A statistical snapshot of Asians in Canada

Asia, the world's most ethnically diverse and largest continent, includes 48 countries and 11 time zones. Approximately three in five people in the world today live in Asia. Of the 1.3 million people who immigrated to Canada from 2016 to 2021, 62.0% or 823,205 people arrived from Asia. To mark Asian Heritage Month, lets take a look at the Asian population in Canada today.

Asians are Canada’s fastest-growing population group as a result of immigration

Just over 7 million people living in Canada at the time of the 2021 Census reported full- (5.5 million) or partial (1.5 million) Asian ethnicity, making it the third largest population group in Canada, following European (19.1 million) and North American (10.3 million).

Asians represent Canada's fastest growing population group as a result of immigration. From 2016 to 2021, Asia accounted for 6 of the top 10 source countries of immigration to Canada.

Indeed, India (246,995 people), the Philippines (151,490), China (118,035) and Syria (63,135) were the top four source countries for immigrants to Canada from 2016 to 2021.

Almost half of all Asians living in Canada are from East or Southeast Asia

Just over 3.4 million people reported full or partial East or Southeast Asian ethnicity during the 2021 Census, with Chinese (1.7 million people), Filipino (925,490), Vietnamese (275,530) and Korean (217,650) accounting for the largest Canadian communities from this region.

Over 2.3 million Canadians reported South Asian ethnicity, which includes all of the distinct groups living in the Indian subcontinent, including Indian (1.3 million people), Pakistani (303,260), Punjabi (279,950), Sri Lankan (132,410) and Tamil (102,170).

Almost 1.1 million people reported Middle Eastern or West or Central Asian ethnicity during the 2021 Census, with Lebanese (210,605 people), Iranian (200,465), Syrian (98,250) and Afghan (96,805) having the largest Canadian communities from this region of Asia.

Just over half of all Asians living in Canada call Ontario home

Just under 3.6 million Canadians reporting full or partial Asian heritage were living in Ontario at the time of the 2021 Census, accounting for just over half of Canada’s total Asian population.

British Columbia was home to Canada’s second largest Asian community at just under 1.5 million.

Alberta had the largest Asian population on the Prairies (857,030), Nova Scotia (63,965) in Atlantic Canada and Yukon (4,525) in the territories.

Immigrants from Asia more likely to believe that Canadians share values to a great extent than the Canadian born

In 2020, we asked Canadians, “To what extent do you feel that Canadians share the following values” on a variety of topics. Immigrants from Asia consistently reported stronger perceptions of shared values compared with the average for all Canadian-born people.

For example, a larger percentage of South Asian (60%), Southeast Asian (58%), Arab and West Asian (48%) and Chinese (45%) immigrants believed that Canadians shared values to a great extent on ethnic and cultural diversity compared with the Canadian-born population (24%).

A larger percentage of Asian immigrants also believed that Canadians shared values to a great extent on human rights, respect for the law and gender equality than the Canadian born.