South Asian Canadians

Terminology

In Canada, the term "Asian" broadly includes people from East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia. The term "South Asian" refers to individuals who trace their origins to India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Despite its location, Myanmar is not typically included. The term "East Indian" was used to distinguish people of Indian origin from Aboriginal peoples and Afro-Caribbeans (West Indians), though "South Asian" has become the Census designation.

Canadians from South Asia may also be identified by their country of origin or cultural backgrounds (e.g., Punjabi, Tamil, or Bengali). The term "East Indian" was a historical term used widely in Canada to refer to people from India as opposed to who have also been referred to as "Indian". This term has been made less common after the introduction of the general term "South Asian" in areas with significant Indian Canadian populations like Toronto.

Brown and Desi are also terms used to refer to Canadians from South Asia. However, these are avoided in more formal contexts due to their ambiguity and the possibility of being perceived as derogatory.

Statistics Canada lists both cultural backgrounds like Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayali, and Goan in addition to categories like East Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, and Pakistani.

History

Late 19th century

The first well-known record of Canadians from South Asia dates back to 1897, when Punjabi Sikh soldiers were invited to British Columbia, en route from India to Britain, as a part of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. However, a 2025 study revealed that South Asians were present in Eastern Canada since the country’s founding, as the 1871 census identified 11 people of South Asian origin, with 8 persons from Ontario, and the remaining 3 from Nova Scotia. The early presence in Ontario and Nova Scotia demonstrates that South Asians were part of Canadian society decades earlier than previously recognized, and in regions outside the well-known Pacific migration routes to British Columbia, with the largest concentration residing in what is now Lakeshore, Ontario.

Early 20th century

With an estimated population of 100 by 1900, further South Asian settlement waves to Canada occurred in the few years after the turn of the 20th century; after hearing stories about the high wages being paid in British Columbia, some Punjabi British Indian soldiers stationed in British Malaya, British Hong Kong, and other British-controlled Chinese cities emigrated to Canada and settled in the western province. Attracted by these wages, more Sikh men began immigrating into British Columbia, working mainly in industries such as mining, logging and railroads. Many of these men, who arrived without their families, settled in the British Columbia Interior, Greater Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and the Fraser Valley in what is now Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Punjabi Sikh settlers first arrived in Golden, British Columbia to work at the Columbia River Lumber Company in 1902. A notable moment in early South Asian Canadian history, these early settlers built the first Gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Canada and North America in 1905, which would later be destroyed by fire in 1926. During this formative era of migration from the subcontinent to Canada, South Asian settlers did not receive much attention from all levels of government or the press; by many accounts, their new homes in British Columbia were relatively welcoming and inclusive, given their status as fellow British subjects.

The government in British Columbia enacted laws limiting the rights and privileges of Canadians from South Asian countries in 1907, preventing them from voting and denying them access to political office, public sector employment, and other professions. As a result, many migrated south from Vancouver across the border to the United States, where some became the victims of the 1907 Bellingham riots. At the same time, by 1907–08, many South Asian Canadians faced discrimination and xenophobia from those of European (Anglo-British) background, similar to that experienced by East Asian Canadians, such as the Japanese and Chinese communities. European settlers viewed Asian settlers, and included the Indians, as a threat to the European nature of Canada. In addition, many Asian migrants worked for lower wages, which at the time agitated the European (Anglo-British) majority.

In an effort to prevent South Asians from immigrating to Canada, the continuous journey regulation was enacted on January 8, 1908. The law prohibited any immigrants from landing in Canada "unless they came from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey, and on through tickets purchased before leaving the country of their birth or citizenship". As there was no direct steamship route from British India to Canada, this effectively barred immigration from the subcontinent, while the regulation also prevented Indian soldiers stationed in British Hong Kong and Japan from immigrating to Canada. Annual immigration figures between 1907–08 and 1908–09 reflected the enactment of the continuous journey regulation: 2,623 persons of Indian origin arrived in Canada during the former fiscal year, declining to six persons during the latter. Year-end statistics in 1908 indicated that the South Asian Canadian population stood at 5,179 persons or 0.08 percent of the national population, primarily Punjabi settlers concentrated in British Columbia. Many later migrated south to the United States, returned to British India or British Hong Kong, and the 1911 Canadian census later recorded a population decline to 2,342 persons or 0.03 percent of the national population.

