Demographics of Vancouver

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The demographics of Vancouver reveal a multi-ethnic society. There remains a small population, less than 2%, of Aboriginal peoples, who according to archeological and historical records, have inhabited this region for more than 3,000 years.

From the time of Vancouver's first European settlement in the second half of the 19th century, people from the British Isles were the largest group of immigrants and, collectively, remain the largest ethnic grouping in Vancouver to this day. Chinese are by far, the largest visible minority group. The city has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities with several dialects of Chinese being represented. Vancouver contains the second-largest Chinatown in North America (after San Francisco's), and many multicultural neighbourhoods such as the Punjabi Market, Little Italy, Greektown, Japantown, Commercial Drive, and a series of Koreatowns. Bilingual street signs can be seen at these centres of ethnic concentration.

1 Asian immigration
2 Europeans
3 Aboriginal peoples
4 Multicultural character
5 Religion
6 References

[edit] Asian immigration

The first Chinese immigrants to British Columbia were men who came to "Gold Mountain," as they called it, for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush of 1858 and a decade later to work on building the Canadian Pacific Railway. There was a steady influx of Chinese families from the late 19th century until the Second World War. Then in the late 20th century, many immigrants from Hong Kong came to Vancouver during the transfer of sovereignty of that former British colony from the United Kingdom to China. This continued a tradition of immigration from around the world that had already established Vancouver as the second most multi-ethnic of Canada's cities (after Toronto) before the Hong Kong influx began.

Statistics Canada data shows that over 17% of the approximately 2.5 million people living in the metropolitan area are ethnic Chinese. Vancouver has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities as reflected in the diversity of authentic Chinese cuisine (from several regions of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hainan, Malaysia/Singapore, etc.) made available to consumers in Vancouver and adjacent communities such as Richmond and Burnaby. The ethnic Chinese from Hong Kong who speak Cantonese make up the largest group within Vancouver's Chinese-speaking community. However, the Chinese-speaking community has residents who speak Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka, Shanghainese, and Teochiu who have arrived in Vancouver via Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Southeast Asia. Note that there are also many Chinese immigrants from Hong Kong whose origin is from other areas of China such as Shanghai. Immigration from Taiwan increased as of the late-1980's/early-1990s and continues at a steady pace. Many Taiwanese are currently choosing to retire in Vancouver or raise their families there.^{[citation needed]} The most recent Chinese immigrants to Vancouver are also those who come directly from Mainland China. Vancouver still continues to receive immigration not only from Mainland China but also from Taiwan and Hong Kong (to a lesser extent than in the 1990s). South Asians (in particular Indo-Canadians) are one of Vancouver's largest Asian minorities. As of current statistics, Vancouver has Canada's second largest Indo-Canadian population.

Other significant Asian ethnic groups in Vancouver are Vietnamese, Filipino, Cambodian, Japanese, and Russians from the Russian Far East and Siberia. The term Asian in Vancouver often is used to refer to only East Asian peoples. South Asians (mostly Punjabis) are usually referred to as Indo-Canadian. Technically, though, the term "Asian" may refer to either group and also to the large Persian and other Middle Eastern populations as well as a new element from Central Asia.

[edit] Europeans

Non-visible minorities such as newly-arrived Eastern Europeans and the new wave of Latin American arrivals are also a feature of the city's ethnic landscape. Prior to the Hong Kong influx of the 1980s, the largest non-British ethnic group in the city was German, followed by Ukrainian and the Scandinavian ethnicities. Most earlier immigrant groups are fully assimilated or intermarried with other groups, although a new generation of East Europeans form a distinct linguistic and social community.

Much of the European population consists of persons whose origins go back to the U.K. and, until recently, British Columbians with UK ancestry most likely came directly from the British Isles, rather than via Ontario or the Maritime Provinces. Until the 1960s it was easier to purchase the London Times and the Manchester Guardian in Vancouver than it was to find the Toronto Globe and Mail or Montreal Gazette. Other large and historically important European ethnic groups consist of Germans, Dutch, French (of both European and Canadian origin), Ukrainians, Norwegians, Swedes, Danes, Finns, Italians, Croats, Hungarians, Greeks, and lately numerous Romanians, Russians, Serbs and Poles.

[edit] Aboriginal peoples

There is also a small community of aboriginal people in Vancouver as well as in the surrounding metropolitan region, with the result that Vancouver constitutes the largest native community in the province, albeit an unincorporated one (i.e. not as a band government). There is an equally-large or larger Métis contingent, with these being a mix of traditional "real" Metis from the Prairies and others whose mixed native/non-native ancestry qualifies them legally as Metis.

[edit] Multicultural character

Vancouver is one of the most integrated cities in the world. It has more interracial couples and less residential segregation than Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. In total, 7.2 per cent of married and common-law couples in Greater Vancouver are interracial — double the Canadian average of 3.2 per cent, and higher than in Toronto (6.1 per cent) and Montreal (3.5 per cent). Among Vancouver couples in their 20s, 12.9 per cent are of mixed-race.^{[citation needed]}

In the City of Vancouver, 39.0%— are members of visible minority groups.^[1] The largest groups are:

Chinese: 29.9%
South Asian (Indo-Canadian): 5.7%
Filipino: 4.1%
Southeast Asian: 2.5%
Japanese: 1.5%
Korean: 1.1%
Black: 0.9%
Multiple response (mixed-race): 0.8%
West Asian (Iranian, Afghani): 0.6%

Aboriginal peoples, who make up 1.9% of the City of Vancouver's population, are not officially considered a visible minority group by Statistics Canada.

[edit] Religion

Vancouver, like the rest of British Columbia, has a low rate of church attendance compared with the rest of the continent and the majority of the population does not practise religion seriously^[2]^[3].

Vancouver religious profile from 2001 Census^[1]
42.2%	no religious affiliation, including Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist, Darwinism, and "no religion"
19.0%	Catholic
17.4%	Protestant
6.9%	Buddhist
4.4%	other Christian, not identified elsewhere
2.8%	Sikh
1.8%	Jewish
1.7%	Muslim
1.7%	Christian Orthodox
1.4%	Hindu
0.5%	other relgions, including Aboriginal spirituality, Pagan, Wicca, Unity, New Thought, Pantheist, Scientology, Rastafarian, New Age, Gnostic, Satanist
0.3%	Baha'i, Eckankar, Jains, Shinto, Taoist, Zoroastrian and Eastern religions not identified elsewhere