Demographics of Toronto

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In 2001, 42.8% of Toronto's population were visible minorities.
In 2001, 42.8% of Toronto's population were visible minorities.

The Demographics of Toronto make Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world; in 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, in its "List of World Cities with the Largest Percentage of Foreign-born Population". Source: Human Development Report 2004 - page 15 [2] Data released by Statistics Canada as part of the 2006 census indicates that Toronto has surpassed Miami in this year, with 45.7% of the population of the city being foreign born.[1]

Toronto represents a multiracial mosaic. The 2001 Canadian census indicates 42.8% of Toronto's population being of a visible minority. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that the visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in Toronto by 2012.

A majority of Torontonians claim their origins from as either in whole or part from Britain and Ireland. There is a significant population of Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Jamaicans, East Indians, Sri Lankans, Russians, Filipinos, Latin Americans, Iranians, Vietnamese, Poles, Germans, French, Guyanese, Hungarians, Greeks, Koreans, Jews, and West Indians throughout the city. Areas like Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Jamaica, Gerrard Street East, Portugal Village and Corso Italia and Little Italy are examples of these large cultural populations.[2]

Christianity is the largest faith group in the Toronto census metropolitan area, with Roman Catholics comprising 33.4% of the population. The Anglican Church and United Church of Canada account for 6.9% each. Other religious groups include Islam (5.5%), Hinduism (4.1%), Judaism (3.5%), Buddhism (2.1%) and Sikhism (1.9%). 16.6% of the population have no religious affiliation.[3]

While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, Statistics Canada reports that other language groups are significant, including Chinese, Portuguese, Tamil, Persian, Urdu, Spanish, Punjabi and Italian. Canada's other official language, French, is spoken by 1.4% of the population.

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[edit] Basic information

City of Toronto (2001 census) 2,481,494
Toronto Census Metropolitan Area
(2005 estimate)		 5,304,100
Annual Growth Rate 0.8%

Population growth studies have projected the City of Toronto's population in 2031 to be 3,000,000 and the Greater Toronto Area's population to be 7,450,000 (source).

Toronto's population grew by 4.0% from 1996 to 2001, with an annual growth rate of 0.8%. As of 2001, 17.5% of the population was 14 years and under, and 13.6% was 65 years and over; the median age was 36.9 years.

[edit] Multicultural and racial diversity

In 2001, 43.7% of Torontonians were foreign-born.[1]
In 2001, 43.7% of Torontonians were foreign-born.[1]

Toronto is one of the world's most multicultural cities. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, Florida, in its list of the world's cities with the largest percentage of foreign-born population, but Toronto has the highest percentage of foreign population, according to the 2006 Canadian census. Miami's foreign born population is dominated by those of Cuban and Latin American descent, unlike Toronto whose foreign born population is not dominated by any one ethnic group.

The 2001 Canadian census indicates 42.8% of Toronto's population being of a visible minority; approximately one million non-Whites, or 26% of Canada's minority population, live in Toronto; of this, almost four-fifths originate from Asia alone. Annually, almost half of all immigrants to Canada settle in Toronto. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that the visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012.

[edit] Table of Toronto's racial makeup

Ethnic group Population  %
Visible minorities * 1,243,150 50.2
* composed of: South Asian 348,455 14.1
Chinese 308,715 12.5
Black 208,555 8.4
Filipino 107,355 4.3
West Asian (including all Arabs) 65,240 2.6
Latin American 64,855 2.6
Southeast Asian 37,495 1.5
Korean 34,220 1.4
Japanese 11,965 0.5
Multiple minorities 31,100 1.3
Other minorities 25,195 1.0
White (Non-Hispanic) 1,233,415 49.8
Total 2,476,565 100

Source: [3]

[edit] Ethnicity

The majority of Torontonians claim their ethnic origins as from Britain and Ireland, either in whole or in part. There are significant numbers of Chinese, Indian, Italian, Jamaican, Vietnamese, Tamil, French, German, West Africans, Portuguese, Hungarian, Greek, Polish, Hispanics, Somalians, Romanian, Jews, Russian, Pakistanis, Scandinavia, Arabs, and Asians in the city, resulting in a unique combination of communities and neighbourhoods that are often strikingly different from one another. Most ethnic groups in the world are represented by communities in Toronto.

[edit] Religion

Roman Catholics accounted for 31.4% of the population of the City of Toronto in 2001, followed by Protestants with 21.2%. The city also has Muslim (6.7%), Christian Orthodox (4.9%), Hindu (4.8%), Jewish (4.2%), Buddhist (2.7%), Sikh (0.9%) and other communities; 18.9% reported no religious affiliation.[4]

[edit] Language

While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, Statistics Canada reports that other language groups are significant including Chinese and Italian. Only 1.4% of city residents claim French (Canada's other official language) as their mother tongue, and a scant few are bilingual in English and French.

[edit] Language by Population

(Toronto CMA)

  • Chinese: 355,270
  • Italian: 206,325
  • Portuguese: 113,355
  • Punjabi: 99,600
  • Spanish: 83,245
  • Polish: 79,875
  • Tagalog: 77,220
  • Tamil: 77,060
  • Urdu: 57,635
  • French: 57,485
  • Greek: 50,165
  • Arabic: 46,575
  • German: 43,665
  • Vietnamese: 36,555
  • Ukrainian: 26,675
  • Romanian: 16,650
  • Persian: 15,200

[edit] Issues

According to the federal government, Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world[5], and 43% of new immigrants settle in the Greater Toronto Area. This has raised concerns about Toronto's ability to support the population growth.[6]

[edit] References

  1. ^ A city of unmatched diversity, The Toronto Star, December 5, 2007
  2. ^ Population by selected ethnic origins (Toronto). Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on May 20, 2006.
  3. ^ Religions in Canada (Toronto). Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on May 19, 2006.
  4. ^ 2001 Community Profiles, Toronto, Ontario (City). Statistics Canada (2001). Retrieved on May 19, 2008.
  5. ^ Canada's Immigration Program (BP-190E)
  6. ^ TheStar.com - Page Not Found


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