Statistics on official languages in Canada
Learn more about official languages in Canada.
On this page
- The demographic picture varies by province or territory
- French and English are the languages of inclusion
- Official languages and bilingualism are at the heart of Canadian identity
- Bilingualism varies considerably by group
- More and more young people study their second language
- The demographic weight of Francophones is declining
- Supporting minority community institutions enhances their vitality
- The majority of Canadians perceive official languages positively
- More information
- Related links
The demographic picture varies by province or territory
Province or territory | French-speaking population | English-speaking population | Bilingual population (English and French) |
---|---|---|---|
Newfoundland-and-Labrador | 2,283 (0.5 %) | 501,818 (99.4 %) | 25,950 (5.1 %) |
Prince Edward Island | 4,558 (3.0 %) | 146,473 (99.4 %) | 19,385 (12.7 %) |
Nova Scotia | 27,935 (2.9 %) | 928,020 (96.8 %) | 98,940 (10.3 %) |
New Brunswick | 231,850 (30.3 %) | 531,070 (69.5 %) | 260,120 (34.0 %) |
Quebec | 7,074,328 (84.1 %) | 1,253,578 (14.9 %) | 3,898,980 (46.4 %) |
Ontario | 533,560 (3.8 %) | 13,228,670 (93.8 %) | 1,519,365 (10.8 %) |
Manitoba | 38,378 (2.9 %) | 1,271,893 (95.9 %) | 110,435 (8.3 %) |
Saskatchewan | 12,243 (1.1 %) | 1,095,598 (98.2 %) | 51,970 (4.7 %) |
Alberta | 72,203 (1.7 %) | 4,085,898 (96.8 %) | 258,335 (6.1 %) |
British Columbia | 65,568 (1.3 %) | 4,727,268 (95.5 %) | 326,865 (6.6 %) |
Yukon | 1,895 (4.8 %) | 37,805 (94.9 %) | 5,660 (14.2 %) |
Northwest Territories | 1,213 (3 %) | 39,133 (96.5 %) | 4,295 (10.6 %) |
Nunavut | 23 (1.7 %) | 34,003 (92.8 %) | 1,390 (3.8 %) |
Total | 8,066,633 (22.0 %) | 27,881,228 (76.1 %) | 6,581,680 (18.0 %) |
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census
French and English are the languages of inclusion
Mother tongue | Percentage |
---|---|
French | 20.2% |
English | 56.6% |
Other | 23.2% |
In 2021, there were over 200 other languages. The most important, Mandarin, was spoken by 679,255 people (1.9%).
First official language spoken | Percentage |
---|---|
French | 22.0 % |
English | 76.1 % |
Neither English nor French | 1.8 % |
French and/or English are spoken by 98.1% of Canadians.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census
Official languages and bilingualism are at the heart of Canadian identity
Year | French | English | Bilingual (English-French) |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | 7,691,703 (23.2 %) | 24,846,713 (75.0 %) | 5,795,575 (17.5%) |
2021 | 8,066,633 (22.0 %) | 27,881,228 (76.1 %) | 6,581,680 (18.0 %) |
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2011 and 2021 Censuses
Bilingualism varies considerably by group
Year | French, Quebec | French, rest of Canada | English, Quebec | English, rest of Canada |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | 36.9% | 84.8 % | 67.2 % | 7.2 % |
2006 | 36.1 % | 83.4 % | 69.8 % | 7.5 % |
2011 | 38.6 % | 83.3 % | 69.0 % | 7.2% |
2016 | 40.6 % | 84.9 % | 70.1 % | 7.5 % |
2021 | 42.8 % | 85.0 % | 69.2 % | 7.4 % |
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2001 - 2021 Censuses
More and more young people study their second language
- 2.5 million young Canadians study French or English as a second language.
- 482,733 of them are in French immersion programs outside Quebec.
Year | Number of young Canadians |
---|---|
2010–2011 | 341,694 |
2011–2012 | 356,580 |
2012–2013 | 372,879 |
2013–2014 | 392,430 |
2014–2015 | 409,893 |
2015–2016 | 428,619 |
2016–2017 | 449,745 |
2017-2018 | 463,113 |
2018-2019 | 477,675 |
2019-2020 | 487,191 |
2020-2021 | 482,733 |
French immersion enrolment has increased by 41.3% since 2010-2011.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2010-2021
The demographic weight of Francophones is declining
Year | Canada | Canada outside Quebec |
---|---|---|
1971 | 27.5% | 6.1% |
1981 | 26.3% | 5.1% |
1991 | 25.2% | 4.8% |
1996 | 24.6% | 4.5% |
2001 | 24.1% | 4.4% |
2006 | 23.6% | 4.2% |
2011 | 23.2% | 4% |
2016 | 22.8% | 3.8% |
2021 | 22.0 % | 3.5 % |
Sources: Statistics Canada, 1971– 2021 Censuses
Supporting minority community institutions enhances their vitality
- 38 school boards
- 1,005 schools
- 256,770 students
- 132community radio stations and newspapers
- 377 community organizations
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2020-2021; Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 2018; Canadian Heritage, 2022
The majority of Canadians perceive official languages positively
- 76% of Francophones feel that having two official languages is an important part of what it means to be Canadian (versus 49% of English-speaking Canadians).
- 85% of Francophones think that learning both official languages contributes to a better understanding among Canadians (versus 59% of English-speaking Canadians).
- 58% of English-speaking Canadians think that the Government of Canada is effective in protecting both official languages (versus 42% of Francophones).
Source: Environics. on behalf of PCH, 2022
More information
Related links
- Publications – Official language communities and linguistic duality: Demography and statistics
- Publications – Official language communities and linguistic duality: Research reports and studies
- 2016 Census topic: Language
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2019
Catalogue number: CH14-42/2019E-PDF, ISBN: 978-0-660-32294-0
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