Fast figures on Canada’s official languages (2011)
NumberFootnote 2 | Percentage (%) | |
---|---|---|
Total population by mother tongueFootnote 1 | 33,121,168 | 100.0% |
English as mother tounge | 19,137,513 | 57.8% |
French as mother tounge | 7,172,558 | 21.7% |
Non-official languages as mother tounge | 6,811,096 | 20.6% |
Total population by knowledge of official languages | 33,121,175 | 100.0% |
Knowledge of English only | 22,564,665 | 68.1% |
Knowledge of French only | 4,165,015 | 12.6% |
Knowledge of English and French | 5,795,575 | 17.5% |
Knowledge of Neither English nor French | 595,920 | 1.8% |
Total population by first official language spokenFootnote 1 | 33,121,170 | 100.0% |
English spoken first | 24,846,713 | 75.0% |
French spoken first | 7,691,703 | 23.2% |
Neither English nor French spoken first | 582,755 | 1.8% |
Total population by language spoken most often at homeFootnote 1 | 33,121,175 | 100.0% |
English spoken most often at home | 21,975,687 | 66.3% |
French spoken most often at home | 6,963,762 | 21.0% |
Non-official languages spoken most often at home | 4,181,727 | 12.6% |
Source
The data used to create this table has been taken from Statistics Canada’s GeoSearch 2011. (Statistics Canada. 2012. GeoSearch. 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-14-XWE. Ottawa, Ontario. Data updated October 24, 2012.)
Definitions
Definitions
- Mother tongue:
- First language learned at home during childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census. Multiple responses were distributed equally among the languages reported.
- Knowledge of official languages:
- Ability to conduct a conversation in English only, in French only, in both English and French, or in neither English nor French. It should be noted that the data from this question focuses on self-assessment rather than actual use of language.
- First official language spoken:
- A derived variable taking into account the knowledge of English and French, the mother tongue and the home language. The numbers under the category “English and French” were distributed equally between the English category and the French category.
- Language spoken most often at home:
- Language spoken most often at home by the individual at the time of the census. Multiple responses were equally distributed among the languages reported.
Definitions have been taken or adapted from: Statistics Canada, 2012. Census Dictionary, Census year, 2011, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-301-X2011001.
Terms and conditions
Terms and conditions
Statistics Canada has issued an advisory concerning the comparability of 2011 Census data from previous censuses regarding mother tongue and language spoken most often at home. For more information visit The Daily, 2011 Census of Population: Linguistic Characteristics of Canadians, October 24, 2012.
Footnotes
- Footnote 1
-
After distribution of multiple responses. For more information, please see definitions section.
- Footnote 2
-
The difference between the totals of certain variables and the total responses is due to the rounding of partial numbers to whole numbers after the distribution of multiple responses. For information about the rounding methods used by Statistics Canada in its census tabulations, please see Statistics Canada, Data Quality and Confidentiality Standards and Guidelines.
- Date modified: