Demographics of Metro Vancouver

Population growth

The following table shows the development of the number of inhabitants according to census data of Statistics Canada. The former municipalities of Point Grey and South Vancouver are not included in the data prior to 1931.

Population growth.

Year Inhabitants 1891 13,709 1901 26,133 1911 100,401 1921 117,217 1931 246,593 1941 275,353 1951 344,833 1961 384,522

Year Inhabitants 1966 410,375 1971 426,256 1976 410,188 1981 414,281 1986 431,147 1991 471,644 1996 514,008 2001 545,671 2006 578,041

Ethnic origin

The demographics of Vancouver reveal a multi-ethnic society. There remains a small population, less than 2%, of Aboriginal peoples, who according to archeological and historical records, have inhabited this region for more than 3,000 years.

From the time of Vancouver's first non-indigenous settlement in the second half of the 19th century, people from Britain and Ireland were the largest group of immigrants and, collectively, remain the largest ethnic grouping in Vancouver to this day. Chinese are by far, the largest visible minority group, although ethnic Germans are the largest non-British group and only in the 21st Century were outnumbered by the Chinese for the first time. The city has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities with several dialects of Chinese being represented. Vancouver contains the second-largest Chinatown in North America (after San Francisco's), and many multicultural neighbourhoods such as the Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, Japantown and Commercial Drive. Bilingual street signs can be seen in Chinatown and the Punjabi Market, and commercial signs in a wide array of languages can be seen all over the metropolitan area.

Aboriginal peoples

There is a small community of aboriginal people in Vancouver as well as in the surrounding metropolitan region, with the result that Vancouver constitutes the largest native community in the province, albeit an unincorporated one (i.e. not as a band government). There is an equally large or larger Métis contingent, with this being a mix of traditional "real" Metis from the Prairies and others whose mixed native/non-native ancestry qualifies them legally as Metis.

British Isles and European origins

Non-visible minorities such as newly arrived Eastern Europeans and the new wave of Latin Americans are also a feature of the city's ethnic landscape. Prior to the Hong Kong influx of the 1980s, the largest non-British Isles ethnic group in the city was German, followed by Ukrainian and the Scandinavian ethnicities. Most of these earlier immigrant groups are fully assimilated or intermarried with other groups, although a new generation of East Europeans form a distinct linguistic and social community.

Much of the European population consists of persons whose origins go back to the British Isles and, until recently, British Columbians with British and Irish ancestry most likely came directly from the Britain and Ireland, rather than via Ontario or the Maritime Provinces. Until the 1960s it was easier to purchase the Times of London and the Manchester Guardian in Vancouver than it was to find the Toronto Globe and Mail or Montreal Gazette. Other large and historically important European ethnic groups consist of Germans, Dutch, French (of both European and Canadian origin), Ukrainians, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Finns, Italians, Croats, Hungarians, Greeks, and lately numerous Romanians, Russians, Portuguese, Serbs and Poles.

Asian origins

Main article: History of Chinese immigration to Canada

The first Chinese immigrants to British Columbia were men who came to "the Colonies of T'ang (China)," as they called British Columbia, for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 and a decade later to work on building the Canadian Pacific Railway. Because of various loopholes in the Head Tax and other anti-Chinese legislation, there was a steady influx of Chinese families from the late 19th century until the Second World War. Then in the 1980s, a huge influx immigrants from Hong Kong came to Vancouver in anticipation of and during the transfer of sovereignty of that former British colony from the United Kingdom to China. This continued a tradition of immigration from around the world that had already established Vancouver as the second most multi-ethnic of Canada's cities (after Toronto) before the Hong Kong influx began.

