OTTAWA, ON - Statistics Canada reports that new projections of the country's ethnocultural makeup show that the diversity of the population will continue to increase significantly during the next two decades.
According to the study, Projections of the diversity of the Canadian population - 2006 to 2031, be 2031, between 25 percent and 28 percent of the population could be foreign-born. This would surpass the proportion of 22 percent observed between 1911 and 1931, the highest during the twentieth century. About 55 percent of this population would be born in Asia.
Other key findings include:
- Between now and 2031, the foreign-born population of Canada could increase approximately four times faster than the rest of the population. The population of foreign-born could reach between 9.8 million and 12.5 million, depending on various immigration assumptions.
- The proportion of foreign-born in the total population would increase from 20 percent in 2006 to between 25 percent and 28 percent
- By 2031, nearly one-half (46 percent) of Canadian aged 15 and over would be foreign-born, or would have at least one foreign-born parent, up from 39 percent in 2006
- By 2031, according to the reference scenario, 47 percent of second-generation Canadians would belong to a visible minority group, nearly double the proportion of 24 percent in 2006. Second generation refers to those who are Canadian-born and have at least one parent born outside Canada.
- Within the third generation or more, the proportion belonging to visible minorities, although low, would almost triple, from one percent to three percent. The third generation or more are people who are Canadian-born and whose parents and possibly grandparents were Canadian-born.
- By 2031, between 29 percent and 32 percent of the population could belong to a visible minority group, as defined by the Employment Equity Act. This would be nearly double the proportion reported by the 2006 Census. The visible minority population is likely to increase rapidly among the Canadian-born, many of whom are children and grandchildren of immigrants.
For more information visit www.statcan.gc.ca.
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