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What is the ethnic breakdown of Toronto
Hello! Thanks for your question asking for the ethnic breakdown of Toronto. The best source I found to answer your question are Census Canada and Toronto Foundation's Vital Signs Report.
The short answer to your question is that most number of people in Canada are of European and Asian ethnicity. South Asians and Chinese are the top visible minorities in Toronto. As a result, the three major areas that have developed in the city also cater to these ethnic groups.
Below see a deep dive of my findings.
METHODOLOGY
I started my research on this subject by looking for official data sources in Canada. I found Census Canada that is conducted every five years. While the latest Census was conducted in 2016, the Census authorities have not yet released the full city-wise data. To be consistent, I have used data from the 2011 Census and the National Household Survey since granular data on ethnicities in publicly available. Where available, I have supplemented my research with figures from 2016.
The 2011 data does not lend itself to comparison with 2006 data simply because Canada changed their survey methodology in that time period from a mandatory sample to a voluntary sample. However, to understand the trends in growth of ethnic groups, I have compared data from 2006 and 2011 for the Toronto census metropolitan area.
In addition, the Toronto Foundation's Vital Signs® Report was also a useful resource that informed my research.
BACKGROUND
According to the 2016 Census, Toronto's population was 2,731,571, growing by 4.5% from 2,615,060 in 2011. Of the 2011 population, 49% of people living in Toronto are immigrants, higher than the Canada-wide 29%.
VISIBLE MINORITIES
ETHNICITY
In 2011, the highest percentage of people (13%) reported to be of English (part of British) origin, followed closely by people (12%) of Chinese origin in Toronto. Canadian was the third most reported ethnic origin (11%).
The total number of ethnicities represented in the Canadian population is 7. Below see the total population in private households by ethnic origins.
Since data on the number of respondents who reported a specified ethnic origin, either as their only ethnic origin or in addition to one or more other ethnic origins was available for 2006 and 2011, I used this data to arrive at growth numbers. There was a 9% increase in the number of total responses - highest growth was in number of respondents who reported European origins (55%), followed by respondents who stated they were of African origins (38%).
RELIGION
Christianity is the most widely prevalent religion in Toronto with 54% of citizens in Toronto reporting it. 24% had no religious affiliation, 8% are Muslims, the highest in Canada, 6% are Hindus, the rest are Jews (4%), Buddhists (3%), Sikhs (1%) and other religions including traditional Aboriginal spirituality.
LANGUAGE
Other than the official languages, English and French, Spanish is the most widely spoken language (113,760), followed by Tagalog (108,655) spoken by Philipinos, Cantonese (103,845) and
OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH
A Toronto Foundation study identified three 'ethnoburbs' in the Toronto region: One that includes Brampton, most of Mississauga, north Etobicoke, and western North York and is predominantly South Asian; a second that includes most of Markham, Scarborough, eastern North York, and part of Richmond Hill, with a predominantly Chinese population; and a third emerging in Pickering and Ajax, with a high South Asian population.
In these areas, local residents own, or have a stake in, a large percentage of local businesses and have developed a full range of cultural institutions. By July 2011, there were 53 Chinese supermarkets (43 in the ethnoburbs) and 66 Chinese shopping centres (57 in the ethnoburbs) to serve 500,000 Chinese ethnic residents in the Toronto Region. The first South Asian shopping centre opened in Scarborough in 2008 and three new centres will add 540,000 sq. ft. of commercial space in Brampton and Scarborough.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, Toronto is dominated by people of European and Asian origin. The thriving areas that have emerged in the city also cater to these ethnic groups.
I hope this information is useful to you. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks for using Wonder!