By 2036 49.7% Canadians May be First Generation Immigrants and their Children Says Statistics Canada

By 2036 49.7% Canadians May be First Generation Immigrants and their Children. As per Statistics Canada the proportion of immigrants in Canada’s population could reach 30 percent by 2036 compared to 20.7 per cent in 2011, and one in five Canadian would be the child of an immigrant, (up from 17.5 percent in 2011).

Immigrants from Asia are expected to make up the majority of immigrants in Canada by 2036 (up from 44.8 percent to between 55.7 and 57.9 percent), while the percentage born in Europe would decline to between 15.4 percent and 17.8 percent, down from 31.6 percent. The proportion of immigrants from Africa would continue to increase to between 11.0 percent and 11.9 percent.

Among the working-age population, the share that belongs to a visible minority group could double from 19.6 percent in 2011 to between 34.7 percent and 39.9 percent by 2036. South Asian would still be the main visible minority group, as it is today, followed by Chinese. However, the most rapidly growing groups would be the Arab, Filipino and West Asian groups.

Canada would also continue to be a land of many languages. Multilingualism is an everyday reality, and this shows no signs of changing. By 2036, almost 30 per cent of the population (between 10.7 and 13.8 million people) will have a first language other than English or French, though proficiency in these languages continues to be important in professional, social, and academic life in Canada. Currently, around one in five people in Canada have a first language that is neither English nor French.

Based on all projection scenarios, the vast majority of immigrants to Canada will make one of the large cities their new home. The three primary areas of residence for immigrants would remain Toronto (between 33.6 and 39.1 percent), Montreal (between 13.9 and 14.6 percent) and Vancouver (between 12.4 and 13.1 percent). Other cities across the country, including Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and others, are also likely to see a higher share of immigrants among their populations than they do today.

The report lays out projections under both high growth and low growth scenarios. In the high growth scenario, which assumes a gradual increase in Canada’s annual immigration target numbers, would see immigrants and their children make up nearly half the population. Under this scenario, the following proportions of immigrants would populate Canada’s major cities.

According to all the scenarios, by 2036 the vast majority of people in Toronto (between 77.0 and 81.4 percent) would be an immigrant or the child of an immigrant, up from 74.1 percent. In Vancouver, this share can be expected to reach between 69.4 and 74.0 percent (up from 65.6 percent).