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Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census
Census metropolitan area of Vancouver, British Columbia
Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses
Chart A description: Vancouver, CMA - Population, 2011 and 2006 censuses
In 2011, the population of Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA) was 2,313,328, representing a percentage change of 9.3% from 2006. This compares to the national growth of 5.9% and to the average growth among all CMAs of 7.4%.
In Vancouver, the land area is 2,882.55 square kilometres with a population density of 802.5 persons per square kilometre. This compares to the national land area of 8,965,121.42 square kilometres with a population density of 3.7 persons per square kilometre. The land area of all CMAs is 92,648.98 square kilometres with 249.58 persons per square kilometre.
In total, there were 891,336 private dwellings occupied by usual residents in Vancouver in 2011. The change in private dwellings occupied by usual residents from 2006 was 9.1%. For Canada as a whole, the number of private dwellings occupied by usual residents increased 7.1%.
Population and dwelling counts
Census subdivisions in the Vancouver CMA
Census subdivision (CSD) name | Type | Population | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 2006 | % change | ||
Vancouver | CY | 603,502 | 578,041 | 4.4 |
Surrey | CY | 468,251 | 394,976 | 18.6 |
Burnaby | CY | 223,218 | 202,799 | 10.1 |
Richmond | CY | 190,473 | 174,461 | 9.2 |
Coquitlam | CY | 126,456 | 114,565 | 10.4 |
Langley | DM | 104,177 | 93,726 | 11.2 |
Delta | DM | 99,863 | 96,635 A | 3.3 |
North Vancouver | DM | 84,412 | 82,562 | 2.2 |
Maple Ridge | DM | 76,052 | 68,949 | 10.3 |
New Westminster | CY | 65,976 | 58,549 | 12.7 |
Port Coquitlam | CY | 56,342 | 52,687 | 6.9 |
North Vancouver | CY | 48,196 | 45,165 | 6.7 |
West Vancouver | DM | 42,694 | 42,131 | 1.3 |
Port Moody | CY | 32,975 | 27,512 | 19.9 |
Langley | CY | 25,081 | 23,606 E | 6.2 |
White Rock | CY | 19,339 | 18,755 | 3.1 |
Pitt Meadows | CY | 17,736 | 15,623 | 13.5 |
Greater Vancouver A | RDA | 13,035 | 11,050 | 18.0 |
Bowen Island | IM | 3,402 | 3,362 | 1.2 |
Capilano 5 | IRI | 2,700 | 2,492 | 8.3 |
Anmore | VL | 2,092 | 1,785 | 17.2 |
Musqueam 2 | IRI | 1,569 | 1,371 | 14.4 |
Burrard Inlet 3 | IRI | 1,472 | 1,405 | 4.8 |
Lions Bay | VL | 1,318 | 1,328 | -0.8 |
Tsawwassen | IRI | 720 | 762 A | -5.5 |
Belcarra | VL | 644 | 676 | -4.7 |
Mission 1 | IRI | 574 | 569 | 0.9 |
Matsqui 4 | IRI | 498 | 426 | 16.9 |
