More than 80 Asian ethnic or cultural origins were reported in the 2021 Census, highlighting the significant contribution of people with Asian origins to Canada's ethnocultural diversity.
In 2021, approximately 7 million people in Canada reported an Asian ethnic or cultural origin, either as a single response or in combination with other origins, representing 19.3% of Canada's population.
The 10 most frequently reported Asian origins were: Chinese, Indian, Filipino, Pakistani, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Asian (not otherwise specified), Korean, Lebanese and Iranian.
Demographic characteristics
In 2021, people reporting Asian origins in Canada had younger median ages (34.4) compared to the total population (41.2). Among the most frequently reported Asian origins (reported by at least 50,000 people), Afghans had the youngest median age at 28.4, followed by Syrians at 28.6 and Pakistanis at 29.4. The top three most frequently reported Asian origins, Indians, Filipinos, and Chinese respectively had a median age of 32.8, 35.6, and 38.8.
In 2021, couple-family households were the most common household type (57.3%) for people reporting Asian origins. Among the most frequently reported Asian origins, the share living in this type of households ranged from 38.5% for Punjabis to 71.6% for Syrians. More than half of Chinese (57.9%), Filipinos (56.4%) and Indians (51.5%) lived in couple-family households.
Some Asian origin groups were more likely to live in multigenerational households compared to the total population (6.6%). This type of household was most common among those of South Asian origins (19.4%). Notably, nearly one-third of Punjabis (32.5%) were living in multigenerational households.
Geography
More than half (50.9%) of the population who reported an Asian origin lived in Ontario while 21.3% lived in British Columbia and 12.2% in Alberta.
Vancouver was the Census metropolitan area (CMA) with the highest share of its population who reported an Asian origin. It was followed by Toronto (43.6%) and Calgary (29.2%).
Some metropolitan areas distinguish themselves by having a relatively large share of their population reporting a specific Asian origin. For example, Vancouver and Toronto were the CMAs with the highest shares of their population with Chinese origins at 18.2% and 10.9% respectively. Abbotsford-Mission (14.3%) was the CMA with the highest share of its population with Indian origins, followed by Toronto (9.4%) and Vancouver (8.2%). Winnipeg (9.9%) and Red Deer (7.6%) had a large share of their population with Filipino origins.
Generation status
Over two thirds (69.5%) of people who reported an Asian origin were born outside Canada (first generation), while just over one quarter (25.9%) were born in Canada to at least one foreign-born parent (second generation).
The most frequently reported Asian origins across generations reflect both recent and historical immigration trends. Among the most frequently reported Asian origins, Iranian (81.3%), Persian (78.0%) and Koreans (77.2%) were those who had the largest share born outside Canada. Lebanese (36.9%), Vietnamese (36.7%) and Sri Lankan (34.1%) were the origins with the highest share of their populations of second generation. Japanese (32.8%) and Lebanese (20.5%) were the Asian origins with the largest share of their population born in Canada with Canadian-born parents (third generation).
Immigration
Since 2006, Asia has accounted for the largest share of immigrants living in the country. In 2021, just over half (51.5%) of all immigrants in Canada were born in Asia.
The proportion of Asian-born among recent immigrants made up a record-high 62.0% of recent immigrants admitted from 2016 to 2021, whereas in 1971, 12.1% of recent immigrants were from Asia.
In 2021, Asian countries accounted for 6 of the top 10 countries of birth of recent immigrants: India, the Philippines, China, Syria, Pakistan and Iran.
