MigrantoImmigrants in Canada
8.8M foreigners live in Canada — 21% of the country's population
Immigrants in Canada by country
The 3 largest groups make up 30% of all immigrants
| Country | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| India | 1015630 |
| Philippines | 835779 |
| China | 771973 |
| United Kingdom | 427526 |
| Pakistan | 266682 |
| USA | 256571 |
| Iran | 205304 |
| Hong Kong | 204515 |
| Italy | 183368 |
| Vietnam | 179690 |
| South Korea | 151409 |
| Jamaica | 144301 |
| Sri Lanka | 140870 |
| France | 131039 |
| Syria | 125767 |
| Poland | 123819 |
| Portugal | 120690 |
| Germany | 118463 |
| Nigeria | 112065 |
| Haiti | 107237 |
| Mexico | 103620 |
| Colombia | 101001 |
| Iraq | 98416 |
| Lebanon | 97179 |
| Algeria | 96774 |
| Morocco | 94694 |
| Romania | 88282 |
| Russia | 85753 |
| Ukraine | 83861 |
| Guyana | 81615 |
| Egypt | 79528 |
| Bangladesh | 79033 |
| Afghanistan | 70392 |
| Netherlands | 68248 |
| Taiwan | 64617 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 62401 |
| Brazil | 58045 |
| South Africa | 52600 |
| Greece | 50296 |
| El Salvador | 49004 |
| Ethiopia | 46425 |
| Cameroon | 43662 |
| Eritrea | 42246 |
| DR Congo | 39790 |
| Turkey | 37802 |
| UAE | 36578 |
| Bosnia | 36008 |
| Saudi Arabia | 35996 |
| Croatia | 35035 |
| Somalia | 34668 |
| Japan | 33767 |
| Peru | 33504 |
| Venezuela | 33298 |
| Israel | 30362 |
| Serbia | 30355 |
| Tunisia | 30350 |
| Kenya | 29988 |
| Nepal | 29554 |
| Ireland | 28912 |
| Hungary | 28068 |
| Ivory Coast | 27793 |
| Chile | 27191 |
| Australia | 26777 |
| Ghana | 26394 |
| Malaysia | 24975 |
| Fiji | 24028 |
| Cuba | 23859 |
| Cambodia | 22917 |
| Moldova | 22355 |
| Tanzania | 21068 |
| Albania | 20718 |
| Bulgaria | 20575 |
| Argentina | 20267 |
| Jordan | 20195 |
| Mauritius | 20173 |
| Sudan | 19383 |
| Thailand | 19110 |
| Kuwait | 18999 |
| Czech Republic | 18417 |
| Guatemala | 18187 |
| Belgium | 17760 |
| Switzerland | 17551 |
| Indonesia | 16815 |
| Ecuador | 16675 |
| Burundi | 16563 |
| Kazakhstan | 15397 |
| Uganda | 15355 |
| Dominican Republic | 15172 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 14817 |
| Zimbabwe | 14291 |
| Senegal | 13811 |
| Laos | 13292 |
| Belarus | 13112 |
| Barbados | 13022 |
| Singapore | 12878 |
| Austria | 12372 |
| Slovakia | 12340 |
| Spain | 11315 |
| New Zealand | 10875 |
| Nicaragua | 10768 |
| Libya | 10737 |
| Myanmar | 10379 |
| North Macedonia | 10214 |
| Grenada | 9873 |
| Honduras | 9817 |
| Denmark | 9798 |
| Rwanda | 9317 |
| Palestine | 9301 |
| Uzbekistan | 7652 |
| Guinea | 7598 |
| Saint Lucia | 7557 |
| Finland | 7526 |
| Slovenia | 6412 |
| Sweden | 6411 |
| Uruguay | 6231 |
| Bhutan | 6227 |
| Paraguay | 6174 |
| Azerbaijan | 5913 |
| Malta | 5795 |
| Armenia | 5457 |
| Costa Rica | 5117 |
| Macao | 5036 |
| Latvia | 4608 |
| Lithuania | 4551 |
| Brunei | 4347 |
| Bolivia | 4219 |
| Cyprus | 3907 |
| Norway | 3410 |
| Andorra | 70 |
By region of origin
48% of immigrants come from Asia
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Key facts
Immigrants in Canada in numbers
The share of immigrants from Europe has declined since 1990
55.6% of immigrants came from Europe in 1990, compared with 21.2% today.
Immigration drives population growth
34% of the population growth of Canada since 1990 came from immigrants.
The map of origins has changed since 1990
6 countries have entered the top 20 origins since 1990: Pakistan, Iran, South Korea. Pakistan climbed from outside the top 20 to #5.
People born in Algeria are the fastest-growing group
The number of people born in Algeria living in Canada has grown 50% since 2015, from 64.4K to 96.8K.
1 in 5 residents of Canada was born abroad
8.8M of 41.3M residents were born abroad — 21.3% of the population.
1 in 20 people born in Jamaica lives in Canada
144.3K people born in Jamaica live in Canada — 5.08% of the population of Jamaica.
Immigrant population in Canada over time
Foreigners living in Canada, by year
| Year | Immigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 4229062 |
| 1995 | 4742398 |
| 2000 | 5280373 |
| 2005 | 5981412 |
| 2010 | 6987509 |
| 2015 | 7931034 |
| 2020 | 8192549 |
| 2024 | 8805641 |
Largest groups over time
The 5 largest groups in Canada, by year
| Year | Indians | Filipinos | Chinese | British | Pakistanis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 162668 | 113359 | 144590 | 728715 | 21631 |
| 1995 | 228383 | 177292 | 221331 | 665958 | 40307 |
| 2000 | 300208 | 224039 | 367389 | 614122 | 71770 |
| 2005 | 418282 | 289111 | 454037 | 584084 | 126983 |
| 2010 | 548591 | 462997 | 620322 | 562869 | 156541 |
| 2015 | 699110 | 603495 | 737086 | 533650 | 201180 |
| 2020 | 866951 | 702144 | 721158 | 474286 | 229623 |
| 2024 | 1015630 | 835779 | 771973 | 427526 | 266682 |
Fastest-changing groups
How each group's numbers have changed since the selected year
Share of each diaspora living in Canada
Of each group's emigrants worldwide, the share who live in Canada
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
Frequently asked questions
How many foreigners live in Canada?
Around 8.8M immigrants live in Canada — the world's #4 largest immigrant population.
What percentage of the population of Canada are immigrants?
Immigrants make up around 21% of the population of Canada — that's 8.8M out of a total population of 41.3M.
Where do most immigrants in Canada come from?
Most immigrants in Canada come from India, Philippines and China — these three countries account for about 30% of all immigrants.
How many Indians live in Canada?
Around 1M Indians live in Canada — about 12% of all immigrants, the largest group.
Is the immigrant population in Canada growing?
Yes — over the past decade, the number of immigrants in Canada has grown from 7.9M to 8.8M, about 11%.
Where does the data on immigrants in Canada come from?
The source is International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division). It counts people born abroad who now live in Canada. Their children born in Canada are not included.
Where to live?
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Living in Canada
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