Katzie 1 | IRI | 229 | 246 | -6.9 |
Semiahmoo | IRI | 108 | 109 | -0.9 |
Seymour Creek 2 | IRI | 107 | 75 | 42.7 |
McMillan Island 6 | IRI | 68 | 63 | 7.9 |
Coquitlam 1 | IRI | 39 | 24 | 62.5 |
Musqueam 4 | IRI | 5 | 5 | 0.0 |
Coquitlam 2 | IRI | 5 | 5 | 0.0 |
Katzie 2 | IRI | 0 | 37 | -100.0 |
Barnston Island 3 | IRI | 0 | 49 | -100.0 |
Langley 5 | IRI | 0 | 0 | ··· |
Whonnock 1 | IRI | 0 | 0 | ··· |
Census metropolitan areas (CMAs) or census agglomerations (CAs) in British Columbia
CMA or CA name | Type | Population | Rank | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 2006 | % change | Nat. | Prov. | ||
Vancouver | CMA | 2,313,328 | 2,116,581 | 9.3 | 3 | 1 |
Victoria † | CMA | 344,615 | 330,088 | 4.4 | 15 | 2 |
Kelowna | CMA | 179,839 | 162,276 | 10.8 | 22 | 3 |
Abbotsford - Mission | CMA | 170,191 | 159,020 | 7.0 | 23 | 4 |
Kamloops | CA | 98,754 | 92,797 A | 6.4 | 37 | 5 |
Nanaimo | CA | 98,021 | 92,361 | 6.1 | 38 | 6 |
Chilliwack | CA | 92,308 | 82,465 A | 11.9 | 42 | 7 |
Prince George | CA | 84,232 | 83,225 | 1.2 | 46 | 8 |
Vernon | CA | 58,584 | 55,418 | 5.7 | 56 | 9 |
Courtenay | CA | 55,213 | 51,383 A | 7.5 | 58 | 10 |
Duncan | CA | 43,252 | 41,387 | 4.5 | 68 | 11 |
Penticton | CA | 42,361 | 41,303 A | 2.6 | 71 | 12 |
Campbell River | CA | 36,096 | 34,707 A | 4.0 | 77 | 13 |
Parksville | CA | 27,822 | 26,518 | 4.9 | 92 | 14 |
Fort St. John | CA | 26,380 | 25,136 | 4.9 | 96 | 15 |
Port Alberni | CA | 25,465 | 25,343 A | 0.5 | 99 | 16 |
Cranbrook | CA | 25,037 | 24,138 | 3.7 | 100 | 17 |
Quesnel | CA | 22,096 | 21,049 A | 5.0 | 104 | 18 |
Williams Lake | CA | 18,490 | 18,760 | -1.4 | 110 | 19 |
Salmon Arm | CA | 17,683 | 16,205 | 9.1 | 114 | 20 |
Squamish | CA | 17,479 | 15,256 | 14.6 | 116 | 21 |
Powell River | CA | 16,689 | 16,537 | 0.9 | 119 | 22 |
Terrace | CA | 15,569 | 15,420 A | 1.0 | 124 | 23 |
Prince Rupert | CA | 13,052 | 13,392 | -2.5 | 131 | 24 |
Dawson Creek | CA | 11,583 | 10,994 | 5.4 | 145 | 25 |
Age and sex
Vancouver – Age distribution
Age groups | Both sexes | Males | Females |
---|---|---|---|
0 to 14 | 15.3% | 16.1% | 14.5% |
15 to 64 | 71.2% | 71.4% | 70.9% |
65 and over | 13.5% | 12.5% | 14.5% |
In 2011, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over in Vancouver was 13.5%, compared with a national percentage of 14.8%. The percentage of the working age population (15 to 64) was 71.2% and the percentage of children aged 0 to 14 was 15.3%. In comparison, the national percentages were 68.5% for the population aged 15 to 64 and 16.7% for the population aged 0 to 14.