The second Gurdwara to be built in Canada was in 1908 in Kitsilano (Vancouver) to serve a growing number of Punjabi Sikh settlers who worked at nearby sawmills along False Creek. By 1911, the Gur Sikh Temple opened in Abbotsford, British Columbia becoming the third Gurdwara built in Canada. Designated as a national historic site of Canada in 2002, it is presently the oldest existing Gurdwara in the country, as the first temple built in Golden was destroyed by fire in 1926, while the second built in Kitsilano was closed and demolished in 1970, when the temple society relocated to the newly built Gurdwara on Ross Street in the Sunset neighbourhood of South Vancouver. By 1912, a year after the construction of the Gur Sikh Temple in Abbotsford, the fourth Gurdwara was established in Victoria, British Columbia on Topaz Avenue, while a fifth soon followed at the Fraser Mills (Coquitlam) settlement later that year.

Later in the decade, most Punjabi Sikhs continued to seek employment in the forestry industry at various sawmills across British Columbia, more Gurdwaras were built, including at the Queensborough (New Westminster) settlement in 1919. This was soon followed by another at the Paldi (Vancouver Island) settlement, also in 1919.

''Komagata Maru'' incident

Main article: Komagata Maru incident}}{{see also, Continuous journey regulation

As a result of the continuous journey regulation enacted in 1908, a notable example of early anti-South Asian sentiment in Canada was the Komagata Maru incident, which occurred in 1914. Baba Gurdit Singh, a successful Punjabi businessman living in British Singapore, attempted to circumnavigate the regulation and chartered a Japanese steamship known as the SS Komagata Maru to travel from Kolkata, India to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ship made stops in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama, where it picked up more would-be settlers. In total the ship carried 376 passengers, all originating from the Punjab Province (British India) and registered as British subjects; of whom 337 were Punjabi Sikhs, 27 were Punjabi Muslims and 12 were Punjabi Hindus. Upon arriving in Vancouver though the ship was not permitted to dock with several British Columbian politicians such as Conservative MP Henry Herbert Stevens campaigning against its right to dock.

With the ship held at Coal Harbour in Burrard Inlet in April 1914, some South Asian Canadians already settled in Canada began launching "shore committees" led by Husain Rahim (Gujarati Canadian), Muhammad Akbar (Punjabi Canadian), and Sohan Lal Pathak. These were to protest against the decision not to allow the settlers on the Komagata Maru no to enter Canada. Passengers threatened to start a rebellion, or ghadar, if they were forced back to India. The shore committee raised $22,000 and launched a test case legal battle in the British Columbia Court of Appeal. On July 6, the court unanimously decided they had no authority to interfere with the Department of Immigration and Colonization and had ordered the harbor tug Sea Lion to pull the ship out to sea on July 19. This resulted in rioting between the settlers on board and police officers. The ship was ultimately forced back to India on July 23, 1914, with only 20 of the settlers being allowed to stay in Canada.

Mid-20th century

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The continuous journey regulation remained in effect until 1947, as did most other anti-South Asian laws. However, pressure from the community resulted in the Canadian government allowing the wife and children of a Canadian husband or father to immigrate. The South Asian population in Canada remained stagnant; by the mid-1920s, it was just over 1,000 persons. Despite their declining numbers, Canadians from South Asia grew wealthier; some began to acquire their own lumber mills which were used to produce wood and sawdust for consumer purchase. During the Great Depression the tight-knit nature of the South Asian community mitigated many of the economic effects the depression had on other communities in Canada.

South Asian Canadians were granted the right to vote in 1947. Following the independence of India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the Canadian government created annual immigration quotas which allowed 150 Indians, 100 Pakistanis, and 50 Sri Lankans to immigrate to Canada each year.

In 1950, 25 years after settling in Canada and nine years after moving to British Columbia from Toronto, Naranjan "Giani" Singh Grewall became the first individual of South Asian ancestry in Canada and North America to be elected to public office after successfully running for a position on the board of commissioners in Mission, British Columbia against six other candidates. Grewall was re-elected to the board of commissioners in 1952 and by 1954, was elected to become mayor of Mission.

A millwright and union official, and known as a sportsman and humanitarian philanthropist as well as a lumberman, Grewall eventually established himself as one of the largest employers and most influential business leaders in the northern Fraser Valley. He owned six sawmills, was active in community affairs (serving on the boards or as chairman of a variety of organizations), and was instrumental in helping create Mission's municipal tree farm. With strong pro-labour beliefs despite his role as a mill-owner, and following a scandal involving the provincial Ministry of Forestry under the Social Credit-led government, he referred to holders of forest management licenses across British Columbia as Timber Maharajahs, cautioning that within a decade, three or four giant corporations would predominantly control the entire industry in the province, echoing similarities to the archaic zamindar system in South Asia. He later ran unsuccessfully for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (the precursor of today's New Democratic Party) in the Dewdney riding in the 1956 provincial election.

