- In 2021, the Black populations reported the largest number of mother tongues (approximately 250) among all racialized groups1 in Canada.
- Among the Black populations, those born in Africa had the most diverse mother-tongue profile by place of birth, with 43.2% of these individuals reporting a non-official language as their mother tongue.
- Over 25.0% of Black people in Canada (396,960) reported more than one ethnic or cultural origin2 in 2021, with Black populations reporting around 371 different ethnic or cultural origins (single and multiple responses).
- The 10 most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origins among the Black populations in Canada were African, Jamaican, Haitian, Canadian, Black, Nigerian, Somali, African Caribbean, Congolese and Yoruba.
- In 2021, the Black populations had the highest religious affiliation3 (81.8%)—particularly with Christianity—compared with other racialized groups (73.2%) and with the non-racialized populations (62.6%).
Note to readers
This publication is a part of our Black History Month 2025 series, examining the data on various topics concerning the Black populations across Canada. If you missed any of the articles, you can easily find them by searching for “Black History Month 2025” in the app.
Reference
Source: The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021: A Sociodemographic Portrait
1 The concept of racialized populations is measured with the “visible minority” variable. This information has been collected by Statistics Canada since the 1996 Census of Population to implement the Employment Equity Act. The term “visible minority” refers to whether a person belongs to one of the visible minority groups defined by the Employment Equity Act. The act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.” The visible minority variable categories that constitute racialized populations are: “South Asian”, “Chinese”, “Black”, “Filipino”, “Latin American”, “Arab”, “Southeast Asian”, “West Asian”, “Korean”, “Japanese”, “Multiple visible minorities”, and “Visible minority, not included elsewhere”. The non-racialized populations in this article are measured with the category “not a visible minority” of the same variable. In this analysis, the racialized populations exclude Indigenous respondents. For more information about the derivation of the racialized populations, consult the Visible Minority and Population Group Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.
2 A person’s ethnic or cultural origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of a person’s ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, origins that refer to different countries or other origins that may not refer to different countries. Often referred to as a person’s ancestral “roots”, ethnic or cultural origins should not be confused with citizenship, nationality, language or place of birth.
3 Religion refers to a person’s self-identified connection to or affiliation with any religious denomination, group, body, or other religiously defined community or system of belief. Religion is not limited to formal membership in a religious organization or group.
For infants or children, religion refers to the specific religious group or denomination, if any, in which they are being raised.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).