Ethnicity, Language and Immigration Thematic Series
Key facts on the French language in New Brunswick in 2021

This fact sheet gives an overview of the situation of French in New Brunswick in 2021. It begins by providing information on the changes in the number and proportion of the population who can have a conversation in French, whose first official language spoken is French, whose mother tongue is French, and who speak French at home or use French at work. Next, it presents information on French‑language instruction in primary and secondary schools, on French spoken among recent and established immigrants, as well as on the mobility and place of birth of individuals whose first official language spoken is French. Additional data on these topics can be found in the appendix.

The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the Census of Population. To learn more about census concepts and the historical comparability of data, please refer to the 2021 Census of Population Languages Reference Guide and the Instruction in the Minority Official Language Reference Guide.

Start of text box

Highlights

• In New Brunswick, 320,300 residents could have a conversation in French in 2021, up from 2016 (+7,200) and 1991 (+19,270). They represented 41.9% of the province’s population in 2021, virtually identical to the proportion observed in 1991 (42.0%), but lower than the all-time high recorded in 2006 (43.6%).
• In 2021, 232,285 New Brunswickers (30.4% of the population) spoke French at least regularly at home. This includes all those who spoke French most often at home, whether predominantly (201,555 people, or 26.4% of the population) or equally with other languages (10,085 people, or 1.3%). Moreover, among people with French as one of their mother tongues, the vast majority (90.0%) spoke French regularly at home.
• In New Brunswick, 111,715 workers (32.0%) used French at least regularly at work. This includes all those who used French most often at work, whether predominantly (70,105 workers, or 20.1%) or equally with other languages (13,500 workers, or 3.9%).
• Fewer than one in four immigrants (22.8%) could have a conversation in French in 2021. This proportion was lower than that of the non-immigrant population (43.3%).
• Almost 9 in 10 New Brunswick residents (86.8%) whose only first official language spoken was French in 2021 were born in New Brunswick.

End of text box

Ability to conduct a conversation in French

Data table for Chart 1



Data table for Chart 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 1. The information is grouped by Knowledge of official languages (appearing as row headers), 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Knowledge of official languages	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
	number
French and English	211,525	237,765	245,865	240,085	245,890	249,955	260,125
French only	89,500	73,410	66,415	73,755	66,380	63,145	60,175
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1991 to 2021.

• In 2021, 320,300 New Brunswickers could have a conversation in French. This was the largest number ever observed in a census in the province.
• Of these, 60,175 people could converse in French, but not in English. This number was down from 1991 (-29,325 people). The demographic weight of these residents also declined, falling from 12.5% in 1991 to 7.9% in 2021.
• Moreover, 260,125 people could have a conversation in French and English in 2021, up from 1991 (+48,600). In 2021, these people represented 34.0% of the population, up from 1991 (29.5%) and fairly stable relative to the peak recorded in 2001 (34.2%).
• In 2021, 41.9% of New Brunswick residents could have a conversation in French. This proportion was virtually unchanged from 1991 (42.0%), but lower than the record observed in 2006 (43.6%).
• From 1991 to 2021, the number and proportion of New Brunswickers who could converse in French rose among those who did not learn French first at home in their childhood: while 57,185 people (12.1%) could have a conversation in French in 1991, this rose to 83,990 (16.0%) in 2021.
• In the 2021 Census, the proportion of the population who did not have French as mother tongue but could have a conversation in French varied across the province: it was higher in certain census agglomerations (CA) in the north, such as Edmundston (66.4%) and Bathurst (38.1%), than in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Moncton (22.7%), Fredericton (16.6%) and Saint John (12.5%).

Description for Map 1

This map shows the proportion of the population able to conduct a conversation in French in each census subdivision in New Brunswick in 2021.

In this map we use 6 distinct colours to signify different values. Grey is used to represent areas for which no data are available. There are 8 census subdivisions in this group.

Teal is used to represent areas in which less than 10% of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 69 census subdivisions in this group.

Green is used to represent areas in which 10% to less than 30% of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 93 census subdivisions in this group.

Yellow is used to represent areas in which 30% to less than 50% of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 11 census subdivisions in this group.

Orange is used to represent areas in which 50% to less than 70% of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 15 census subdivisions in this group.

Dark orange is used to represent areas in which 70% to less than 90% of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 20 census subdivisions in this group.

Red is used to represent areas in which 90% or more of the population is able to conduct a conversation in French. There are 50 census subdivisions in this group.

The boundaries of census subdivisions have been delimited by a gray line. Their colour was assigned according to the table below.



