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Indo-Canadians

Canadians of Indian origin
Canadiens d'origine indienne (French)
Total population
1,355,653
3.86% of the Canadian population (est. 2015)
Regions with significant populations
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Markham, Durham Region, Waterloo Region, Hamilton, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Surrey, Burnaby, Abbotsford, most urban areas
Languages
Religion
Related ethnic groups
Number of Indians immigrating from different regions of the world (source)
Region Total Responses
Immigrant population 474,530
United States 2,410
Central and South America 40,475
Caribbean and Bermuda 24,295
Europe 12,390
**United Kingdom 11,200
**Other European 1,190
Africa 45,530
Asia 332,150
**West Central Asia and the Middle East 6,965
**Eastern Asia 720
**South-East Asia 4,260
**South Asia 320,200
Oceania and other 17,280
Non-permanent residents 9,950
Indo-Canadian religious profile (2001) (Source)
Religion Total responses Single responses Multiple Responses
Total 713,330 581,665 131,665
Sikhism 239,225 217,805 21,425
Hinduism 192,680 174,455 18,225
Islam 124,650 101,015 23,635
Christianity 117,430 65,485 51,945
Eastern religions 5,875 4,785 1,090
Buddhism 11,435 870 560
Jainism 1,291 803 600
Judaism 655 160 500
Other religions 655 540 120
No religious affiliation 30,725 16,555 14,175
Indian languages spoken at home in Canada (source)
Language Total: Language spoken at home Only speaks Mostly speaks Equally speaks Regularly speaks
Punjabi* 280,540 132,380 71,660 29,220 47,280
Hindi 165,890 114,175 116,075 19,090 26,550
Urdu* 89,365 30,760 27,840 12,200 18,565
Tamil* 97,345 45,865 29,745 9,455 12,280
Gujarati 60,105 18,310 16,830 7,175 17,790
Malayalam 6,570 1,155 1,810 505 3,100
Bengali* 29,705 12,840 9,615 2,780 4,470
* Note that these languages are also spoken in Canada by immigrants from other South Asian countries such as: Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Indo-Canadians or Indian Canadians are Canadian citizens whose heritage is fully or partially South Asian (including Indian and other origins), children of persons who immigrated from India and/or South Asia to Canada, or persons of Indian/South Asian origin who have Canadian citizenship. The terms East Indian and South Asian are sometimes used to distinguish people of ancestral origin from India in order to avoid confusion with the First Nations of Canada. Statistics Canada uses "East Indian" to refer to people specifically from post-partition India.

First Nations of Canada are also officially referred to as 'Indians' by the Canadian government under the Indian Act. This is partially because historically the Americas were mistaken by Columbus as India and Native Americans were mistaken by Columbus for Indians and later as West Indians. Therefore, there is no need to distinguish between West and East Indians, because the term "Indian" only refers to a single ethnic group. The main concentration of the Indo-Canadian population is found in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia (which includes Greater Vancouver) and the Greater Toronto Area, however there are growing communities in Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, and Montreal.

Indo-Canadians are significantly more likely than the Canadian average to have a university degree, and most Indians in Canada are socio-economically middle class and affluent. 54% of South Asians in Canada have household incomes greater than $60,000, compared to the 46% Canadian average. Canadian adults of East Indian origin are much less likely than other adults to live alone. In 2001, just 4% of the East Indian community aged 15 and over lived alone, compared with 13% of all adult Canadians. Seniors of East Indian origin are especially unlikely to live alone. That year, only 8% of Canadians of East Indian origin aged 65 and over lived alone, compared with 29% of all seniors in Canada. In contrast, seniors of East Indian origin are more likely than other seniors to live with members of their extended family. In 2001, 24% of seniors of East Indian origin lived with relatives, such as the family of a son or daughter, while only 5% of all seniors in Canada lived with relatives.


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