Asian Heritage Month

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada—an opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on and learn more about the many achievements and contributions that Canadians of Asian heritage have made and continue to make across the country. Although it has been celebrated here since the 1990’s, the Government of Canada officially signed the declaration announcing May as Asian Heritage Month in 2002.

Population

According to the 2021 Census, a total of 7,013,835 people in Canada reported having Asian origins, representing 19.3% of the population.

The Asian-Canadian population is large and diverse. In 2021, South Asian (7.1%) and Chinese (4.7%) people together represented over one-tenth of Canada’s total population, while Filipino (2.6%), Southeast Asian (1.1%), West Asian (1.0%), Korean (0.6%) and Japanese (0.3%) people together represented 5.6% of the country’s total population.

The population of each group has continued to grow with each census. The South Asian (+647,000 people) and Filipino (+177,000) populations saw the biggest increases from 2016 to 2021, while the Japanese group (+6,000) posted the lowest growth over this same period.

According to the most recent projections, these populations will continue to increase. In 2041, the South Asian group could top 5 million people, the Chinese population could exceed 3 million, and the Filipino population could surpass 2 million.

The people of this diverse, vibrant and growing community have contributed to every aspect of life in Canada. Throughout Asian Heritage Month, we celebrate all Canadians of Asian decent.