Map table 1
Table summary
This table displays the results of Map table 1. The information is grouped by Census Subdivision (appearing as row headers), Population knowing French (appearing as column headers).

Census Subdivision		Population knowing FrenchMap table 1 Note 1
Code	Name	percentage
1315030	Le Goulet	100.0
1315036	Bertrand	100.0
1313018	Saint-Basile	100.0
1315022	Saint-Isidore	100.0
1314020	Kedgwick	99.7
1314021	Saint-Quentin	99.7
1315019	Paquetville	99.5
1313024	Saint-Jacques	99.4
1315033	Sainte-Marie-Saint-Raphaël	99.4
1313014	Rivière-Verte	99.3
1315020	Paquetville	99.3
1315017	Saint-Léolin	99.2
1315026	Caraquet	99.2
1315002	Tracadie	99.1
1313022	Saint-Joseph	99.0
1315029	Shippagan	99.0
1315040	Maisonnette	99.0
1313011	Sainte-Anne	98.9
1315021	Saint-Isidore	98.9
1315028	Caraquet	98.9
1315027	Bas-Caraquet	98.8
1315031	Shippagan	98.8
1315032	Lamèque	98.8
1315038	Grande-Anse	98.6
1313015	Rivière-Verte	98.5
1315006	Allardville	98.2
1315024	Inkerman	97.6
1313031	Haut-Madawaska	97.5
1313027	Edmundston	97.4
1315014	Petit-Rocher	97.1
1314022	Saint-Quentin	96.8
1313012	Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska	96.5
1314006	Balmoral	96.5
1313037	Lac Baker	96.4
1313008	Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes	96.1
1313002	Saint-André	95.5
1313004	Saint-Léonard	95.3
1315012	Beresford	95.0
1315037	Nigadoo	95.0
1313006	Saint-Léonard	94.8
1312023	Drummond	94.5
1314013	Atholville	94.1
1309017	Rogersville	92.0
1312021	Drummond	91.9
1308021	Saint-Louis	91.8
1315013	Pointe-Verte	91.7
1314011	Eel River Crossing	90.9
1315015	Beresford	90.9
1308005	Bouctouche	90.7
1313020	St. Basile 10	90.5
1308007	Saint-Antoine	89.5
1309038	Neguac	89.1
1314005	Balmoral	88.7
1308004	Wellington	87.5
1308006	Saint Mary	87.4
1308019	Saint-Charles	87.4
1308022	Saint-Louis de Kent	87.3
1309016	Rogersville	86.9
1312019	Grand Falls	86.9
1308024	Acadieville	85.3
1308026	Carleton	85.0
1308002	Cocagne	84.8
1307013	Memramcook	84.1
1307005	Beaubassin East	82.9
1307007	Cap-Pelé	81.6
1309036	Alnwick	81.1
1308001	Dundas	81.0
1314004	Charlo	79.2
1307045	Dieppe	77.5
1307052	Shediac	76.3
1314014	Campbellton	69.7
1314008	Dalhousie	68.7
1308016	Richibucto	67.8
1315008	Bathurst	67.7
1309001	Hardwicke	67.5
1315011	Bathurst	67.5
1307016	Shediac	67.3
1308008	Saint-Paul	66.3
1308018	Richibucto	65.0
1315016	New Bandon	65.0
1314017	Dalhousie	64.9
1314015	Tide Head	63.4
1314016	Eldon	57.0
1312016	Grand Falls	52.8
1314012	Addington	51.1
1307019	Moncton	47.9
1308017	Rexton	47.0
1307022	Moncton	46.2
1309031	Newcastle	40.9
1314003	Colborne	37.7
1308010	Harcourt	36.8
1312014	Denmark	33.3
1310002	New Maryland	32.8
1315010	Pabineau 11	30.8
1314001	Durham	30.5
1308014	Weldford	30.3
1310017	Hanwell	29.9
1314026	Indian Ranch	29.6
1306020	Riverview	29.4
1314010	Eel River 3	27.9
1303012	Oromocto	27.2
1310001	New Maryland	25.8
1308003	Buctouche 16	25.0
1310032	Fredericton	24.6
1306014	Coverdale	24.3
1307011	Dorchester	24.1
1310018	Kingsclear	24.0
1305057	Quispamsis	22.7
1314025	Belledune	22.3
1307009	Sackville	22.0
1305008	Rothesay	21.7
1306006	Alma	21.4
1310031	Saint Marys	21.1
1307012	Dorchester	20.9
1305045	Rothesay	20.7
1303008	Lincoln	20.3
1309050	Miramichi	19.7
1305024	Waterford	19.4
1305015	Grand Bay - Westfield	19.0
1303011	Burton	18.9
