Canada’s Black population: Growing in number and diversity
Canada’s Black population: Growing in number and diversity
Canada’s Black population: Growing in number and diversity
In 2016, the Black population reached close to 1.2 million, representing 3.5% of the total Canadian population.
| Black population | % of Canada’s population | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 573,860 | 2.0 |
| 2001 | 662,210 | 2.2 |
| 2006 | 783,800 | 2.5 |
| 2011 | 945,665 | 2.9 |
| 2016 | 1,198,540 | 3.5 |
Canada’s Black population doubled in size between 1996 and 2016.
In 2016, 26.6% of the Black population was less than 15 years of age, compared to 16.9% of the total Canadian population.
Similar to the total Canadian population, there were slightly more Black women (51.6%) than Black men.
Ontario was home to more than half (52.4%) of the Black population in Canada
| Geography | Black population |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 2,350 |
| Prince Edward Island | 825 |
| Nova Scotia | 21,910 |
| New Brunswick | 6,995 |
| Quebec | 319,230 |
| Ontario | 627,710 |
| Manitoba | 30,340 |
| Saskatchewan | 14,925 |
| Alberta | 129,390 |
| British Columbia | 43,505 |
| Territories | 1,350 |
More than 4 in 10 Black people were born in Canada
- First generation (Persons who were born outside Canada): 56.4%
- Second generation (Persons who were born in Canada and had at least one parent born outside Canada): 35.0%
- Third generation or more (Persons who were born in Canada with both parents born in Canada): 8.6%
In Nova Scotia, 71.8% of the Black population was third generation or more.
The source regions of Black immigrants changed over time
| Before 1981 | 1981 to 1990 | 1991 to 2000 | 2001 to 2010 | 2011 to 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| percentage | |||||
| Caribbean and Bermuda | 83.3 | 64.0 | 46.6 | 29.0 | 27.3 |
| Rest of the Americas | 6.7 | 5.4 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 3.5 |
| Europe | 5.1 | 2.4 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 3.4 |
| Africa | 4.8 | 27.7 | 46.8 | 62.7 | 65.1 |
| Asia and Oceania | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 |
The majority of Black immigrants who came to Canada before 1981 were born in Jamaica and Haiti.
Top birth countries of Black newcomers (2011 to 2016): Haiti, Nigeria, Jamaica, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2016; 2011 National Household Survey.