Vancouver – Population by broad age groups and sex
Broad age groups by sex | Population | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 2006 | change | % change | |
Both sexes | ||||
Total | 2,313,325 | 2,116,580 | 196,745 | 9.3 |
0 to 14 | 354,450 | 345,745 | 8,705 | 2.5 |
15 to 64 | 1,645,980 | 1,499,370 | 146,610 | 9.8 |
65 and over | 312,900 | 271,465 | 41,435 | 15.3 |
Males | ||||
Total | 1,130,375 | 1,032,445 | 97,930 | 9.5 |
0 to 14 | 182,365 | 178,190 | 4,175 | 2.3 |
15 to 64 | 807,195 | 734,970 | 72,225 | 9.8 |
65 and over | 140,815 | 119,285 | 21,530 | 18.0 |
Females | ||||
Total | 1,182,955 | 1,084,135 | 98,820 | 9.1 |
0 to 14 | 172,085 | 167,555 | 4,530 | 2.7 |
15 to 64 | 838,780 | 764,405 | 74,375 | 9.7 |
65 and over | 172,090 | 152,175 | 19,915 | 13.1 |
Vancouver – Population by five-year age groups and sex
Age groups | Both sexes | Males | Females |
---|---|---|---|
Total - Age groups | 2,313,325 | 1,130,375 | 1,182,955 |
0 to 4 years | 115,180 | 59,280 | 55,905 |
5 to 9 years | 114,390 | 58,730 | 55,660 |
10 to 14 years | 124,880 | 64,365 | 60,520 |
15 to 19 years | 145,190 | 75,075 | 70,115 |
20 to 24 years | 159,085 | 80,620 | 78,465 |
25 to 29 years | 170,065 | 83,960 | 86,105 |
30 to 34 years | 160,010 | 77,900 | 82,105 |
35 to 39 years | 161,245 | 76,660 | 84,590 |
40 to 44 years | 180,540 | 86,310 | 94,225 |
45 to 49 years | 192,085 | 93,760 | 98,330 |
50 to 54 years | 182,430 | 88,700 | 93,730 |
55 to 59 years | 158,565 | 77,600 | 80,970 |
60 to 64 years | 136,760 | 66,615 | 70,150 |
65 to 69 years | 94,860 | 46,120 | 48,740 |
70 to 74 years | 72,890 | 34,215 | 38,675 |
75 to 79 years | 58,150 | 26,990 | 31,160 |
80 to 84 years | 44,235 | 19,045 | 25,190 |
85 to 89 years | 27,605 | 10,055 | 17,555 |
90 to 94 years | 11,555 | 3,470 | 8,090 |
95 to 99 years | 3,140 | 815 | 2,320 |
100 years and over | 460 | 95 | 360 |
Median age | 40.2 | 39.3 | 40.9 |
Vancouver – Median age1 of the population
The median age in Vancouver was 40.2 years. In comparison, the median age of British Columbia was 41.9 years.
Median age | ||
---|---|---|
2006 | 2011 | |
Canada | 39.5 | 40.6 |
British Columbia | 40.8 | 41.9 |
Vancouver | 39.1 | 40.2 |
Families and households
In 2011, the number of census families2 in Vancouver was 633,460, which represents a change of 9.2% from 2006. This compares to a growth rate for Canada of 5.5% over the same period.
In Vancouver, 73.8% of census families were married couples in 2011, while 10.7% were common-law-couples and 15.5% were lone-parent families.
Vancouver – Family structure
Geographic name | Total families | Married-couple families | Common-law-couple families | Lone-parent families | % change, census families, 2006 to 2011 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | number | % | |||
Canada † | 9,389,695 | 6,293,950 | 67.0 | 1,567,905 | 16.7 | 1,527,840 | 16.3 | 5.5 |
British Columbia † | 1,238,155 | 887,990 | 71.7 | 160,360 | 13.0 | 189,805 | 15.3 | 6.6 |
Vancouver | 633,460 | 467,335 | 73.8 | 67,845 | 10.7 | 98,280 | 15.5 | 9.2 |
Vancouver – Presence of children within couple families
Married couples | Common-law-couples | ||
---|---|---|---|
with children | without children | with children | without children |
245,835 (45.9%) | 221,500 (41.4%) | 18,745 ( 3.5%) | 49,095 ( 9.2%) |
Chart G description: Vancouver - Presence of children within couple families
Among couples (married and common-law) in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver, 49.4% were couples with children aged 24 and under at home. In comparison, as a whole, 46.9% of couples in Canada had children aged 24 and under at home.
Among couples with children aged 24 and under at home in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver, 91.6% were intact families, that is, in which all children were the biological or adopted children of both parents, while 8.4% were stepfamilies, in which there was at least one child was the biological or adopted child of only one married spouse or common-law partner. For Canada as a whole in 2011, 12.6% of couples with children aged 24 and under were stepfamilies.
Vancouver – Marital status
In Vancouver, 56.5% of the total population aged 15 and over were either married (49.5%) or living with a common-law partner (6.9%).
The remaining 43.5% were not married and not living with a common-law partner, including those who were single (never-married), separated, divorced or widowed.
Note: Percentages may not total 100 percent due to random rounding.
