Asian Canadians

Asian Canadians

Total population
(Asian Canadians 5,011,225 (15.3% of the Canadian population) 2011 National Household Survey)
Regions with significant populations
Southern Ontario  · Lower Mainland British Columbia  · Most urban areas
Languages
Canadian English  · Canadian French  · Asian Languages
Religion
Christianity  · Buddhism/East Asian religions  · Islam  · Hinduism  · Sikhism  · Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Asian Americans  · British Asian  · British East Asian  · Asian Australians  · Asian New Zealanders  · Asian French  · Asian people

Asian Canadians refers to Canadians who can trace their ancestry back to the continent of Asia or Asian peoples. Canadians of Asian ancestry comprise the largest visible minority group in Canada, at 15% of the Canadian population, and is the fastest growing. Most Asian Canadians are concentrated in the urban areas of Southern Ontario, the Greater Vancouver area, Calgary, and other large Canadian cities. In Canada, the term 'Asian' is pan-continental in official data such as the national census, in contrast to its usage in other English-speaking countries such as Australia, the UK and US.

History

Canada has a long history of East Asian immigration. During the 19th century, many Chinese arrived to take part in the British Columbia gold rushes and later for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Chinese who came from Guangdong Province helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Fraser Canyon. Many Japanese people arrived in the 1890s and became fishermen and merchants in British Columbia. In 1923, the federal government passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, which banned all Chinese immigration, and led to immigration restrictions for all East Asians. In 1947, the act was repealed.

During and after the Vietnam War and the Korean War, a large wave of Vietnamese and Korean refugees began arriving in Canada. The Canadian Parliament created the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada in 1985 to better address issues surrounding Canada-Asia relations, including trade, citizenship and immigration. When Hong Kong reverted to mainland Chinese rule, people emigrated and found new homes in Canada.

In recent decades, a large number of people have come to Canada from India and other South Asian countries such as Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh. As of 2011, South Asians alone make up over 15 percent of the Greater Toronto Area's population, and are projected to make up 24 percent of the region's population by 2031.

Today, Asian Canadians form a significant minority within the population, and over 5 million Asians call Canada their home.

Demographics

Based on 2011 census, there are 5.01 million Asian Canadian with the following ethnic identities.

West Central Asian and Middle Eastern origins: 778,465

• Afghan, Arab, Armenian, Assyrian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, Jordanian, Kazakh, Kurd, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Palestinian, Pashtun, Saudi, Syrian, Tajik, Tatar, Turkish, Uighur, Uzbek, and Yemeni.

South Asian origins: 1,615,925

• Bangladeshi, Indo-Canadians (Bengali, East Indian, Goan, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Punjabi, and Tamil), Nepali, Pakistani and Sri Lankan (Tamil and Sinhalese).

East and South East Asian origins: 2,650,000

• Burmese, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Hongkonger, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Malaysian, Mongolian, Singaporean, Taiwanese, Thai, Tibetan, and Vietnamese.

The Asian Canadian population by province or territory according to the 2011 Census.

Province	Asian origins	%
Ontario	2,604,595	20.6%
British Columbia	1,122,445	26.0%
Alberta	551,710	15.5%
Quebec	488,905	6.3%
Manitoba	126,600	10.8%
Saskatchewan	55,095	5.5%
Nova Scotia	31,875	3.5%
New Brunswick	14,535	2.0%
Newfoundland and Labrador	6,310	1.2%
Prince Edward Island	4,360	3.2%
Yukon	2,205	6.7%
Northwest Territories	2,165	5.3%
Nunavut	425	1.3%
Canada	5,011,225	15.3%

Top 20 of Asian Canadian Demographics according to the 2011 Census.

Population of Various Asian Canadian Groups

Ethnic Origins	Population
Chinese Canadians	1,487,580
Indo-Canadians	1,355,653
Filipino Canadians	662,600
Pakistani Canadians	305,310
Vietnamese Canadians	220,425
Lebanese Canadians	190,275
Korean Canadians	168,890
Iranian Canadians	163,290
Sri Lankan Canadians	139,415
Japanese Canadians	109,740
Afghan Canadians	62,815
Turkish Canadians	55,430
Iraqi Canadians	49,680
Syrian Canadians	40,840
Cambodian Canadians	34,340
Bangladeshi Canadians	34,205
Palestinian Canadians	31,245
Taiwanese Canadians	30,330
Laotian Canadians	22,090

See also

• Demographics of Canada
• Immigration to Canada
• The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• List of Canadians of Asian ancestry
• South Asian Canadians
• Asian Americans
• Asian Argentines
• Asian Australians
• Asian Brazilians
• Asian people

External links

• Asian Canadian Website
• Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• 2001 demographics from Statistics Canada
• Information for South Asians and Indians in Canada
• Asian Canadian Wiki