Cultural Diversity
Toronto is one of the world's most multicultural cities. In 2004, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranked Toronto second, behind Miami, Florida, in its list of the world's cities with the largest percentage of foreign-born population. Miami's foreign-born population is dominated by those of Cuban and Latin American descent, unlike Toronto's foreign-born population, which is not dominated by any particular ethnic group.
The 2006 census indicates 46.9% of Toronto's population is composed of visible minorities; 1,162,630 non-Whites, or 23% of Canada's visible minority population, live in Toronto; of this, approximately 70% are of Asian ancestry. Annually, almost half of all immigrants to Canada settle in the Greater Toronto Area. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that the combined visible minority proportion will comprise a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012.
In particular, the progression of the percentage of visible minorities in the City of Toronto from 1996 to 2006 has been as follows:
- 1996 : 37.3% (Chinese 9.3%, South Asian 8.1%, Black 8.1%, Filipino 2.8%, Arab/West Asian: 2.1%, Latin American 2.0%, Southeast Asian 1.4%, not included elsewhere 1.2%, Korean 1.0%, multiple 0.7%, Japanese 0.5%)
- 2001: 42.8% (Chinese 10.6%, South Asian 10.3%, Black 8.3%, Filipino 3.5%, Arab/West Asian: 2.4%, Latin American 2.2%, not included elsewhere 1.5%, Southeast Asian 1.4%, Korean 1.2%, multiple 0.8%, Japanese 0.5%)
- 2006: 46.9% (South Asian: 12.0%, Chinese: 11.4%, Black 8.4%, Filipino 4.1%, Arab/West Asian: 2.6%, Latin American 2.6%, Southeast Asian 1.5%, Korean 1.4%, multiple 1.3%, not included elsewhere 1.0%, Japanese 0.5%)
Hence, the rise of 9.6 percentage points in the visible minority propoption of Toronto population in the 1996-2006 period, can be broken down as follows:
- South Asian: 3.9
- Chinese: 2.1
- Filipino 1.3
- Latin American: 0.6
- multiple: 0.6
- Arab/West Asian: 0.5
- Korean 0.4
- Black: 0.3
- Southeast Asian: 0.1
- Japanese: -
- not included elsewhere: -0.2
That is, 7.8 of the 9.6 percentage points are due to Asian minorities (other than Middle Eastern), split almost 50-50 between South Asians (3.9) and East Asians (Chinese 2.1 + Filipinos 1.3 + Koreans 0.4 + S/E Asians 0.1 = 3.9)
| Visible minorities and Aboriginal population (City of Toronto) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada 2006 Census | Population | % of Total Population | |
| Visible minority group |
South Asian | 298,370 | 12 |
| Chinese | 283,075 | 11.4 | |
| Black | 208,555 | 8.4 | |
| Filipino | 102,555 | 4.1 | |
| Latin American | 64,855 | 2.6 | |
| Southeast Asian | 37,495 | 1.5 | |
| Arab | 22,485 | 0.9 | |
| West Asian | 42,755 | 1.7 | |
| Korean | 34,220 | 1.4 | |
| Japanese | 11,965 | 0.5 | |
| Mixed visible minority | 31,100 | 1.3 | |
| Other visible minority | 25,195 | 1 | |
| Total visible minority population | 1,162,630 | 46.9 | |
| Aboriginal group |
First Nations | 9,125 | 0.4 |
| Métis | 3,650 | 0.1 | |
| Inuit | 195 | 0 | |
| Total Aboriginal population | 13,605 | 0.5 | |
| White | 1,300,330 | 52.6 | |
| Total population | 2,476,565 | 100 | |
The top visible-minority groups per City of Toronto Community Council are as follows:
- Toronto & East York (643,015): Not a visible minority: 66.9%, Chinese: 10.2%, South Asian: 6.3%, Black: 5.6%
- North York (635,260): Not a visible minority: 52.3%, Chinese: 13.2%, South Asian: 9.1%, Black 6.7%, Filipino: 4.6%, West Asian: 3.6%, Korean: 3.0%
- Scarborough (602,645): Not a visible minority: 32.6%, South Asian: 22.0%, Chinese: 19.5%, Black: 10.3%, Filipino: 6.5%
- Etobicoke York (595,420): Not a visible minority: 59.5%, Black: 11.4%, South Asian: 11.3%, Latin American: 4.9%
while the progression of the percentage of visible minorities in the aforementioned Community Councils (pre-amalgamation municipalities or pairs thereof) has not been uniform:
- Toronto & East York: 1996: 28.7% -> 2001: 32.6% (+3.9) -> 2006: 33.1% (+0.5) (Total: +4.4)
- North York: 1996: 39.7% -> 2001: 42.6% (+2.9) -> 2006: 47.7% (+5.1) (Total: +8.0)
- Scarborough: 1996: 51.9% -> 2001: 60.0% (+8.1) -> 2006: 67.4% (+7.4) (Total: +15.5)
- Etobicoke York: 1996: 31.1% -> 2001: 37.1% (+6.0) -> 2006: 40.5% (+3.4) (Total: +9.4)
| Visible minority groups in the Toronto CMA (2006) |
Population | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visible minority group | White / Aboriginal | 2,898,005 | 57.1 |
| South Asian | 684,070 | 13.5 | |
| Chinese | 486,330 | 9.6 | |
| Black | 352,220 | 6.9 | |
| Filipino | 171,980 | 3.4 | |
| Latin American | 99,295 | 2.0 | |
| West Asian | 75,475 | 1.5 | |
| Southeast Asian | 70,215 | 1.4 | |
| Korean | 55,265 | 1.1 | |
| Arab | 53,430 | 1.1 | |
| Japanese | 19,010 | 0.4 | |
| Multiple minorities | 60,075 | 1.2 | |
| Other | 46,705 | 0.9 | |
| Total population | 5,072,075 | 100 | |
The top visible-minority groups per Toronto CMA municipality are as follows (only percentages higher than 3% are included):
- Mississauga (665,655): Not a visible minority: 51.0%, South Asian: 20.2%, Chinese: 6.9%, Black: 6.2%, Filipino: 4.6%
- Brampton (431,575): Not a visible minority: 43.0%, South Asian: 31.7%, Black: 12.4%
- Markham (260,755): Not a visible minority: 34.6%, Chinese: 34.2%, South Asian: 17.3%, Black: 3.1%
- Vaughan (238,005): Not a visible minority: 73.4%, South Asian: 8.6%, Chinese: 4.2%
- Oakville (164,485): Not a visible minority: 81.6%, South Asian: 6.0%, Chinese: 3.2%
- Richmond Hill (161,690): Not a visible minority: 54.3%, Chinese: 21.4%, South Asian: 7.0%, West Asian: 6.7%
- Ajax (89,835): Not a visible minority: 64.4%, Black: 13.0%, South Asian: 10.8%
- Pickering (87,365): Not a visible minority: 69.4%, Black: 10.1%, South Asian: 9.1%, Filipino: 3.1%
- Newmarket (73,370): Not a visible minority: 84.9%
- Caledon (56,840): Not a visible minority: 92.8%
- Halton Hills (55,025): Not a visible minority: 95.9%,
- Milton (53,405): Not a visible minority: 82.9%, South Asian: 5.8%, Black: 3.2%
- Aurora (47,035): Not a visible minority: 86.9%
- Georgina (41,930): Not a visible minority: 96.1%
- New Tecumseth (27,325): Not a visible minority: 96.8%
- Whitchurch-Stoufville (24,105): Not a visible minority: 92.6%, Chinese: 3.0%
- Bradford West Gwillimbury (23,830): Not a visible minority: 93.7%
- East Gwillimbury (20,685): Not a visible minority: 96.5%
- King (19,425): Not a visible minority: 95.4%
- Uxbridge (19,075): Not a visible minority: 97.7%
| Top 20 Ethnic Origins in the Toronto CMA (2006; Total Responses) |
Population | % | 2001 | Population | % | 1996 | Population | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 804,100 | 15.9 | Canadian | 861,945 | 18.5 | English | 891,735 | 21.1 |
| Canadian | 651,635 | 12.8 | English | 783,770 | 16.9 | Canadian | 710,755 | 16.8 |
| Scottish | 561,050 | 11.1 | Scottish | 517,115 | 11.1 | Scottish | 534,595 | 12.6 |
| Chinese | 537,060 | 10.6 | Irish | 487,215 | 10.4 | Irish | 480,980 | 11.4 |
| Irish | 531,865 | 10.5 | Chinese | 435,685 | 9.4 | Italian | 414,310 | 9.8 |
| East Indian | 484,655 | 9.6 | Italian | 429,385 | 9.2 | Chinese | 359,450 | 8.5 |
| Italian | 466,155 | 9.2 | East Indian | 345,855 | 7.4 | East Indian | 255,685 | 6.0 |
| German | 259,015 | 5.1 | French | 220,535 | 4.7 | French | 236,315 | 5.6 |
| French | 241,395 | 4.8 | German | 220,140 | 4.7 | German | 224,525 | 5.3 |
| Polish | 207,495 | 4.1 | Portuguese | 171,545 | 3.7 | Portuguese | 161,685 | 3.8 |
| Portuguese | 188,110 | 3.7 | Polish | 166,695 | 3.6 | Polish | 161,005 | 3.8 |
| Filipino | 181,330 | 3.6 | Jewish | 161,215 | 3.5 | Jewish | 156,300 | 3.7 |
| Jamaican | 160,205 | 3.2 | Jamaican | 150,840 | 3.2 | Jamaican | 133,690 | 3.2 |
| Jewish | 141,685 | 2.8 | Filipino | 140,405 | 3.0 | Filipino | 102,525 | 2.4 |
| Ukrainian | 122,510 | 2.4 | Ukrainian | 104,485 | 2.2 | Ukrainian | 95,500 | 2.3 |
