Laval, Quebec - Demographics

Demographics

In 2001, the population of Laval was an estimated 343,005, a 3.8 percent increase from the earlier census in 1996. Women constitute 51.44% of the total population. Children under 14 years of age total 18.6%, while those of retirement age (65 years of age and older) number 13.2% resulting in a median age of 38.7 years.

In 2001, 15.48% of Laval's population was born outside of Canada, a lower percentage than the national average, but higher than that for Quebec. Many immigrants have come to the city from the French-speaking Caribbean, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. Those of indigenous origin constitute 0.22%, while those who are visible minorities (non-white/European) number 8.68%, and are chiefly Black Canadian, Arab, and Hispanic. Like Quebec as a whole, the city is overwhemingly Christian (90.71%), particularly Roman Catholic (81.09%), while Protestant and Orthodox groups constitute the remainder of the population. Religions such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and others total less than 5% of the population combined.

As of March 2009, Laval was the main destination for immigrants to Canada, according to a study released by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). The report says that between 2001 and 2006, the immigrant population grew by 40% in Laval, while the national average stood at 15%.

Laval is not quite as linguistically diverse as neighbouring Montreal. The 2006 census found that, counting both single and multiple responses, French was spoken as a mother tongue by 68.4% of the population, and was spoken most often at home by 73.8% of Laval residents. Counting single responses only, the next most common mother tongues were English (6.9%), Italian (4.4%), Greek and Arabic (3.9% each), Spanish (2.2%) and Armenian (1.8%).