1303016	Maugerville	18.6
1305007	Hampton	18.5
1307028	Salisbury	18.3
1304016	Brunswick	18.2
1309006	Chatham	18.1
1310028	Douglas	17.7
1310054	Nackawic	17.2
1307008	Sackville	17.0
1308020	Indian Island 28	16.7
1305006	Hampton	16.6
1312011	Lorne	16.1
1307024	Salisbury	16.0
1310016	Prince William	15.7
1302026	Saint Andrews	15.5
1310014	Dumfries	15.5
1304005	Gagetown	15.4
1311027	Florenceville - Bristol	15.2
1312006	Perth - Andover	15.2
1309004	Glenelg	15.0
1305023	Sussex Corner	14.7
1310005	Harvey	14.5
1312002	Aroostook	14.3
1307029	Petitcodiac	14.2
1307001	Westmorland	14.1
1305011	Westfield	14.0
1305021	Sussex	14.0
1301006	Saint John	13.8
1306025	Hillsborough	13.8
1311004	Woodstock	13.7
1305016	Norton	13.3
1305026	Cardwell	13.3
1305014	Kingston	13.1
1305022	Sussex	13.0
1306011	Hillsborough	12.9
1302024	Saint Andrews	12.7
1310004	Manners Sutton	12.5
1309014	Nelson	12.4
1312004	Perth	12.4
1304008	Wickham	12.3
1307004	Botsford	12.1
1310021	Queensbury	12.1
1310026	Bright	12.1
1304001	Petersville	12.0
1305028	Havelock	12.0
1311006	Woodstock	12.0
1305031	Studholm	11.8
1301004	Simonds	11.6
1309011	Derby	11.5
1304021	Canning	11.2
1310013	Meductic	11.1
1310024	Southampton	11.1
1302037	St. Stephen	11.0
1309044	Esgenoôpetitj 14	11.0
1306001	Hopewell	10.9
1301016	Musquash	10.8
1302031	Dufferin	10.6
1304022	Minto	10.6
1309028	Northesk	10.6
1312008	Gordon	10.6
1304013	Cambridge	10.5
1305036	Kars	10.5
1311008	Northampton	10.5
1305018	Norton	10.4
1307002	Port Elgin	10.3
1309026	Southesk	10.3
1311001	Richmond	10.3
1303014	Sheffield	10.1
1306003	Riverside - Albert	10.0
1310011	Canterbury	10.0
1306004	Harvey	9.9
1306008	Elgin	9.9
1305034	Springfield	9.8
1302018	St. George	9.6
1305004	Upham	9.6
1303018	Northfield	9.5
1302042	Saint David	9.3
1304004	Gagetown	9.2
1310036	Stanley	9.2
1311014	Wakefield	9.2
1310025	Millville	9.1
1302012	Blacks Harbour	9.0
1312009	Plaster Rock	8.8
1304006	Hampstead	8.6
1311026	Aberdeen	8.6
1312001	Andover	8.6
1302011	Pennfield	8.4
1303004	Gladstone	8.4
1305038	Greenwich	8.4
1311024	Peel	8.4
1302008	Lepreau	8.1
1303006	Fredericton Junction	8.1
1302016	Saint George	8.0
1301002	St. Martins	7.8
1302028	Saint Croix	7.8
1304014	Johnston	7.8
1302021	Saint Patrick	7.7
1303001	Blissville	7.7
1301001	Saint Martins	7.6
1311018	Wilmot	7.3
1302034	Saint Stephen	7.2
1304018	Waterborough	7.2
1309019	Blackville	7.2
1302001	Grand Manan	7.1
1302014	Clarendon	7.1
1311005	Woodstock 23	6.9
1311019	Centreville	6.9
1311028	Kent	6.9
1310037	Stanley	6.8
1304011	Cambridge	6.6
1311031	Wicklow	6.6
1311030	Bath	6.1
1311021	Simonds	5.9
1303005	Tracy	5.7
1311012	Hartland	5.7
1305001	Hammond	5.6
1302039	Saint James	5.4
1310008	North Lake	5.4
1304024	Chipman	5.3
1311011	Brighton	5.0
1302052	Grand Manan	4.9
1310019	Kingsclear 6	4.9
1310012	Canterbury	4.7
1304025	Chipman	4.6
1309035	Eel Ground 2	4.6
1302044	Dumbarton	4.3
1309018	Blackville	4.3
1312007	Tobique 20	4.2
1309021	Blissfield	4.1
1302006	West Isles	3.5
1303013	Oromocto 26	3.4
1302004	Campobello Island	3.2
1309022	Doaktown	3.1
1310006	McAdam	3.1
1308015	Richibucto 15	2.9
1310034	Devon 30	2.8
1309027	Upper Miramichi	2.6
1309023	Red Bank 4	2.5
1310007	McAdam	0.0
Note 1 Includes people knowing French only and people knowing French and English. Return to note 1 referrer

