Statistics on official languages in Canada

Statistics on official languages in Canada [PDF version - 144 KB]

Learn more about official languages in Canada.

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
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The demographic picture varies by province or territory

Table 1: Population by first official language spoken and bilingualism, provinces and territories
Province or territory	French-speaking population	English-speaking population	Bilingual population (English and French)
Newfoundland-and-Labrador	2,428 (0.5%)	512,523 (99.4%)	25,940 (5%)
Prince Edward Island	4,665 (3.3%)	135,130 (95.8%)	17,840 (12.7%)
Nova Scotia	29,368 (3.2%)	880,348 (96.5%)	95,380 (10.5%)
New Brunswick	234,055 (31.8%)	499,970 (67.9%)	249,955 (33.9%)
Quebec	6,890,305 (85.4%)	1,103,475 (13.7%)	3,586,410 (44.5%)
Ontario	550,595 (4.1%)	12,440,795 (93.4%)	1,490,395 (11.2%)
Manitoba	40,978 (3.2%)	1,204,798 (95.5%)	108,455 (8.6%)
Saskatchewan	14,440 (1.3%)	1,061,110 (98%)	51,360 (4.7%)
Alberta	79,838 (2%)	3,888,983 (96.6%)	264,715 (6.6%)
British Columbia	64,323 (1.4%)	4,382,328 (95.3%)	314,925 (6.8%)
Yukon	1,635 (4.6%)	33,785 (95%)	4,900 (13.8%)
Northwest Territories	1,240 (3%)	39,950 (96.5%)	4,275 (10.3%)
Nunavut	630 (1.8%)	33,040 (92.6%)	1,525 (4.3%)
Total	7,914,498 (22.8%)	26,216,233 (75.4%)	6,216,075 (17.9%)

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census

French and English are the languages of inclusion

Table 2: Population by mother tongue, Canada
Mother tongue	Percentage
French	21%
English	57%
Other	22%

In 2016, there were over 215 other languages. The most important, Mandarin, was spoken by 610,835 people (1.8%).

Table 3: Population by first official language spoken, Canada
First official language spoken	Percentage
French	22.8%
English	75.4%
Neither English nor French	1.8%

French and/or English are spoken by 98.2% of Canadians.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census

Official languages and bilingualism are at the heart of Canadian identity

Table 4: Population by first official language spoken and bilingualism, Canada
Year	French	English	Bilingual (English-French)
1996	7,018,055 (24.6%)	21,048,945 (73.8%)	4,841,320 (17%)
2016	7,914,498 (22.8%)	26,216,243 (75.4%)	6,216,070 (17.9%)

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1996 and 2016 Censuses

Bilingualism varies considerably by group

Table 5: Bilingualism rate by first official language spoken
Year	French, Quebec	French, rest of Canada	English, Quebec	English, rest of Canada
1996	34.6%	86.8%	61.2%	6.9%
2001	37.7%	88.3%	64.3%	6.9%
2006	37%	86.8%	66.1%	7%
2011	39.4%	88.2%	66.5%	6.6%
2016	41.5%	89%	66.2%	6.8%

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1996–2006 Censuses

More and more young people study their second language

2.4 million young Canadians study French or English as a second language.
449,745 of them are in French immersion programs outside Quebec.

Table 6: Number of young Canadians enrolled in French immersion programs outside Quebec
Year	Number of young Canadians
2003–2004	282,839
2004–2005	288,970
2005–2006	295,197
2006–2007	304,293
2007–2008	311,115
2008–2009	317,662
2009–2010	328,716
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

French immersion enrolment has increased by 59% since 2003–2004.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2003–2017

The demographic weight of Francophones is declining

Table 7: Evolution of the demographic weight of Francophones by first official language spoken, Canada and Canada outside Quebec
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%

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1971–2016 Censuses

Supporting minority community institutions enhances their vitality

40 school boards
920 schools
247,200 students
120 community radio stations and newspapers
300 community organizations

Sources: Statistics Canada, 2015–2016; Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, 2018; Canadian Heritage, 2016–2017

The majority of Canadians perceive official languages positively

71% of Francophones feel that having two official languages is an important part of what it means to be Canadian (versus 57% of English-speaking Canadians).
84% of Francophones think that learning both official languages contributes to a better understanding among Canadians (versus 65% of English-speaking Canadians).
57% of English-speaking Canadians think that the Government of Canada is effective in protecting both official languages (versus 39% of Francophones).

Source: Vox Pop Labs Inc. on behalf of PCH, 2018

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