While by the 1950s, South Asian Canadians had gained respect in business in British Columbia primarily for their work in owning sawmills and aiding the development of the provincial forestry industry, racism still existed especially in the upper echelons of society. As such, during the campaign period and in the aftermath of running for MLA in 1956, Grewall received personal threats, while the six mills he owned along with his house were all set ablaze by arsonists. One year later, on July 17, 1957, while on a business trip, he was suspiciously found dead in a Seattle motel, having been shot in the head. Grewall Street in Mission was named in his honour.

Beginning in the 1950s, Canada gradually removed racial and national restrictions from its immigration policies, continuing into the 1960s. With a population numbering 2,158 persons in 1951, an increase in the number of native-born South Asian Canadians during the baby boom era alongside annual immigrant arrivals rising from hundreds to thousands resulted in the rapid growth of the community to 6,774 in 1961, and finally to 67,925 by 1971.

During the post-war era in the late 1940s and early 1950s, there was no particular residential concentration of South Asians in the Vancouver region. However, during the latter half of the 1950s and later, throughout the 1960s, many new immigrants began settling on the south slope within the city of Vancouver, growing into the first major inner city South Asian enclave in Canada. This was due to the proximity of the gurdwara and the lumber mills. In the following decade, the Punjabi Market (Little India) was established within the Sunset neighbourhood of southeast Vancouver. A secondary urban concentration in Metro Vancouver soon also developed in the Edmonds neighbourhood of South Burnaby in the 1970s. In the ensuing two decades, during the 1970s and 1980s, South Asians were located throughout Greater Vancouver and not only in South Vancouver and South Burnaby; about 66 percent of the total population of South Asians in Metro Vancouver lived in Vancouver city – primarily concentrated in the Sunset neighbourhood – while the remaining 33 percent lived in Burnaby, Richmond, and other suburban cities.

Many of the South Asians arriving during the 1970s came from East Africa. Discrimination in many African Great Lakes nations like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania against Indians was growing as a result of their status as a market-dominant minority. This is when a minority group controls a disproportionately large segment of the economy due to their over representation in business and above average education. One notable incident of this was Ugandan dictator Idi Amin's expulsion of 80,000 Ugandan Indians as part of his economic war to allow indigenous Ugandans to regain control of the countries economy. As a result, nearly 20,000 Indians fled to Canada, some directly others after temperately settling in other nations in Africa; they eventually grew to be the first sizable non-Sikh South Asian community in Canada. Shenaaz Nanji's Governor General's Award-nominated novel Child of Dandelions deals with the expulsion of Indians from Uganda and their immigration to Canada.

Around the same time, during the 1970s, Indo-Caribbeans (mainly from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, as well as some from Suriname, Jamaica, and other Caribbean nations), Indo-Fijians, Indian South Africans, and Indo-Mauritians began immigrating to Canada as well, settling in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, and Edmonton. Many of these South Asians were descendants of indentured labourers who were brought by the British colonial government to replace enslaved labourers on plantations; after completing their work terms the majority remained in these countries. Many of the immigrants who arrived from the Caribbean, the African Great Lakes, Mauritius, South Africa, and Fiji were educated professionals who, upon arriving in Canada, worked in the service sector or began their own businesses, as opposed to the industrial sector in which mainly early Sikhs worked.

Late 20th century

Prior to the wide-scale urbanization of the South Asian Canadian community, the most statistically significant populations were found across rural British Columbia; a legacy of previous waves of immigration and settlement patterns during the 20th century, as Punjabi Canadians continued to seek employment in the provincial forestry sector at sawmills throughout Vancouver Island and the Interior. During the period between 1981 and 1996, small towns including Fort St. James (South Asians formed 22 percent of the total population), Quesnel (14 percent), Lake Cowichan (13 percent), Merritt (13 percent), Williams Lake (12 percent), Tahsis (10 percent), Golden (10 percent), 100 Mile House (10 percent), Squamish (9 percent), and Lillooet (9 percent) had the largest South Asian concentrations in Canada.

Starting in the 1980s, South Asians arriving directly from the Indian subcontinent began to increase as well. In 1985 around 15,000 immigrants arrived annually from South Asia; by 2012, that number had increased to 46,000. In addition to the South Asians still arriving from other parts of the world like the Persian Gulf, the Caribbean, the African Great Lakes, and Fiji. As a result, the South Asian community began forming growing enclaves particularly in the Vancouver and Toronto area. Some notable areas are Gerrard Street, Brampton and several neighborhoods in Mississauga, Scarborough, Markham, and Etobicoke in the Greater Toronto Area. In British Columbia notable South Asian districts include South Vancouver, Surrey, Delta, and Abbotsford.