• In 2021, in 67 of New Brunswick’s 258 municipalities,^Note 80% or more of the population could have a conversation in French, while in 142 municipalities, fewer than 20% of residents knew French.
• The entire population of some New Brunswick municipalities knew French. These include Le Goulet, Bertrand and Saint-Isidore in the Acadian Peninsula, and Saint-Basile in Madawaska.
• The municipalities with the highest number of people who knew French were Moncton (36,145) and Dieppe (21,615) in the Moncton CMA, as well as Tracadie (15,660) in the Acadian Peninsula.

French as first official language spoken

Data table for Chart 2



Data table for Chart 2
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 2. The information is grouped by First official language spoken (appearing as row headers), 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).

First official language spoken	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
	number
French only	241,765	240,060	237,615	234,155	234,410	232,450	229,325
French and English	1,730	1,965	1,665	1,945	2,575	3,210	5,040
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1991 to 2021.

• In 2021, 229,325 New Brunswickers (30.0% of the population) had French as their only first official language spoken, and 5,040 residents (0.7%) had French and English as their first official languages spoken.
• From 1991 to 2021, the number of people with French as their only first official language spoken fell (-12,440). The demographic weight of these residents also fell from 33.7% in 1991 to 30.0% in 2021.
• In the 2021 Census, the proportion of people with French as their only first official language spoken was higher in some CAs in northern New Brunswick, such as Edmundston (93.4%) and Bathurst (65.6%), than in the CMAs of Moncton (32.6%), Fredericton (6.5%) and Saint John (3.3%).
• From 1991 to 2021, the number of New Brunswick residents with French and English as their first official languages spoken almost tripled, from 1,730 people to 5,040.
• In 2021, most of these residents were living in the CMAs of Moncton (41.0%) or Fredericton (14.1%).

French as a mother tongue

Data table for Chart 3



Data table for Chart 3
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 3. The information is grouped by Mother tongue (appearing as row headers), 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Mother tongue	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
	number
French only	241,565	239,730	236,670	232,975	233,530	231,110	225,560
French in combination with other languages	4,245	5,365	5,390	4,600	6,925	7,760	13,815
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1991 to 2021.

• In 2021, 239,375 New Brunswick residents had French as one of their mother tongues, down from 1991 (-6,435 people), but similar to the 2016 figure (+510 people).
• In 2021, 94.2% of these residents (225,560 people) had French as their only mother tongue, while 5.8% (13,815 people) had French along with other languages (mainly English).
• From 1991 to 2021, the demographic weight of New Brunswickers with French as one of their mother tongues fell from 34.3% to 31.3%.
• Among married people or common-law partners who had French as one of their mother tongues, more than four in five (81.1%) were in a relationship with another person whose mother tongue is French.

French spoken at home

Data table for Chart 4



Data table for Chart 4
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 4. The information is grouped by Language spoken most often at home (appearing as row headers), 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Language spoken most often at home	1991	1996	2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
	number
French predominantly	220,590	219,390	215,055	211,665	209,885	206,315	201,555
French equally with other languages	5,360	6,150	5,445	4,455	6,570	7,910	10,085
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1991 to 2021.

• In 2021, 232,285 New Brunswick residents (30.4% of the population) spoke French at least regularly at home.
• The vast majority of these residents (91.1%, or 211,640 people) spoke French most often at home, predominantly or equally with other languages, down from 1991 (-14,310 people) and 2016 (-2,585 people).
• Moreover, 20,640 people (8.9%) spoke French at home as a secondary language while speaking another language more often (generally English).
• Among people with French as their mother tongue, alone or with other languages:
• The vast majority (90.0%, or 215,340 people) spoke French at least regularly at home in 2021. However, this rate varied across the province, being higher in some CAs in northern New Brunswick, such as Edmundston (98.9%) and Campbellton^Note (92.7%), than in the CMAs of Moncton (85.0%), Fredericton (67.2%) and Saint John (49.4%).
• Around six in seven (85.5%, or 204,655 people) spoke French most often at home, predominantly or equally with other languages, down from 1991 (89.8%, or 220,710 people).
• Among New Brunswick residents whose mother tongue is not French, 16,940 (3.2%) spoke French at least regularly at home.
• Of these, just under a third (30.7%, or 5,200 people) spoke French predominantly at home, while more than half (58.8%, or 9,960 people) spoke French at home as a secondary language while speaking another language more often (generally English).

