People of Syrian ethnic origin in Canada

This ethnic origin information paper was prepared by Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Research and Evaluation Branch. It provides demographic, socio-cultural and socio-economic information for the population reporting specific ethnic origins; as well as a history of their migration to Canada. The data comes from the 2011 National Household Survey and Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s publication Facts and Figures.

Introduction

According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 40,840 people in Canada reported Syrian ethnic originFootnote 1, representing 0.1% of Canada’s total population. Among the population of Syrian origin, 42% indicated Syrian ancestry as a single origin and 58% indicated Syrian in combination with other origin(s). Slightly more than half (53%) are immigrants, 45% are non-immigrantsFootnote 2 and 2% are non-permanent residents. The majority of people of Syrian origin who are immigrants were born in Syria (61%) and with smaller numbers born in Lebanon (8%), Egypt (8%), Jamaica (3%), Iraq (2%), Saudi Arabia (2%), United Arab Emirates (2%), United States (2%), and Kuwait (2%).

The largest percentage (44%) of people of Syrian origin live in Quebec, followed by Ontario (39%). The cities with the highest percentages of people of Syrian origin are Montréal (40%), Toronto (20%), Ottawa-Gatineau (8%), and London (3%).

With an average of 32.8 years, the population of Syrian origin is younger than the overall Canadian population (39.1 years). A greater share of people is under 45 years of age (69% versus 57% for all Canadians) with higher concentrations among children under 15 years of age (24% versus 17% for all Canadians) and in the 25 to 44 working-age group (30% versus 27% for all Canadians). Compared to what is observed in the total Canadian population, males account for half of the population of Syrian origin (50% versus 49% for the Canadian population).

Table 1: Population reporting Syrian ethnic origin by place of residence in Canadian provinces and territories, and top ten Census Metropolitan Areas / Census Areas, 2011 National Household Survey

Place of residence (Province) Total # Total % Non-immigrants Immigrants Non-permanent residents
Newfoundland and Labrador 90 0.2% 90 0 0
Prince Edward Island 40 0.1% 25 0 0
Nova Scotia 940 2.3% 715 200 25
New Brunswick 265 0.6% 190 75 0
Quebec 17,990 44.0% 7,560 10,095 335
Ontario 16,065 39.3% 6,800 8,960 310
Manitoba 545 1.3% 230 270 50
Saskatchewan 450 1.1% 300 115 30
Alberta 2,660 6.5% 1,550 1,040 65
British Columbia 1,785 4.4% 1,010 745 35
Yukon 10 0.0% 10 0 0
Northwest Territories 10 0.0% 0 0 0
Nunavut 0 0.0% 0 0 0
Canada 40,840 100.0% 18,480 21,515 840

Note: The figures in this table have been rounded. As a result, components may not sum to the total indicated.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey (CIC custom table 2011-EO-RELIGION-T-1_j4049114.IVT)

Place of residence (CMA/CA) Total # Total % Non-immigrants Immigrants Non-permanent residents
Montréal 16,510 40.4% 6,485 9,705 320
Ottawa-Gatineau (QC portion) 380 0.9% 150 230 0
Ottawa-Gatineau (ON portion) 2,750 6.7% 1,245 1,470 25
Toronto 8,085 19.8% 2,915 4,925 240
Hamilton 855 2.1% 330 515 0
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo 685 1.7% 245 440 0
London 1,080 2.6% 555 530 0
Windsor 1,190 2.9% 495 675 20
Calgary 1,330 3.3% 715 595 20
Edmonton 990 2.4% 600 345 40
Vancouver 1,210 3.0% 595 595 15

Note: The figures in this table have been rounded. As a result, components may not sum to the total indicated.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey (CIC custom table 2011-EO-RELIGION-T-1_j4049114.IVT)

Table 2: Population reporting Syrian ethnic origin by age and sex, Canada, 2011 National Household Survey

Age groups Total # Total % Male Female
Under 15 years 9,930 24.3% 5,110 4,815
15 to 24 years 6,320 15.5% 3,440 2,885
25 to 44 years 12,080 29.6% 5,895 6,185
45 to 54 years 5,580 13.7% 2,775 2,805
55 to 64 years 3,435 8.4% 1,595 1,840
65 years and over 3,495 8.6% 1,765 1,730
Grand total 40,840 100.0% 20,575 20,260

Note: The figures in this table have been rounded. As a result, components may not sum to the total indicated.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 National Household Survey (CIC custom table 2011-EO-IMM-SOCIOECO (interim)_j6101274.IVT)

History of immigration to Canada

According to The Canadian Encyclopedia immigration to Canada from Syria took place mainly in two periods. The first period was from 1885 to 1908. The majority of immigrants in this period were Christians from present-day Lebanon. Early Christian immigrants were motivated to emigrate by fear of the renewal of the Christian-Druze conflict that ended in 1860 and by a desire to avoid military conscription into the Syrian military as well as their poor economic status. Many Syrian immigrants intended to work in Canada for a few years to make money and then return home. By the end of the First World War, Syrian emigration to Canada ended. Restrictive legislation in Canada meant Syrians could no longer enter Canada.

