A snapshot of the Muslim population in Canada

Canada is known for its ethnocultural and religious diversity, with every Canadian contributing to this rich landscape.

Data on the origins and religions of the population have been collected by the Census of Canada since 1871. Religious diversity is an important part of the country’s make-up—the question on religious affiliation in the 2021 Census of Population provided data for over 100 religions practised in Canada.

Today, we’re looking at some key demographic characteristics of the Muslim population in Canada, focusing on people who reported having a Muslim religious affiliation. This includes those who indicated their religion was Muslim (not otherwise specified), Ahmadi Muslim, Ibadi Muslim, Shi’a Muslim, Sunni Muslim as well as any other Muslim religion responses beyond those included in this list.

The proportion of Canada’s population who reported being Muslim has more than doubled in 20 years, rising from 2.0% (579,640 people) in 2001 to 4.9% (1,775,715 people) in 2021.

Diversity within the Muslim population

In 2021, South Asians (37.6%) were the largest racialized group among the Muslim population, followed by Arabs (32.2%), West Asians (13.0%) and Black people (11.6%).

Close to 3 in 10 people (29.5%) in Canada’s total Muslim population were born in Canada, while 12.7% were born in Pakistan, 5.8% in Iran, 4.2% in Morocco and 4.2% in Algeria.

Muslims resided across all of Canada’s provinces and territories. In 2021, Ontario (6.7%), Quebec (5.1%) and Alberta (4.8%) were the provinces with the largest proportions of the Muslim population. Nunavut had the smallest proportion, at 0.4%.

The Muslim population is relatively young

The Muslim population is relatively young (median age of 30 years) compared with the total Canadian population (median age of 41.2 years). In 2021, 26.3% of the Muslim population was aged 0 to 14 years, compared with 16.5% of the total Canadian population.

A smaller proportion of Muslims (6.4%) were aged 65 years and older compared with the total Canadian population (18.1%). The proportion of Muslims aged 15 to 64 years (67.4%) was slightly higher than that of the total Canadian population (65.4%).

Languages spoken most often at home by the Muslim population in Canada

Close to half (47.3%) of the Muslim population reported English as being the language spoken most often at home in 2021. Arabic (18.1%), French (15.3%) and Urdu (13.0%) were among the top languages spoken most often at home.

To explore more data on the Muslim population in Canada, including the list of top 10 languages spoken most often at home, check out the new infographic The Muslim population in Canada.