Foreign Born Canadians at Historical High

Over 6.8 million Canadians were born outside of Canada, according to new information from Statistics Canada. This staggering figure means that 20.6 percent of the population, or one in five people, are foreign-born.

This statistic solidifies Canada’s place as a worldwide leader in immigration, with the highest number of foreign born residents out of any G8 country. Many of these new residents are young, live in the suburbs, and work in skilled professions.

In addition to foreign born residents, about one out of every five Canadians is of non-Caucasian descent. In some prominent suburbs of Toronto such as Markham, Brampton, and Mississauga, over 50 percent of the population identifies a person of color.

More recent immigrants were overwhelmingly from Asia and the Middle East, with the Philippines remaining the top source country for immigrants to Canada. Immigrants from Asia have decreased slightly, however, as areas such as African, the Caribbean, and Central and South America become increasingly larger sources of immigrants.

Over 90 percent of immigrants live in metropolitan areas, largely the international hubs of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. While Toronto continues to draw the most newcomers, quickly growing cities such as Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, and Halifax have seen their efforts to attract immigrants pay off with increased numbers of immigrants.