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Middle Eastern Canadians

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Middle Eastern Canadians
Population distribution of Middle Eastern Canadians by census division, 2021 census
Total population
1,690,645[1]
4.7% of the total Canadian population (2021)
Regions with significant populations
Southern Ontario, Southern Quebec, Southwestern BC, Central Alberta
Languages
Canadian English · Canadian French ·
Arabic · Persian · Armenian · Turkish · Hebrew
Other Middle Eastern languages
Religion
Islam · Christianity · Baháʼí Faith · Judaism · Druze · Irreligion
Related ethnic groups
Middle Eastern Americans · Arab Canadians · West Asian Canadians · Asian Canadians

Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Middle East (MENA region), which includes both West Asia and North Africa.

History

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  • Middle Eastern Canadian
  • Population History
YearPop.±%
20161,360,730—    
20211,690,645+24.2%

Initial settlement

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Individuals from the Middle East first arrived in Canada in 1882, when a group of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants settled in Montreal.[3] Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine were ruled by the Ottoman Empire at that time. As a result, early Arabic immigrants from these countries were referred to as either Turks or Syrians by Canadian authorities.

20th century

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During World War I, Middle Eastern Canadians of Turkish origin were placed in "enemy alien" internment camps.[4]

The Middle Eastern Canadian population grew rapidly during the latter half of the 20th century; the 1979 Iranian Revolution resulted in a spike of immigration to Canada from the West Asian country.[5]

21st century

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The Syrian refugee crisis during the 2010s fueled further growth to the already existing Syrian population; increased immigration from the West Asian country resulted in Syria becoming the third highest source country of immigration to Canada adding 35,000 Syrians becoming permanent residents in 2016.[6]

Demography

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Ethnic and national origins

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Middle Eastern Canadians Demography by Ethnic and National Origins (2016−2021)
Ethnic/National
Origins 		2021[1] 2016[2]
Pop. % Pop. %
Arab, n.o.s. 263,710 15.6% 111,405 8.19%
Lebanese 210,605 12.46% 219,555 16.14%
Iranian 200,465 11.86% 210,405 15.46%
Egyptian 105,245 6.23% 99,140 7.29%
Moroccan 99,980 5.91% 103,945 7.64%
Syrian 98,250 5.81% 77,045 5.66%
Persian 80,340 4.75% — —
Turkish 76,745 4.54% 63,955 4.7%
Algerian 73,770 4.36% 67,335 4.95%
Armenian 68,850 4.07% 63,810 4.69%
Iraqi 59,300 3.51% 70,920 5.21%
Palestinian 45,905 2.72% 44,820 3.29%
Berber 41,700 2.47% 37,065 2.72%
Israeli 35,345 2.09% 28,735 2.11%
Tunisian 30,465 1.8% 25,650 1.89%
Kurdish 23,130 1.37% 16,315 1.2%
Coptic 22,570 1.33% — —
Kabyle 20,565 1.22% — —
Assyrian 19,685 1.16% 13,830 1.02%
Sudanese 17,485 1.03% 19,965 1.47%
North African, n.o.s. 16,315 0.97% — —
Jordanian 13,225 0.78% 14,250 1.05%
Chaldean 12,115 0.72% — —
Azerbaijani 9,915 0.59% 6,425 0.47%
Yemeni 8,115 0.48% 6,645 0.49%
Libyan 7,945 0.47% 7,740 0.57%
West Asian origins, n.i.e. 7,645 0.45% 25,280 1.86%
Georgian 5,850 0.35% 4,775 0.35%
Cypriot 4,830 0.29% 5,655 0.42%
Saudi Arabian 3,935 0.23% 6,810 0.5%
Kuwaiti 2,375 0.14% 2,240 0.16%
Dinka 1,770 0.1% 900 0.07%
Circassian 1,390 0.08% — —
Omani 660 0.04% — —
North African origins, n.i.e. 450 0.03% 6,115 0.45%
Total West Asian
Canadian Population 		1,252,385 74.08% 988,145 72.62%
Total North African
Canadian Population 		438,260 25.92% 372,585 27.38%
Total Middle Eastern
Canadian Population 		1,690,645 100% 1,360,730 100%

Language

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The vast majority of Middle Eastern Canadians speak West Asian and North African languages as a mother tongue or second language. The top five Middle Eastern languages spoken in Canada include Arabic, Farsi, Armenian, Turkish, and Hebrew.

Religion

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Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are the dominant religions among the middle eastern Canadian population.

Geographical distribution

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Middle Eastern population by province or territory (2016)
Province / territory Population Percentage
Ontario[7] 610,005 4.6%
Quebec[8] 465,920 5.8%
Alberta[9] 120,590 3%
British Columbia[10] 109,400 2.4%
Nova Scotia[11] 19,235 2.1%
Manitoba[12] 15,540 1.3%
Saskatchewan[13] 11,605 1.1%
New Brunswick[14] 8,035 1.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador[15] 3,290 0.6%
Prince Edward Island[16] 1,830 1.3%
Northwest Territories[17] 390 0.9%
Yukon[18] 230 0.7%
Nunavut[19] 130 0.4%
Canada[2] 1,366,190 4%

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26). "Ethnic or cultural origin by gender and age: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  2. ^ a b c Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-17). "Ethnic Origin (279), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age (12) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  3. ^ "History of Recent Arab Immigration to Canada".
  4. ^ "First World War Timeline". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ^ "Iranians". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. ^ IRCC (2017). "2017 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration". Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Government of Canada. Table 3: Permanent Residents Admitted in 2016, by Top 10 Source Countries. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Ontario [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Quebec [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Alberta [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census British Columbia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  11. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nova Scotia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  12. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Manitoba [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Saskatchewan [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census New Brunswick [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Newfoundland and Labrador [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  16. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Prince Edward Island [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  17. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Northwest Territories [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  18. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Yukon [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  19. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nunavut [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
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