Some 9,639,200
Canadians identified as a member of a "visible
minority group" in the
2021 Canadian Census, for 26.53% of the total population. This was an increase from the
2016 Census, when members of visible minorities accounted for 22.2% of the total population; from the
2011 Census, when the proportion was 19.1%; from the
2006 Census, when the proportion was 16.2%; from
2001, when the proportion was 13.4%; from
1996 (11.2%); from
1991 (9.4%) and from
1981 (4.7%). In 1961, the visible minority population was less than 1%. The ongoing increase represents a significant shift in
Canada's demographics as compared with the predominantly white populations of its earlier history. This change is related primarily to higher rates of immigration from countries which have larger proportions of non-Caucasian or non-white people amongst their populations. This change is associated with the advent in Canada of its multiculturalism and non-discrimination policies.
Statistics Canada projects that by 2041, visible minorities will make up 38.2–43.0% of the total Canadian population, compared with 26.5% in 2021. Statistics Canada further projects that among the working-age population (15 to 64 years), meanwhile, visible minorities will make up 42.1–47.3% of Canada's total population, compared to 28.5% in 2021. As per the 2021 census, of the provinces,
British Columbia had the highest proportion of visible minorities, representing 34.4% of its population, followed by
Ontario at 34.3%,
Alberta at 27.8% and
Manitoba at 22.2%. Additionally, as of 2021, the largest visible minority group was
South Asian Canadians with a population of approximately 2.6 million, representing roughly 7.1% of the country's population, followed by
Chinese Canadians (4.7%) and
Black Canadians (4.3%). == Demography ==