Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada

Volume 2006, no. 1

The Chinese Community in Canada

Other issues in this series

Highlights

• At just over one million people, the Chinese community was the largest non-European ethnic group in Canada in 2001.

• 72% of Canadians of Chinese origin were born outside of Canada.

• The large majority, 72%, live in either the Toronto or Vancouver census metropolitan areas.

• 85% can carry on a conversation in at least one official language, while 15% cannot converse in either English or French.

• 56% of Canadians of Chinese origin said that they have no religious affiliation. This group represents 13% of all Canadians who are not affiliated with any religion.

• Chinese (all dialects combined) is the third largest mother tongue in Canada, after English and French.

• In 2001, 56% of adults of Chinese origin were married, while just 2% lived common-law.

• At the same time, only 5% of adults in the Chinese community live alone, compared to 13% of all adult Canadians.

• 31% of men and 24% of women of Chinese origin have a university degree.

• 8.4% of Chinese labour force participants were unemployed in 2001.

• The average income of Canadians of Chinese origin was $5,000 lower than the national average of $30,000 in 2000.

• 27% of children of Chinese origin live in families with incomes below the low-income cut-offs.

• The majority (74%) of senior women of Chinese origin who live alone have incomes that fall below the low-income cut-offs.