Marital status | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | number | % | |
Total - Population 15 years and over | 1,958,880 | 100.0 | 3,722,690 | 100.0 | 27,869,345 | 100.0 |
Married or living with a common-law partner | 1,106,580 | 56.5 | 2,154,575 | 57.9 | 16,084,490 | 57.7 |
Married (and not separated) | 970,585 | 49.5 | 1,832,605 | 49.2 | 12,941,965 | 46.4 |
Living common-law | 135,995 | 6.9 | 321,965 | 8.6 | 3,142,525 | 11.3 |
Not married and not living with a common-law partner | 852,300 | 43.5 | 1,568,120 | 42.1 | 11,784,855 | 42.3 |
Single (never legally married) | 586,885 | 30.0 | 1,014,270 | 27.2 | 7,816,045 | 28.0 |
Separated | 48,835 | 2.5 | 102,035 | 2.7 | 698,245 | 2.5 |
Divorced | 119,565 | 6.1 | 246,515 | 6.6 | 1,686,035 | 6.0 |
Widowed | 97,010 | 5.0 | 205,300 | 5.5 | 1,584,525 | 5.7 |
Vancouver – Types of private households
There were 891,335 private households3 in Vancouver in 2011, a change of 9.1% from 2006. Of these, 26.9% of households were comprised of couples with children aged 24 and under at home, a change of 2.8% compared with five years earlier.
Household type4 | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | number | % | |
Total - Private households | 891,335 | 100.0 | 1,764,635 | 100.0 | 13,320,615 | 100.0 |
Couple-family households with children aged 24 and under at home5 |
239,770 | 26.9 | 431,135 | 24.4 | 3,524,915 | 26.5 |
Couple-family households without children aged 24 and under at home6 |
235,750 | 26.4 | 532,995 | 30.2 | 3,935,540 | 29.5 |
Lone-parent family households7 | 85,650 | 9.6 | 168,530 | 9.6 | 1,375,450 | 10.3 |
One-person households | 251,745 | 28.2 | 498,925 | 28.3 | 3,673,310 | 27.6 |
Multiple-family households8 | 34,315 | 3.8 | 50,410 | 2.9 | 268,060 | 2.0 |
Other households9 | 44,100 | 4.9 | 82,640 | 4.7 | 543,340 | 4.1 |
Vancouver – Structural type of dwelling
In Vancouver, 33.8% of private households lived in single-detached houses and 14.5% lived in apartments in buildings that have five or more storeys. The rest lived in other types of dwelling structures.
Structural type of dwelling | Vancouver | British Columbia | Canada | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | number | % | |
Total - Structural type of dwelling | 891,335 | 100.0 | 1,764,640 | 100.0 | 13,320,615 | 100.0 |
Single-detached house | 301,140 | 33.8 | 842,120 | 47.7 | 7,329,150 | 55.0 |
Semi-detached house | 19,300 | 2.2 | 52,825 | 3.0 | 646,240 | 4.9 |
Row house | 80,500 | 9.0 | 130,370 | 7.4 | 791,600 | 5.9 |
Apartment, building that has five or more storeys | 129,255 | 14.5 | 143,970 | 8.2 | 1,234,770 | 9.3 |
Apartment, building that has fewer than five storeys | 228,585 | 25.6 | 361,150 | 20.5 | 2,397,555 | 18.0 |
Apartment, duplex | 126,610 | 14.2 | 184,355 | 10.4 | 704,485 | 5.3 |
Other single-attached house10 | 965 | 0.1 | 2,885 | 0.2 | 33,310 | 0.3 |
Movable dwelling11 | 4,990 | 0.6 | 46,960 | 2.7 | 183,510 | 1.4 |
Language
Vancouver – Mother tongue
Chart J description: Vancouver - Mother tongue and language spoken most often at home
Note: Counts for mother tongue as well as those for language spoken most often at home include single responses only.
In Vancouver, 56.0% of the population reported English only as mother tongue, 1.1% reported French only, and 40.3% reported only a non-official language, in 2011. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 70.3% for English only, 1.3% for French only and 26.5% for only non-official languages.
