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South Asian Canadians

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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%
Brampton, Ontario is home to the highest percentage of South Asians in Canada with 202,000 South Asians or 38.7% of the population.

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

British Columbia

Ontario

Québec

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

See Also

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