At 1.8 million, 5% Canadians have the Indian heritage: Census data

The total number of people of ethnic Indian origin in Canada was 1.8 million at the time of the last census in 2021

Nearly half a million Indians have been added to Canada’s population since 2011.

According to the latest census data from 2021, the total number of people of Indian origin in Canada reached 1.8 million. Canadian government data indicates that the country’s population at that time was 36.3 million, which is roughly equivalent to the population of Kerala, despite Canada being three times larger than India in land area.

This demographic shift signifies the growing significance of Indians in Canada, owing to their increasing numbers. They now account for more than 5 per cent of the population, as reported in the latest census, compared to around 4 per cent in 2011.

This indicates that the Indian population in Canada is growing at a faster rate than the overall country, largely driven by immigration.

Additionally, this demographic change has coincided with a notable increase in remittances from Canada to India.

According to the Reserve Bank of India’s remittance survey for 2020-21, these remittances accounted for less than 1 per cent of the total remittances received by India. This is mainly due to the substantial remittances from other regions, such as West Asia and the US. However, in absolute terms, Canada contributed nearly $4 billion in remittances to India, surpassing countries like Germany, Italy, and the Philippines.