In 2011, 68.4% of the population spoke only English most often at home, 0.4% spoke only French and 25.4% spoke only a non-official language. In comparison, the provincial / territorial percentages were 80.5% for English only, 0.4% for French only and 15.4% for only a non-official language.
Selected languages | Mother tongue | Language spoken most often at home | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
number | % | number | % | |
Total | 2,292,115 | 100.0 | 2,292,115 | 100.0 |
English | 1,282,500 | 56.0 | 1,568,165 | 68.4 |
French | 24,780 | 1.1 | 8,410 | 0.4 |
Non-official language | 923,825 | 40.3 | 582,110 | 25.4 |
Multiple responses | 61,015 | 2.7 | 133,430 | 5.8 |
Mother tongue | Mother-tongue retention12 (in percentage) |
||
---|---|---|---|
Total retention; language spoken at home at least on a regular basis | Complete retention; language spoken most often at home | Partial retention; language spoken at home on a regular basis | |
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French. | |||
English | 99.2 | 98.2 | 1.0 |
French | 54.0 | 29.4 | 24.6 |
Non-official language | 84.4 | 66.6 | 17.8 |
Vancouver – Non-official languages
In Vancouver, the three most common mother tongues were Panjabi (Punjabi) (6.4%), Cantonese (5.8%) and Chinese, n.o.s. (5.0%), in 2011. In comparison, the most common mother tongues at the provincial / territorial level were Panjabi (Punjabi) (4.5%), Cantonese (3.2%) and Chinese, n.o.s. (2.9%).
Mother tongue | Number | Percentage of non-official language mother-tongue population | Percentage of total population |
---|---|---|---|
Note: Counts for mother tongue and home language include single response of a language as well as multiple responses of a language with English and/or French. | |||
Panjabi (Punjabi) | 147,725 | 15.1 | 6.4 |
Cantonese | 133,405 | 13.6 | 5.8 |
Chinese, n.o.s. | 115,635 | 11.8 | 5.0 |
Mandarin | 92,420 | 9.4 | 4.0 |
Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino) | 68,285 | 7.0 | 3.0 |
Korean | 45,305 | 4.6 | 2.0 |
Persian (Farsi) | 35,725 | 3.6 | 1.6 |
Spanish | 34,590 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
German | 28,590 | 2.9 | 1.2 |
Hindi | 26,165 | 2.7 | 1.1 |
Vancouver – Bilingualism
Age groups | Mother tongue | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Total | English | French | Non-official language | |
Note: Counts for mother tongue include single responses only. Consequently, the total excludes multiple responses. | ||||
Total | 7.0 | 7.8 | 88.1 | 3.7 |
0 to 19 | 9.0 | 9.6 | 83.1 | 6.5 |
20 to 44 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 92.3 | 3.8 |
45 to 64 | 5.4 | 5.5 | 89.1 | 2.7 |
65 and over | 4.4 | 3.7 | 81.0 | 2.4 |
Knowledge of official languages | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Total | 2,292,115 | 100.0 |
English only | 1,997,605 | 87.2 |
French only | 1,265 | 0.1 |
English and French | 164,785 | 7.2 |
Neither English nor French | 128,460 | 5.6 |
Symbols:
- ···
- not applicable
- †
- excludes census data for one or more incompletely enumerated Indian reserves or Indian settlements. For further information, refer to Notes.
- ¶
- incompletely enumerated Indian reserve or Indian settlement. For further information, refer to Notes.
- A
- adjusted figure due to boundary change. For further information, refer to Content considerations.
- E
- use with caution. For further information, refer to Cautionary note.
Source:
Statistics Canada. 2012. Focus on Geography Series, 2011 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-310-XWE2011004. Ottawa, Ontario. Analytical products, 2011 Census. Last updated October 24, 2012.
Related data:
- 2011 Census Topic-based tabulations – Census metropolitan area of Vancouver
- 2011 Census Highlight tables – Census metropolitan area of Vancouver
- 2011 NHS Focus on Geography Series – Census metropolitan area of Vancouver
- Date modified: