South Asian Canadians in Greater Vancouver
Population distribution of South Asian Canadians in Vancouver by federal electoral district, 2021 census | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 369,295 14.2% of the total Metro Vancouver population | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Surrey | 212,680 (37.8%) |
| Vancouver (City) | 44,850 (6.9%) |
| Delta | 27,990 (26.1%) |
| Burnaby | 23,155 (9.4%) |
| Richmond | 15,370 (7.4%) |
| Langley | 8,720 (6.7%) |
| New Westminster | 8,105 (10.4%) |
| Coquitlam | 7,405 (5.0%) |
| Maple Ridge | 4,245 (4.7%) |
| Port Coquitlam | 3,490 (5.8%) |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly: English • Punjabi • Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu) Minorities: French • Gujarati • Tamil • Bengali | |
| Religion | |
| Sikhism (59.6%) Hinduism (16.8%) Islam (10.7%) Irreligion (7.5%) Christianity (4.3%) Buddhism (0.7%) Jainism (0.2%) Zoroastrianism (0.1%) Judaism (0.04%) Baháʼí (0.02%) Others (0.1%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| South Asian Canadians • Indian Canadians • Pakistani Canadians • Punjabi Canadians | |
| Part of a series on |
| Ethnicity in Vancouver |
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,590 | — |
| 1971 | 13,085 | +405.2% |
| 1981 | 34,820 | +166.1% |
| 1986 | 51,975 | +49.3% |
| 1991 | 86,200 | +65.8% |
| 1996 | 120,140 | +39.4% |
| 2001 | 164,365 | +36.8% |
| 2006 | 207,165 | +26.0% |
| 2011 | 252,405 | +21.8% |
| 2016 | 291,005 | +15.3% |
| 2021 | 369,295 | +26.9% |
| Source: Statistics Canada : 124 : 63 | ||
South Asian Canadians in Metro Vancouver are the third-largest pan-ethnic group in the region, comprising 369,295 persons or 14.2 percent of the total population as of 2021. Sizable communities exist within the city of Vancouver along with the adjoining city of Surrey, which houses one of the world's largest South Asian enclaves.
South Asians have lived in the Vancouver region since the late 19th century; at first, mainly working in the forestry industry. After an initial first wave of immigration during the early 20th century, government policies aimed at curtailing immigration from the Indian subcontinent resulted in a populated stagnation through the 1950s. At that time, the relaxing of racial and national immigration restrictions by the federal government initiated a new wave of immigration into Vancouver and has continued into the present day.
The vast majority of South Asians in Greater Vancouver and in adjacent cities are Punjabi Sikhs, differing greatly from the diverse ethnic and religious composition of South Asians in Canada. The large proportion of Punjabi Sikhs in the region has resulted in the interchangeable and synonymous usage of one and the other.
Over half (60.3 percent) of South Asian Canadians live in the Toronto and Vancouver areas as of 2021.