Statistics Canada data shows that over 17% of the approximately 2.5 million people living in the metropolitan area are ethnic Chinese. Vancouver has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities as reflected in the diversity of Chinese cuisine (from several regions of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hainan, Malaysia/Singapore, etc.) made available to consumers in Vancouver and adjacent communities such as Richmond and Burnaby. The ethnic Chinese from Hong Kong who speak Cantonese make up the largest group within Vancouver's Chinese-speaking community. However, the Chinese-speaking community has residents who speak Mandarin, Hakka, Shanghainese, Taiwanese, and Teochiu who have arrived in Vancouver via Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Southeast Asia. Note that there are also many Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong whose origin is from other areas of China such as Shanghai. Immigration from Taiwan increased as of the late-1980's/early-1990s and continues at a steady pace. Many Taiwanese are currently choosing to retire in Vancouver or raise their families in the city. The most recent Chinese immigrants to Vancouver are also those who come directly from Mainland China. Vancouver continues to receive immigration not only from Mainland China but also from Taiwan and Hong Kong, though to a lesser extent than in the 1990s. South Asians (in particular Indo-Canadians) are one of Vancouver's largest Asian minorities; as of current statistics, Vancouver has Canada's second largest Indo-Canadian population.

Other significant Asian ethnic groups in Vancouver are Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, Japanese, and Russians from the Russian Far East and Siberia. In Vancouver the term 'Asian' is normally used to refer only to East Asian peoples, while South Asians (mostly Punjabis) are usually referred to as Indo-Canadian or East Indians. Technically, though, the term 'Asian' may refer to either group, and also to the large Persian and other Middle Eastern populations as well as elements from Central Asia.

Visible minorities

Pie chart showing Vancouver's visible minority composition (data from Canada Census 2006).

Vancouver has more interracial couples and less residential segregation than Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. In total, 7.2% of married and common-law couples in Greater Vancouver are interracial; double the Canadian average of 3.2%, and higher than in Toronto (6.1%) and Montreal (3.5%).

In the city of Vancouver, 47.1% of the population are members of visible minority groups.

Aboriginal peoples, who make up less than two percent of the city's population, are not officially considered a visible minority group by Statistics Canada.

Tables of ethnicities (for census metropolitan area)

Ethnic Origin by Regional Group	Population	Percent of 2,097,960*
British Isles origins	753,215	35.90%
French origins	138,145	6.58%
Aboriginal origins	59,110	2.82%
Other North American origins (Canadian and American)	296,895	14.15%
Caribbean origins	11,830	0.56%
Latin, Central and South American origins	28,575	1.36%
Western European origins (Germany, Austria, Benelux, Switzerland)	289,030	13.78%
Northern European origins (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland)	123,620	5.89%
Eastern European origins	219,325	10.45%
Southern European origins	172,425	8.22%
Other European origins (Basque, Romany, Jewish, misc. Slav)	26,485	1.26%
African origins	22,610	1.08%
Arab origins	14,170	0.68%
West Asian origins	40,145	1.91%
South Asian origins	208,535	9.94%
East and Southeast Asian origins	584,895	27.88%
Oceania origins	18,125	0.86%
*Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple responses, e.g. German-East Indian, Norwegian-Irish-Polish