French used at work

Data table for Chart 5



Data table for Chart 5
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 5. The information is grouped by Language used most often at work (appearing as row headers), 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021, calculated using number units of measure (appearing as column headers).

Language used most often at work	2001	2006	2011	2016	2021
	number
French predominantly	72,175	79,215	74,450	70,810	70,105
French equally with other languages	13,045	10,635	13,620	15,085	13,500
Notes: Among workers who were employed during the census reference week. In 2021, changes were made to the census questions regarding languages used at work. Comparisons with previous cycles must therefore be made with caution. For more information, consult the Languages Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021. Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2001, 2006, 2016 and 2021, and the National Household Survey of 2011.

• In 2021, 111,715 New Brunswick residents used French at least regularly at work. This represents 32.0% of the province’s workers.^Note
• In New Brunswick, 83,605 people used French most often at work, predominantly or equally with other languages, accounting for 23.9% of the province’s workers.
• After increasing from 2001 to 2006 (+4,630), the number of people who used French most often at work fell between each census from 2006 to 2021 (-6,250).
• In 2021, among workers who used French at least regularly at work, many worked in health care and social assistance (21,120 people, or 18.9%), public administration (13,700 people, or 12.3%) or retail trade (12,380 people, or 11.1%).^Note
• Among workers who spoke French most often at home, predominantly or equally with other languages, 91.0% also used French regularly at work.
• A quarter (25.6%) of the workers who used French regularly at work lived in the Moncton CMA.

Instruction in French at the primary and secondary levels

• In 2021, 49,335 (36.0%) of the 136,995 children under 18 living in the province were eligible^Note for instruction in French at the primary and secondary levels.
• More than one in four eligible children (27.8%, or 13,720 children) lived in the Moncton CMA.
• In New Brunswick, 214,030 people attended or had already attended a regular French program in a French-language school in Canada, representing 29.6% of the population aged 5 and older.
• Of those who had never attended a French-language school, 78,585 (10.8%) had instead attended a French immersion program in an English-language school.
• Among school-aged children^Note who were eligible for instruction in French, 29,980 (80.6%) were attending or had already attended a regular French program in a French-language school in Canada.

French among immigrants

• In 2021, the proportions of recent^Note immigrants and established^Note immigrants living in New Brunswick who could conduct a conversation in French (19.7% and 24.6%, respectively) were lower than the proportion of the non-immigrant population (43.3%).
• The proportion of immigrants who spoke French at least regularly at home (14.8%) was lower than that of the non-immigrant population (31.5%).
• The proportion of immigrants who had French as their only first official language spoken (11.3%) was lower than for the non-immigrant population (31.4%). However, the proportion of immigrants who had French and English as their first official languages spoken (3.8%) was higher than that of the non-immigrant population (0.4%).

Mobility and birthplace of the French-speaking population

Data table for Chart 6



Data table for Chart 6
Table summary
This table displays the results of Data table for Chart 6. The information is grouped by Place of birth (appearing as row headers), Percent (appearing as column headers).

Place of birth	Percent
New Brunswick	86.8
Quebec	6.7
Ontario	1.6
Elsewhere in Canada	1.3
Outside Canada	3.6
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021.

• In 2021, among New Brunswick residents whose only first official language spoken is French, almost 9 in 10 (86.8%, or 197,965 people) were born in the province.
• Around 1 in 10 (9.6%, or 21,965 people) were born in another province or territory, with large proportions coming from Quebec (6.7%, or 15,290 people) or Ontario (1.6%, or 3,625 people).
• A smaller proportion (3.6%, or 8,150 people) were born abroad, particularly in Africa (1.4%) or the United States (0.8%).
• From 2016 to 2021, the net interprovincial migration of the New Brunswick population whose only first official language spoken is French was positive (+1,560).
• From 2016 to 2021, 7,840 people with French as their only first official language spoken settled in New Brunswick from another province or territory. The majority were from Quebec (51.8%), Ontario (20.4%) or Alberta (11.4%). A total of 6,280 people left the province during the same period.

Appendix