| Russian | 102,815 | 2.0 | Dutch (Netherlands) | 85,860 | 1.8 | Dutch (Netherlands) | 85,250 | 2.0 |
| Spanish | 97,255 | 1.9 | Greek | 85,375 | 1.8 | Greek | 80,330 | 1.9 |
| Dutch (Netherlands) | 95,560 | 1.9 | Spanish | 65,600 | 1.4 | Spanish | 62,520 | 1.5 |
| Greek | 90,585 | 1.8 | Russian | 62,540 | 1.3 | Hungarian (Magyar) | 44,160 | 1.1 |
| Sri Lankan | 80,610 | 1.6 | Hungarian (Magyar) | 46,790 | 1.0 | Welsh | 44,015 | 1.0 |
| Total population | 5,072,075 | 100 | Total population | 4,647,955 | 100 | Total population | 4,232,905 | 100 |
Top ethnic origin per Toronto neighbourhood (as designated by the City of Toronto; 2006 Census data - total responses)
- English (59): Leaside-Bennington (40%), The Beaches (39%), Rosedale-Moore Park (36%), Kingsway South (35%), Lawrence Park South (33%), Yonge-Eglinton (32.4%), Guildwood (32.3%), Birchcliffe-Cliffside (31.9%), Lawrence Park North (31.5%), Yonge-St. Clair (30.8%), Cabbagetown-South St. James Town (30.1%), North Riverdale (30.0%), East End-Danforth (29.8%), Playter Estates-Danforth (29.7%), Woodbine Corridor (29%), Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills (27.3%), Centennial Scarborough (27.1%), Princess-Rosethorn (27.0%), Casa Loma (26.8%), Cliffcrest (25.7%), Markland Wood (25.7%), Woodbine-Lumsden (25.6%), Etobicoke West Mall (25.3%), Runnymede-Bloor West Village (25.3%), etc.
- Chinese (23): Steeles (70%), Milliken (65%), Agincourt North (56%), Agincourt South-Malvern West (47.1%), Hillcrest Village (46.9%), Kensington-Chinatown (44%), Tam O’Shanter-Sullivan (38%), L’Amoreaux (37.2%), Willowdale East (36.6%), Pleasant View (36%), Bayview Woods-Steeles (34%), South Riverdale (33%), Newtonbrook East (31%), Don Valley Village (29%), Greenwood-Coxwell (22.1%), Henry Farm (21.7%), Bay Street Corridor (21%), etc.
- Italian (15): Maple Leaf (45%), Humber Summit (34.5%), Pelmo Park-Humberlea (34.2%), Yorkdale-Glen Park (33.6%), Rustic (31.1%), Downsview-Roding-CFB (30.6%), Humber Heights-Westmount (20.4%), Willowridge-Martingrove-Richview (20.4%), Glenfield-Jane Heights (18%), Oakwood-Vaughan (16.8%), York University Heights (16.7%), Briar Hill-Belgravia (15%), etc.
- East Indian (15): West Humber-Clairville (33%), Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown (30%), Thorncliffe Park (24%), Woburn (22%), Rouge (21.1%), Highland Creek (20.7%), Malvern (20.6%), Flemingdon Park (20%), Thistletown-Beaumond Heights (19.4%), Humbermede (19.1%), Crescent Town (19.0%), Morningside (16%), etc.
- Jewish (10): Forest Hill North (32%), Westminster-Branson (31%), Forest Hill South (29%), Bedford Park-Nortown (28%), Bathurst Manor (27%), Englemount-Lawrence (26%), Clanton Park (23%), Humewood-Cedarvale (18.2%), Lansing-Westgate (17.6%), Newtonbrook West (15%)
- Portuguese (9): Little Portugal (38%), Caledonia-Fairbank (37%), Weston-Pellam Park (34%), Keelesdale-Eglinton West (32%), Corso Italia-Davenport (31%), Trinity-Bellwoods (28%), Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction (27%), Dufferin Grove (25%), Rockcliffe-Smythe (15%)
- Filipino (3): North St. James Town (17%), Ionview (16%), Kennedy Park (13%)
- Jamaican (3): Beechborough-Greenbrook (15%), Black Creek (10.0%), Mount Dennis (9.7%)
- Canadian (2): New Toronto (21%), Alderwood (19%)
- Greek (1): Broadview North (15%)
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Toronto
Famous quotes containing the words cultural and/or diversity:
“The personal appropriation of clichés is a condition for the spread of cultural tourism.”
—Serge Daney (1944–1992)
“We call the intention good which is right in itself, but the action is good, not because it contains within it some good, but because it issues from a good intention. The same act may be done by the same man at different times. According to the diversity of his intention, however, this act may be at one time good, at another bad.”
—Peter Abelard (1079–1142)