Ethnic Origin	Population	Percent of 2,097,960
Cornish	225	0.01%
English	484,340	23.09%
Irish	251,695	12.00%
Manx	640	0.03%
Scottish	337,230	16.07%
Welsh	41,805	1.99%
British Isles, n.i.e.**	35,505	1.69%
Acadians	1,280	0.06%
French	137,270	6.54%
Inuit	580	0.03%
Métis	17,110	0.82%
North American Indian	43,190	2.06%
American	27,000	1.29%
Canadian	278,350	13.27%
Newfoundlander	390	0.02%
Nova Scotian	120	0.01%
Ontarian	20	less than 0.01%
Québécois	350	0.02%
Other North American provincial or regional groups	150	0.01%
Antiguan	105	0.01%
Bahamian	50	less than 0.01%
Barbadian	925	0.04%
Bermudan	100	less than 0.01%
Carib	85	less than 0.01%
Cuban	540	0.03%
Dominican, n.o.s.***	195	0.01%
Grenadian	175	0.01%
Guyanese	825	0.04%
Haitian	405	0.02%
Jamaican	4,645	0.22%
Kittitian/Nevisian	15	less than 0.01%
Martinican	10	less than 0.01%
Montserratan	10	less than 0.01%
Puerto Rican	260	0.01%
St. Lucian	80	less than 0.01%
Trinidadian/Tobagonian	2,185	0.10%
Vincentian/Grenadinian	120	0.01%
West Indian	1,245	0.06%
Caribbean, n.i.e.**	620	0.03%
Aboriginal from Central/South America	830	0.04%
Argentines	790	0.04%
Belizean	60	less than 0.01%
Bolivian	90	less than 0.01%
Brazilian	1,115	0.05%
Chilean	2,935	0.14%
Colombian	2,125	0.10%
Costa Rican	355	0.02%
Ecuadorian	225	0.01%
Guatemalan	1,405	0.07%
Hispanic	555	0.03%
Honduran	745	0.04%
Maya	575	0.03%
Mexican	7,680	0.37%
Nicaragua	860	0.04%
Panamanian	145	0.01%
Paraguayan	170	0.01%
Peruvian	1,910	0.09%
Salvadoran	5,760	0.27%
Uruguayan	60	less than 0.01%
Venezuelan	535	0.03%
Latin, Central or South American, n.i.e.**	1,225	0.06%
Austrian	21,500	1.02%
Belgian	6,555	0.31%
Dutch (Netherlands)	71,710	3.42%
Flemish	815	0.04%
Frisian	155	0.01%
German	203,715	9.71%
Luxembourger	235	0.01%
Swiss	10,130	0.48%
Finnish	12,745	0.61%
Danish	22,800	1.09%
Icelandic	9,630	0.46%
Norwegian	46,260	2.20%
Swedish	39,920	1.90%
Scandinavian, n.i.e.**	3,830	0.18%
Estonian	2,590	0.12%
Latvian	2,160	0.10%
Lithuanian	3,100	0.15%
Byelorussian	820	0.04%
Czech	10,385	0.50%
Czechoslovakian	2,810	0.13%
Slovak	5,700	0.27%
Hungarian (Magyar)	23,365	1.11%
Polish	60,715	2.89%
Romanian	14,055	0.67%
Russian	47,935	2.28%
Ukrainian	81,725	3.90%
Albanian	650	0.03%
Bosnian	2,535	0.12%
Bulgaria	1,960	0.09%
Croatian	12,475	0.59%
Cypriot	270	0.01%
Greek	15,025	0.72%
Italian	76,345	3.64%
Kosovar	85	less than 0.01%
Macedonian	600	0.03%
Maltese	990	0.05%
Montenegrin	370	0.02%
Portuguese	20,335	0.97%
Serbian	7,690	0.37%
Sicilian	180	0.01%
Slovenian	2,475	0.12%
Spanish	36,000	1.72%
Yugoslavs	5,525	0.26%
Basque	405	0.02%
Gypsy (Roma)	250	0.01%
Jewish	21,465	1.02%
misc. Slav (European)	760	0.04%
European, n.i.e.**	3,975	0.19%
Afrikaner	290	0.01%
Akan	25	less than 0.01%
Amhara	65	less than 0.01%
Angolan	70	less than 0.01%
Ashanti	65	less than 0.01%
Bantu	170	0.01%
Black	3,005	0.14%
Burundian	90	less than 0.01%
Congolese (Zairian) people	75	less than 0.01%
Congolese, n.o.s.***	85	less than 0.01%
Dinka	25	less than 0.01%
East African people	610	0.03%
Eritrean	335	0.02%
Ethiopian	1,625	0.08%
Gabonese	10	less than 0.01%
Gambian	15	less than 0.01%
Ghanaian	1,100	less than 0.01%
