Focus on Geography Series, 2021 Census of Population
British Columbia, Province
Religion
Religion: In 2021, the top religious group was Catholic, with about 588,145 persons representing 12.0% of the total population. The second group was Christian, n.o.s., with about 434,925 persons representing 8.8% of the total population. The population who declared no religion and secular perspectives numbered 2,559,250 persons, representing 52.1% of the total population.
Racialized groups
Racialized groupsFootnote 1: In 2021, the largest racialized group was Chinese, with about 550,590 persons representing 11.2% of the total population. The second group was South Asian, with about 473,970 persons representing 9.6% of the total population. The third group was Filipino, with about 174,280 persons representing 3.5% of the total population.
Ethnic or cultural origins
Ethnic or cultural origins: In 2021, the most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origin was English, with about 1,019,250 persons representing 20.7% of the total population. The second origin was Scottish, with about 774,450 persons representing 15.8% of the total population. The third origin was Irish, with about 627,920 persons representing 12.8% of the total population.
Distribution (in percentage) of religious groups, British Columbia, 2011 and 2021
The 10 most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origins by median age, British Columbia, 2021
| Ethnic or cultural origin | Number of responses | % | Rank | Median age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | 1,019,250 | 20.7 | 1 | 47.2 |
| Scottish | 774,450 | 15.8 | 2 | 44.8 |
| Irish | 627,920 | 12.8 | 3 | 43.2 |
| German | 539,145 | 11.0 | 4 | 41.2 |
| Chinese | 517,800 | 10.5 | 5 | 40.8 |
| Canadian | 459,320 | 9.3 | 6 | 32.4 |
| French, n.o.s. | 312,755 | 6.4 | 7 | 41.2 |
| Indian (India) | 275,970 | 5.6 | 8 | 33.6 |
| Ukrainian | 210,100 | 4.3 | 9 | 39.6 |
| British Isles, n.o.s. | 191,020 | 3.9 | 10 | 49.2 |
Counts of visible minority groupsFootnote 2, British Columbia, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021
Population by visible minority groupFootnote 2 and median age, British Columbia, 2016 and 2021
| 2016 | 2021 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % of total population | % of visible minority population | Median age | Number | % of total population | % of visible minority population | Median age | |
| Total - Visible minority | 4,560,240 | 100.0 | ... | 41.8 | 4,915,940 | 100.0 | ... | 42.4 |
| Total visible minority population | 1,381,235 | 30.3 | 100.0 | 37.5 | 1,689,485 | 34.4 | 100.0 | 36.8 |
| South Asian | 365,705 | 8.0 | 26.5 | 36.7 | 473,970 | 9.6 | 28.1 | 33.6 |
| Chinese | 508,480 | 11.2 | 36.8 | 40.3 | 550,590 | 11.2 | 32.6 | 42.0 |
| Black | 43,500 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 30.9 | 61,760 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 30.0 |
| Filipino | 145,025 | 3.2 | 10.5 | 36.1 | 174,280 | 3.5 | 10.3 | 38.0 |
| Arab | 19,840 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 31.3 | 28,010 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 30.4 |
| Latin American | 44,115 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 36.5 | 65,970 | 1.3 | 3.9 | 36.0 |
| Southeast Asian | 54,920 | 1.2 | 4.0 | 35.3 | 71,785 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 34.8 |
| West Asian | 48,695 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 38.7 | 69,270 | 1.4 | 4.1 | 38.8 |
| Korean | 60,490 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 35.9 | 72,815 | 1.5 | 4.3 | 37.2 |
| Japanese | 41,230 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 39.2 | 44,120 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 40.0 |
| Visible minority, n.i.e. | 8,765 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 35.7 | 18,080 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 36.8 |
| Multiple visible minorities | 40,465 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 27.9 | 58,840 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 24.8 |
- Date modified: