	0.0	0.3
	English and French	14.0	10.3	11.3	6.7	9.1	8.5
	Neither	3.2	1.0	1.6	9.2	1.4	3.1
	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.

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

In the Northwest Territories, 92.0% of the 800 recent immigrants reported being able to conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, compared with 95.5% of recent immigrants in 2011.^{Note 1} This means that nearly 1 in 10 recent immigrants (9.2%) reported not being able to conduct a conversation in either of the country’s official languages, up from 2011 (3.2%). In 2016, 84.0% of recent immigrants could conduct a conversation in English only, 1.2% in French only, and 6.7% in English and French.

A small share (1.4%) of established immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French

Among the 2,900 established immigrants, 98.3% could conduct a conversation in English or French in 2016, slightly down from 2011 (99.5%). In 2016, 89.2% of these immigrants knew English only and 9.1% English and French. In contrast, 1.4% of these immigrants could not conduct a conversation in English or French, a share that has increased slightly from 2011 (1.0%).

21.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

21.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 21.5.A.1
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 21.5.A.1 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 21.5.A.1 Note 2} Northwest Territories, 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^{Table 21.5.A.1 Note 3}	1	Mauritius	30	60.0
2011 National Household Survey^{Table 21.5.A.1 Note 3}	1	Total	30	60.0
2016 Census of Population^{Table 21.5.A.1 Note 3}	1	France	10	50.0
	2	Morocco	10	50.0
	2	Total	20	100.0
Note 1 “Recent immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained his or her landed immigrant or permanent resident status in the five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, the period extends between January 1, 2011, and May 10, 2016. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Note 3 In order to ensure the confidentiality of the responses collected, the data for the top 10 countries of birth are not shown. Return to note 3 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

Table 21.5.A.2
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 21.5.A.2 Note 1} with French as their first official language spoken,^{Table 21.5.A.2 Note 2} Northwest Territories, 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^{Table 21.5.A.2 Note 3}	1	France	20	50.0
2011 National Household Survey^{Table 21.5.A.2 Note 3}	1	Total	20	50.0
2016 Census of Population^{Table 21.5.A.2 Note 3}	1	France	15	23.1
	2	Morocco	15	23.1
	3	Haiti	10	15.4
	4	Brazil	10	15.4
	5	Mauritius	10	15.4
	5	Total	60	92.3
Note 1 “Established immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status at least five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, it is an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status before 2011. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Note 3 In order to ensure the confidentiality of the responses collected, the data for the top 10 countries of birth are not shown. Return to note 3 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

In 2016, there were 20 recent immigrants and 60 established immigrants in the Northwest Territories whose first official language spoken is French.

21.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 21.5.B
Top countries of birth of recent immigrants^{Table 21.5.B Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 21.5.B Note 2} Northwest Territories, 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	Philippines	185	26.8
	2	Armenia	60	8.7
	3	Zimbabwe	55	8.0
	4	China	55	8.0
	5	United States	45	6.5
	6	Russian Federation	30	4.3
	7	India	30	4.3
	8	Mauritius	25	3.6
	9	United Kingdom	20	2.9
	10	Sudan	20	2.9
	10	Total	525	76.1
2016 Census of Population	1	Philippines	330	46.5
	2	India	45	6.3
	3	Jamaica	40	5.6
	4	United Kingdom	40	5.6
	5	Zimbabwe	35	4.9
	6	Namibia	20	2.8
	7	Japan	20	2.8
	8	United States	15	2.1
	9	China	15	2.1
	10	Bangladesh	15	2.1
	10	Total	575	81.0
Note 1 “Recent immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained his or her landed immigrant or permanent resident status in the five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, the period extends between January 1, 2011, and May 10, 2016. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

In 2016, there were 710 recent immigrants in the Northwest Territories whose first official language spoken is English. Nearly half (46.5%)^{Note 2} of these immigrants came from the Philippines, up from 26.8% in 2011.

Roughly 6 in 10 recent immigrants were from Asia

In 2016, Asian countries accounted for 5 of the top 10 countries of birth of English-speaking^{Note 3} recent immigrants, with a proportion of 59.9%.

21.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Table 21.5.C
Top countries of birth of established immigrants^{Table 21.5.C Note 1} with English as their first official language spoken,^{Table 21.5.C Note 2} Northwest Territories, 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	Philippines	440	21.9
	2	United Kingdom	260	12.9
	3	United States	180	9.0
	4	China	110	5.5
	5	Germany	90	4.5
	6	Zimbabwe	75	3.7
	7	Viet Nam	75	3.7
	8	Jamaica	45	2.2
	9	India	40	2.0
	10	Eritrea	35	1.7
	10	Total	1,350	67.2
2016 Census of Population	1	Philippines	605	22.3
	2	United Kingdom	275	10.1
	3	United States	205	7.6
	4	India	130	4.8
	5	Germany	110	4.1
	6	Viet Nam	105	3.9
	7	China	85	3.1
	8	Bangladesh	80	3.0
	9	Sudan	55	2.0
	10	Pakistan	55	2.0
	10	Total	1,705	62.9
Note 1 “Established immigrant” refers to an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status at least five years prior to a given census. In the 2016 Census, it is an immigrant who obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status before 2011. Return to note 1 referrer Note 2 The immigrant population with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS) does not include the population that has both English and French as their FOLS. Return to note 2 referrer Notes: To ensure the confidentiality of responses collected for the 2016 Census of Population, a random rounding process is used to alter the values reported in individual cells. As a result, when these data are summed or grouped, the total value may not match the sum of the individual values, since the total and subtotals are independently rounded. Similarly, percentage distributions, which are calculated on rounded data, may not necessarily add up to 100%. This table does not include data on non-permanent residents. Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey and 2016 Census of Population.

In the Northwest Territories, there were 2,710 English-speaking established immigrants in 2016. The share of these immigrants from Europe and the United States fell 4.6 percentage points, from 26.4% in 2011 to 21.8% in 2016. In contrast, the proportion of these immigrants from Asia rose 6.0 percentage points during this period, from 33.1% to 39.1%.

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Date modified:: 2019-01-28

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
21 Northwest Territories

Archived Content

21.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

21.2 Mother tongue

21.3 Language spoken most often at home

21.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

21.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

21.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

21.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

21.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

Notes

Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016 21 Northwest Territories

Archived Content

21.1 First official language spoken (FOLS)

21.2 Mother tongue

21.3 Language spoken most often at home

21.4 Knowledge of official languages by mother tongue

21.5 Top countries of birth of immigrants

21.5.A Recent and established immigrants with French as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

21.5.B Recent immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

21.5.C Established immigrants with English as their first official language spoken (FOLS)

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Immigration and language in Canada, 2011 and 2016
21 Northwest Territories