Guinean, n.o.s.***	95	less than 0.01%
Ibo	15	less than 0.01%
Ivoirian	15	less than 0.01%
Kenyan	765	0.04%
Malagasay	35	less than 0.01%
Mauritian	325	0.02%
Nigerian	880	0.04%
Oromo	145	0.01%
Rwandan	225	0.01%
Senegalese	20	less than 0.01%
Seychellois	20	less than 0.01%
Sierra Leonean	115	0.01%
Somali	1,320	0.06%
South African	4,120	0.20%
Sudanese	705	less than 0.01%
Tanzanian	135	0.01%
Tigrian	50	less than 0.01%
Togolese	15	less than 0.01%
Ugandan	360	0.02%
Yoruba	80	less than 0.01%
Zambian	40	less than 0.01%
Zimbabwean	230	0.01%
Zulu	70	less than 0.01%
African, n.i.e.**	6,490	0.31%
Egyptian	2,120	0.10%
Iraqi	1,805	0.09%
Jordanian	300	0.01%
Kuwaiti	75	less than 0.01%
Lebanese	6,175	0.29%
Libyan	25	less than 0.01%
Algerian	390	0.02%
Berber	150	0.01%
Moroccan	635	0.03%
Tunisian	70	less than 0.01%
Maghrebi origins, n.i.e.**	160	0.01%
Palestinian	1,050	0.05%
Saudi Arabian	255	0.01%
Syrian	925	0.04%
Yemeni	75	less than 0.01%
Arab, n.i.e.**	3,075	0.15%
Afghan	4,620	0.22%
Armenian	1,910	0.09%
Assyrian	355	0.02%
Azeribaijani	405	0.02%
Georgian	240	0.01%
Iranian	27,155	1.29%
Israeli	765	0.04%
Kurd	1,145	0.05%
Pashtun	170	0.01%
Tatar	235	0.01%
Turk	3,380	0.16%
West Asian, n.i.e.**	1,350	0.06%
Bangladeshi	785	0.04%
Bengali	415	0.02%
East Indian	181,895	8.67%
Goan	280	0.01%
Gujurati	515	0.02%
Kashmiri	70	less than 0.01%
Nepali	460	0.02%
Pakistani	6,875	0.33%
Punjabi	13,735	0.65%
Sinhalese	415	0.02%
Sri Lankan	3,740	0.18%
Tamil	740	0.04%
South Asian, n.i.e.**	6,495	0.31%
Burmese	865	0.04%
Cambodian	1,525	0.07%
Chinese	402,000	19.16%
Filipino	83,760	3.99%
Hmong	75	less than 0.01%
Indonesian	3,140	0.15%
Japanese	30,230	1.44%
Khmer	135	0.01%
Korean	46,040	2.19%
Laotian	1,065	0.05%
Malaysian	3,365	0.16%
Mongolian	680	0.03%
Singaporean	515	0.02%
Taiwanese	9,810	0.47%
Thai	1,565	0.07%
Tibetan	100	0.00%
Vietnamese	26,115	1.24%
East or Southeast Asian, n.i.e.**	1,170	0.06%
Asian, n.o.s.***	80	less than 0.01%
Australian	5,525	0.26%
New Zealander	2,390	0.11%
Fijian	8,920	0.43%
Hawaiian	660	0.03%
Maori	375	0.02%
Polynesia	265	0.01%
Samoan	160	0.01%
Pacific Islander, n.i.e.**	210	0.01%
*Percentages total more than 100% due to multiple responses, e.g. German-East Indian, Norwegian-Irish-Polish
**'not included elsewhere.'
***'not otherwise specified.'

Religion

Religion in Vancouver in 2001.

Vancouver, like the rest of British Columbia, has a low rate of church attendance compared with the rest of the continent and the majority of the population does not practice religion. It has a significant Buddhist population, mostly adherents from China.

Vancouver religious profile from 2001 Census
42.2%	no religious affiliation, including agnostic, atheist, Humanist, Darwinism, and "no religion"
19.0%	Catholic
17.4%	Protestant
6.9%	Buddhist
4.4%	other Christian, not identified elsewhere
2.8%	Sikh
1.8%	Jewish
1.7%	Muslim
1.7%	Christian Orthodox
1.4%	Hindu
0.5%	other religions, including Aboriginal spirituality, Pagan, Wicca, Unity, New Thought, Pantheist, Scientology, Rastafarian, New Age, Gnostic, Satanist
0.3%	Bahá'í, Eckankar, Jains, Shinto, Taoist, Zoroastrian and Eastern religions not identified elsewhere