South Asian Canadians

South Asian Canadians
Regions with significant populations
	Southern Ontario · Lower Mainland British Columbia · Most urban areas
Languages
	Canadian English · Canadian French · South Asian Languages
Religion
	Hinduism · Islam · Sikhism · Christianity · Jainism
Related ethnic groups
	Asian Canadian · British Asian · South Asian people

South Asian Canadians refers to Canadians who were either born in or can trace all or part of their ancestry to South Asia. This includes nations such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. In Canadian English usage, the term 'Asian' alone usually refers to people descending from East Asia and Southeast Asia. The term South Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadian and can further be divided on nationality such as Indian Canadian and Pakistani Canadian or ethnicity like Tamil Canadian and Anglo-Indian Canadian.

As of 2011 1,615,145 Canadians had South Asian origins, constituting 4.9% of the Canadian population. This makes them the largest visible minority group in Canada followed by Chinese and Black Canadians respectively. A quarter of the visible minority population in Canada is South Asian. The largest South Asian communities are found in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. Metropolitan areas with large South Asian communities include the Toronto (834,000), Vancouver (252,000), Calgary (85,000), Montréal (79,000) and Edmonton (61,000).

Terminology

Similar to American English the term 'Asian' in Canadian English generally refers to people from East and Southeast Asia. This differs from the British English definition of South Asian which includes South Asia but excludes East and Southeast Asians terming them as Oriental or East Asian instead. Thus the term South Asian has come into common use to refer to Asians hailing from the Indian subcontinent. This includes countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives. It does not include nations such as Afghanistan or Myanmar which have been considered to be South Asian in some other definitions of the term.

South Asian Canadians may also be identified by their country of origin such as Indian or Pakistani. They may also be identified by their specific ethnic background, for example Punjabi or Tamil. The term East Indian is a term in some parts of Canada, particularly the Prairie regions, to refer to Asian Indians as opposed to Aboriginal peoples who are also sometimes referred to as Indian. This terms is less common in areas with significant Indian-Canadian populations like Toronto. Brown people and Desi are also sometimes used to refer to South Asians in Canada as well. However these terms are avoided in more formal contexts due to their ambiguity.

Census Canada lists both ethnic backgrounds like Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil and Goan in addition to nationalities like East Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Pakistani. As a result many South Asians who listed their ethnic origin will be counted separate from their country of origin.

Demography

Population

Year	South Asian population	% of Canadian population
1991 (census)	417,000	1.5%
1996 (census)	670,585	2.3%
2001 (census)	917,075	3.1%
2006 (census)	1,262,865	4.0%
2011 (census)	1,615,145	4.9%
2031 (projection)	3,640,000	8.1%

According to the 2011 National Household Survey 1,615,920 Canadians had South Asian origins and 1,567,400 Canadians were classified as belonging to the visible minority group South Asian. The rapid growth of the South Asian population is attributed to sustained immigration from South Asian nations and fertility rates higher than the Canadian average. According to a 2006 study conducted by Statistics Canada the South Asian population will grow to between 3.1 and 4.1 million by 2031 or 8.1% to 9.2% of the Canadian population overall.

As of 2011 Ontario followed by British Columbia had the largest South Asian communities with Alberta and Quebec being home to significant communities as well. Metropolitan areas with large South Asian communities include the Toronto (834,000), Vancouver (252,000), Calgary (85,000), Montréal (79,000) and Edmonton (61,000).

Municipalities with large South Asian communities include Brampton, Ontario (38.7%), Surrey, British Columbia (29.5%), Abbotsford, British Columbia (22.7%), Mississauga, Ontario (22.0%) and Markham, Ontario (19.4%). From 2001 to 2006 Milton, Ontario saw the greatest increase in its South Asian population growing by 1378.6% with many other towns seeing their South Asian population double or triple.

Canadian provinces and territories by their South Asian population in 2011.

Province	South Asians	%
Ontario	1,003,180	7.9%
British Columbia	311,265	7.2%
Alberta	159,055	4.4%
Quebec	91,400	1.2%
Manitoba	26,220	2.2%
Saskatchewan	12,620	1.3%
Nova Scotia	5,935	0.7%
New Brunswick	3,090	0.4%
Newfoundland and Labrador	2,005	0.4%
Prince Edward Island	500	0.4%
Yukon	340	1.0%
Northwest Territories	200	0.5%
Nunavut	115	0.4%
Canada	1,615,145	4.9%

Canadian metropolitan areas with large South Asian populations:

City	Province	South Asians	Percentage
Toronto	Ontario	834,000	15.1%
Vancouver	British Columbia	252,000	11.0%
Calgary	Alberta	85,000	7.1%
Montréal	Quebec	79,000	2.1%
Edmonton	Alberta	61,000	5.3%
Ottawa	Ontario	38,000	3.1%
Abbotsford	Ontario	31,860	19.1%
Hamilton	Ontario	24,750	3.5%
Winnipeg	Manitoba	23,930	3.3%

Canadian census subdivisions with South Asian populations higher than the national average

Source: Canada 2011 Census National Average: 4.9%

Alberta

Chestermere (9.9%)
Calgary (7.1%)
Edmonton (5.3%)

British Columbia

Surrey (29.5%)
Abbotsford (19.1%)
Coquitlam (17.3%)
Delta (17.2%)
Burnaby (7.9%)
Richmond (7.7%)
Vancouver (7.1%)

Ontario

Brampton (38.7%)
Mississauga (22.0%)
Markham (19.1%)
Toronto (15.1%)
Milton (14.0%)
Ajax (13.7%)
Pickering (11.0%)
Vaughan (9.7%)
Richmond Hill (8.1%)

Québec

Dollard-Des Ormeaux (10.3%)

Immigration

Year	Indians admitted	Pakistanis admitted	Sri Lankans admitted	Bangladeshis admitted	Nepalis admitted
2001	27,901	15,353	5,520	3,393	273
2002	28,838	14,173	4,968	2,615	418
2003	24,595	12,351	4,448	1,896	440
2004	25,573	12,793	4,134	3,374	594
2005	22,141	13,575	4,690	3,940	714
2006	30,746	12,329	4,490	3,838	640
2007	26,047	9,545	3,934	2,735	564
2008	24,548	8,051	4,508	2,716	639
2009	26,117	6,213	4,270	4,270	627
2010	30,252	4,986	4,181	4,364	1,502
2011	24,965	6,073	3,104	2,449	1,249