Ottawa, October 26: Nearly one in five recent immigrants were born in India, the highest proportion from a single place of birth since 1971.
For the first time, India took the top spot as the primary place of birth of new immigrants to Canada (18.6% of recent immigrants from 2016 to 2021), followed by the Philippines (11.4%) and China (8.9%).
The last time that such a high proportion of immigrants came from a single place of birth was during the 1971 Census, when 20.9% of all recent immigrants came from the United Kingdom.
The picture of immigration varies in Canada by place of birth, period of immigration, admission category and place of residence. See this interactive chart for more information on how immigration varies by region.
The second most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was the Philippines, with 11.4% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 15.6% of recent immigrants reported the Philippines as their place of birth. Philippines was the most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The third most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was China, with 8.9% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 10.6% of recent immigrants reported China as their place of birth. China was the third most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The fourth most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was Syria, with 4.8% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 2.5% of recent immigrants reported Syria as their place of birth. Syria was the seventh most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The fifth most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was Nigeria, with 3.0% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 1.4% of recent immigrants reported Nigeria as their place of birth. Nigeria was the 13th most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The sixth most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was the United States, with 3.0% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 2.7% of recent immigrants reported the United States as their place of birth. The United States was the sixth most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The seventh most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was Pakistan, with 2.7% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 3.4% of recent immigrants reported Pakistan as their place of birth. Pakistan was the fifth most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The eighth most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was France, with 2.0% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 2.0% of recent immigrants reported France as their place of birth. France was the ninth most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The ninth most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was Iran, with 1.9% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 3.5% of recent immigrants reported Iran as their place of birth. Iran was the fourth most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
The 10th most frequently reported place of birth by recent immigrants in 2021 was the United Kingdom, with 1.7% of recent immigrants in 2021. In 2016, 2.0% of recent immigrants reported the United Kingdom as their place of birth. United Kingdom was the eighth most frequent place of birth reported on the census in 2016.
