Middle Eastern Canadians

Middle Eastern Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Middle East, which includes Western Asia and North Africa.

Middle Eastern Canadians
Total population
1,366,190[1]
4.0% of the total Canadian population (2016)
Regions with significant populations
Southern Ontario, Southern Quebec, Southwestern BC, Central Alberta, Urban
Languages
Canadian English · Canadian French ·
Arabic · Persian · Armenian · Turkish · Hebrew
Other Middle Eastern languages
Religion
Islam · Christianity · Baháʼí Faith · Judaism · irreligious
Related ethnic groups
Middle Eastern Americans · Arab Canadians · West Asian Canadians · Asian Canadians

History

Initial settlement

Individuals from the Middle East first arrived in Canada in 1882, when a group of Syrian and Lebanese immigrants settled in Montreal.[2] 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

During World War I, Middle Eastern Canadians of Turkish origin were placed in “enemy alien" internment camps.[3]

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.[4]

21st century

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.[5]

Demography

Ethnic and national origins
Middle Eastern Canadians Demography by Ethnic/National Origins
Ethnic/National
Origin		 2016[1]
Pop. %
– West Asian1,011,14574%
Lebanese219,55516.1%
Iranian210,40515.4%
– Arab, n.o.s.[lower-alpha 1]111,4008.2%
Afghan83,9956.1%
Syrian77,0455.6%
Iraqi70,9255.2%
Turkish63,9554.7%
Armenian63,8104.7%
Palestinian44,8203.3%
Israeli28,7352.1%
– West Central Asian and
Middle Eastern origins, n.i.e.[lower-alpha 2]		28,7352.1%
– Kurd16,3151.2%
Jordanian14,2501%
– Assyrian13,8351%
– Other51,8503.8%
– North African355,04526%
Moroccan103,9407.6%
Egyptian99,1407.3%
Algerian67,3354.9%
– Berber37,0602.7%
Tunisian25,6451.9%
Sudanese19,9601.5%
– Other19,4801.4%
Total population1,366,190100%

Language

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

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

Geographical distribution
Middle Eastern population by province or territory (2016)
Province / territory Population Percentage
Ontario[6] 610,005 4.6%
Quebec[7] 465,920 5.8%
Alberta[8] 120,590 3%
British Columbia[9] 109,400 2.4%
Nova Scotia[10] 19,235 2.1%
Manitoba[11] 15,540 1.3%
Saskatchewan[12] 11,605 1.1%
New Brunswick[13] 8,035 1.1%
Newfoundland and Labrador[14] 3,290 0.6%
Prince Edward Island[15] 1,830 1.3%
Northwest Territories[16] 390 0.9%
Yukon[17] 230 0.7%
Nunavut[18] 130 0.4%
Canada[1] 1,366,190 4%

See also

Notes
  1. Includes responses of 'Arab,' not otherwise specified.
  2. Includes general responses indicating West Asian, Central Asian and Middle Eastern origins as well as more specific responses that have not been included elsewhere (e.g., 'Baloch,' 'Circassian').

References
  1. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Canada [Country] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. "History of Recent Arab Immigration to Canada".
  3. "First World War Timeline". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  4. "Iranians". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. 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.
  6. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Ontario [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  7. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Quebec [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  8. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Alberta [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  9. "Census Profile, 2016 Census British Columbia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  10. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nova Scotia [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  11. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Manitoba [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  12. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Saskatchewan [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  13. "Census Profile, 2016 Census New Brunswick [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Newfoundland and Labrador [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  15. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Prince Edward Island [Province] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  16. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Northwest Territories [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  17. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Yukon [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  18. "Census Profile, 2016 Census Nunavut [Territory] and Canada [Country]". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
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