The second period of Syrian immigration is from 1945 to the present. After the Second World War, legislative restrictions began to ease, which led to new waves of immigrants, as well as those from Syria (and Syrians from Lebanon). In 1967, Canada’s immigration laws shifted to a points system where all qualified individuals, regardless of country of origin, could apply to come to Canada. During this period, Syrian newcomers were more or less evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. In contrast to immigrants in earlier times, these newcomers were educated, often able to speak French and English as well as Arabic.

According to Facts and Figures 2012Footnote 3, during the period from 1980 to 2012, 30,948 permanent residents born in Syria immigrated to Canada. Sixty-six percent were economic immigrants, 23% were family class, and 9% were refugees.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures 2014 (RDM request cube FF2014).

Year Number Economic Family Class Refugee
2013 982 40.6% 35.9% 20.1%
2014 2,018 17.0% 14.0% 65.9%

Socio-cultural characteristics

Based on the 2011 National Household Survey, slightly more than half (51%) of people of Syrian origin in Canada have a non-official mother tongue, while 31% speak only a non-official language most often at home. More than nine in ten (97%) people of Syrian origin can conduct a conversation in either one or in both official languages: 48% speak English, 10% speak French, and 39% speak English and French.

According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the majority of people of Syrian origin are Christian (57%), 30% are Roman Catholic, 12% are Christian Orthodox, 5% are of a Protestant denomination, and 10% report Christian without specifying a particular affiliation. Nearly a third (31%) is Muslim and 10% report no religious affiliation.

Socio-economic characteristics

Based on the findings from the 2011 National Household Survey for the population aged 25–54 years of age:

  • About 48% of people of Syrian origin are university graduates, compared to 28% in the total population of Canada. The rate of females of Syrian origin with a university degree is lower (45%) compared to males (50%) but higher than the rate of all Canadian women (30%).
  • The labour force participation of people of Syrian origin is lower (80%) than the rate of the total population of Canada (86%). The labour force participation rate of females of Syrian origin is lower (72%) compared to males (89%) and lower than the rate of the total female population of Canada (82%).
  • The employment rate of people of Syrian origin is lower (73%) than that of the total population (81%). The employment rate of females of Syrian origin is (64%) lower compared to males (82%) and lower than the rate of the total female population of Canada (77%).
  • The unemployment rate of people of Syrian origin (9.1%) is higher than that of the total population of Canada (6.2%). The unemployment rate of females is higher (11.0%) compared to males (7.5%) and higher than that of the total female population of Canada (6.1%).

In 2011, the prevalence of low income among people of Syrian origin in Canada was 19%, higher than that of the total population of Canada (11%).

Country of origin

According to the World FactbookFootnote 4, following World War I, France acquired a mandate over the northern portion of the former Ottoman Empire province of Syria. The French administered the area until its independence in 1946. Syria then united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was re-established.

Selected people and country facts:

  • Syria is located in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.
  • It has a total land area of 185,180 sq. km, roughly half the size of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its population is estimated at 22,530,746 as of July 2012 or about two-thirds the size of the Canadian population.
  • Arabic is the official language, but Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, and Circassian are to be widely understood. French and English are somewhat understood.
  • Sunni Muslims account for 74% of the population, other Muslim (including Alawite, Druze) 16%, and Christian 10%. Jewish communities are also found in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo.
  • Its population is fairly young with a median age of 21.9 years, compared with 40.6 years for Canada (Census 2011). The 0–14 age group accounts for over 35% of the Syrian population, more than twice the proportion of this age group in Canada’s total population (16.7%).

Useful references

  • Abu-Laban, Baha. An Olive Branch on the Family Tree: The Arabs in Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd. in association with the Multiculturalism Directorate, Department of the Secretary of State and the Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, 1980.
  • Hitti, Philip Khuri. Syria: A Short History. London: Macmillan, 1959.
  • Jabbra, Nancy W., and Joseph G. Jabbra. Voyageurs to a Rocky Shore: The Lebanese and Syrians in Nova Scotia. Halifax NS: Institute of Public Affairs, Dalhousie University, 1984.
  • Johnson, Gilbert. “The Syrians in Western Canada,” Saskatchewan History 12, no. 1 (1959): 31–32.
  • Mardam Bey, Salma. Syria’s Quest for Independence. Reading, UK: Ithaca Press, 1994.
  • Salloum, Habeeb. “Reminiscence of an Arab Family Homesteading in Southern Saskatchewan,” Canadian Ethnic Studies 15, no. 2 (1983): 130–38.
    • “Syrians.” In Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples, edited by Paul R. Magocsi, 1241–1246. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
    • “The Urbanization of an Arab Homesteading Family,” Saskatchewan History 42, no. 2 (1989): 79–84.
  • Sawa, George D. “Syria,” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 2011. Accessed August 2011.

Page details

Date modified: