MigrantoCanadian Diaspora
1.3M Canadians live abroad — 3% of the population of Canada
Canadian diaspora by country
The top 3 countries are home to 81% of the diaspora
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| USA | 950387 |
| United Kingdom | 81845 |
| Australia | 57190 |
| Italy | 23315 |
| China | 23177 |
| Hong Kong | 15819 |
| Mexico | 14431 |
| Greece | 13663 |
| New Zealand | 13149 |
| Switzerland | 13033 |
| Japan | 11477 |
| Israel | 10021 |
| Portugal | 9387 |
| Malta | 9242 |
| Ireland | 7811 |
| Poland | 6421 |
| Belgium | 5070 |
| Denmark | 4217 |
| Norway | 3729 |
| Hungary | 3437 |
| Panama | 3312 |
| Libya | 3215 |
| Singapore | 3197 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 2838 |
| Paraguay | 2635 |
| India | 2590 |
| Taiwan | 2517 |
| Bermuda | 2076 |
| Brazil | 2064 |
| Costa Rica | 2038 |
| Chile | 2004 |
| South Africa | 1954 |
| Finland | 1948 |
| Colombia | 1942 |
| Peru | 1842 |
| Bahamas | 1777 |
| Cayman Islands | 1768 |
| Bolivia | 1715 |
| Cyprus | 1586 |
| Argentina | 1481 |
| Dominican Republic | 1367 |
| Jamaica | 1359 |
| Czech Republic | 1336 |
| Serbia | 1168 |
| Ecuador | 1088 |
| Bulgaria | 1035 |
| Venezuela | 1021 |
| Belize | 1012 |
| Luxembourg | 907 |
| Croatia | 898 |
| Albania | 807 |
| Barbados | 701 |
| Egypt | 690 |
| Slovakia | 666 |
| Haiti | 640 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 576 |
| Iceland | 553 |
| Uruguay | 480 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 470 |
| Guatemala | 469 |
| Guadeloupe | 449 |
| Slovenia | 442 |
| Guyana | 408 |
| Ghana | 361 |
| Honduras | 361 |
| North Korea | 343 |
| Zambia | 326 |
| Gabon | 314 |
| British Virgin Islands | 301 |
| Tanzania | 283 |
| Nicaragua | 272 |
| Sri Lanka | 254 |
| El Salvador | 251 |
| Uganda | 241 |
| Saint Lucia | 237 |
| Papua New Guinea | 236 |
| Cameroon | 230 |
| Grenada | 229 |
| Estonia | 213 |
| Central African Republic | 208 |
| Namibia | 208 |
| Botswana | 195 |
| Dominica | 190 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 176 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 176 |
| Mongolia | 174 |
| Latvia | 163 |
| Isle of Man | 160 |
| Belarus | 150 |
| Curaçao | 144 |
| French Polynesia | 128 |
| Moldova | 112 |
| Maldives | 108 |
| Montenegro | 67 |
| Anguilla | 60 |
| Mauritania | 57 |
| Togo | 47 |
| Tajikistan | 47 |
| Puerto Rico | 46 |
| Cambodia | 45 |
| Guinea | 41 |
| Sint Maarten | 41 |
| Lithuania | 40 |
| Bhutan | 38 |
| Montserrat | 36 |
| Mauritius | 35 |
| Liberia | 35 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 34 |
| Faroe Islands | 18 |
| Cuba | 18 |
| Eswatini | 17 |
| Liechtenstein | 17 |
| Sierra Leone | 15 |
| Greenland | 14 |
| Samoa | 7 |
By region
71% of the diaspora lives in North America
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Key facts
The Canadian diaspora in numbers
Most Canadians abroad live in the USA
71% of the diaspora lives in the USA, while the next country accounts for just 6%.
The map of the diaspora has changed since 1990
4 countries have entered the top 20 since 1990: Malta, Poland, Norway. Malta climbed from outside the top 20 to #14.
The diaspora is spread more widely than in 1990
The largest country's share fell from 79% to 71%.
Canadian diaspora population over time
People living abroad, by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 1114493 |
| 1995 | 1273577 |
| 2000 | 1248046 |
| 2005 | 1255998 |
| 2010 | 1255259 |
| 2015 | 1307957 |
| 2020 | 1310121 |
| 2024 | 1347381 |
Largest communities over time
Canadians living in the 5 largest countries, by year
| Year | USA | United Kingdom | Australia | Italy | China |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 880627 | 64645 | 23243 | 21457 | 9726 |
| 1995 | 1017197 | 68179 | 27132 | 22689 | 11550 |
| 2000 | 965513 | 71889 | 30253 | 23149 | 13747 |
| 2005 | 950086 | 75737 | 36359 | 23554 | 16363 |
| 2010 | 928127 | 79837 | 44589 | 24108 | 19511 |
| 2015 | 955022 | 80855 | 52593 | 24171 | 20594 |
| 2020 | 931908 | 81405 | 56241 | 24275 | 20917 |
| 2024 | 950387 | 81845 | 57190 | 23315 | 23177 |
Fastest-changing communities
How the number of Canadians in each country has changed since the selected year
Canadians among immigrants in other countries
Where Canadians make up the largest share of a country's immigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many Canadians live outside Canada?
Around 1.3M Canadians live abroad, the world's #56 largest diaspora.
Where do most Canadians abroad live?
Most Canadians live in USA, United Kingdom and Australia — these three countries account for about 81% of all Canadians living abroad.
Which country has the largest Canadian population outside Canada?
USA is home to the largest Canadian community abroad — 950.4K people, about 71% of all Canadians living abroad.
What share of the population of Canada lives abroad?
About 3% of the population of Canada lives abroad — that's 1.3M out of a total population of 41.3M.
Is the Canadian diaspora growing?
Barely — over the past decade, the number of Canadians living abroad has changed from 1.3M to 1.3M, about 3%.
Where does the data on the Canadian diaspora come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born in Canada who now live in other countries. Descendants of emigrants born abroad are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Canada
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