In 1986, following the British Columbia provincial election, Moe Sihota became the first Canadian of South Asian ancestry to be elected to a provincial parliament. Sihota, who was born in Duncan, British Columbia in 1955, ran as the NDP candidate in the riding of Esquimalt-Port Renfrew after earlier involvement in municipal politics, having been elected as an Alderman for the city of Esquimalt in 1984.

The rise of the Khalistan movement, the secessionist movement that sought to make the Indian state of Punjab a separate nation for Sikhs, influenced political mobilisation among Sikhs in Canada. As a result, during the 1980s many Sikhs living in Canada participated in the Khalistan movement by organising protests in Canada and funding separatist groups in India. These protests reached their peak in 1984 when the Indian Army raided the Golden Temple, followed by the assassination of then–Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards and by anti-Sikh riots throughout North India. Several major anti-Indian protests occurred in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto with angry protesters forcing their way into the Indian consulate in Toronto carrying knives and smashing photos of Indira Gandhi. On 23 June 1985, Talwinder Singh Parmar and others carried out the Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people, and is considered the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history.

Following the outbreak of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983, many Sri Lankan Tamils sought refuge in Canada. Sri Lanka became the sixth largest source of immigrants to Canada during the 1990s. Canada is home to one of the largest Tamil diaspora populations in the Western world, numbering nearly 240,000 persons by 2021 primarily in Toronto and Montreal. In 2006, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, was recognized as terrorist group in Canada but support for a separate Tamil state remains.

In 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon, a Canadian Sikh challenged the traditional dress code of the RCMP in order to accommodate his turban, an article of faith worn by orthodox Sikh men. Opponents argued that the uniform reflected Canadian tradition while proponents cited religious accommodation in the context of past Sikh military service. On 15 March 1990, the policy was amended to include Sikhs to serve while wearing a turban.

21st century

Beginning in the 21st century the composition of South Asian Canadians changed significantly; Sikhs had gone from making up nearly 90% of Canadian South Asians during much of the early-mid 20th century to just 28% in 2001. This change reflected diversity in South Asians immigration to Canada compared to the primarily Sikh and Punjabi immigrants of the early 20th century. In 2006, South Asian Canadians outnumbered Chinese Canadians to become the largest visible minority group in Canada, accounting with 25% of visible minorities. According the 2021 Census, South Asians are the largest visible minority in Canada. On 24 February 2000, Ujjal Dosanjh became the first Canadian of South Asian origin to serve as a provincial premier when he became premier of British Columbia as leader of the New Democratic Party.{{Efn|2000 First South Asian Premier in BC Ujjal Dosanjh is elected as the 33rd Premier of British Columbia after serving as an MLA and Attorney General. Later he would serve as an MP and Minister of Health. (35)|name=BCHistory}}

During the first decade of the 21st century, India remained the second-largest source of invited immigrants after China and followed by the Philippines. Pakistan was also among the top ten sources of invited immigrants to Canada. In addition, India was also the second-largest source of foreign students in Canada, with 28,939 Indian students in 2012, compared with 1,747 in 2000. In 2007, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto opened, becoming the largest Hindu temple in Canada. The Aga Khan Museum, built and run by Ismaili Muslims, opened in 2014. Several other notable places of worship have been built by Canadians from South Asia, including the Khalsa Darbar Gurdwara and Baitul Islam mosque.

South Asian Canadian culture entered the Canadian mainstream in the 21st century. Bhangra music, a genre originating in India that combines traditional Punjabi music with pop, hip hop and other Western musical styles, has grown increasingly popular throughout Canada. Punjabi Canadian hip hop experienced a surge of popularity among audiences in Canada and internationally beginning in the 2010s. Canadians of all backgrounds enjoy and are familiar with Bollywood. In 2011, the 12th International Indian Film Academy Awards were hosted in Toronto, which was home to nearly 832,000 Canadians of South Asian ancestry, one of the largest in the Western World. How to Be Indie, a Canadian children's television program produced by YTV, centres on the daughter of Hindu Indian immigrants living in Toronto, and has since been syndicated in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Latin America and elsewhere. The Indian Canadian comedian Russell Peters has drawn on his heritage for much of his comedic as material.

In the 2015 Canadian federal election, 16 South Asian Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected from Ontario alone, the highest in Canadian history; four South Asian ministers were appointed to the Canadian cabinet, including former Minister of National Defence, Harjit Sajjan.

The Bangladeshi diaspora in Canada, numbering 75,425 in 2021 (2.93% of South Asian Canadians), contributes to local economies and community leadership.

Culture

Sports

Canadian cricket, which declined in the late 19th century, has largely been revived by members of the Commonwealth diaspora such as South Asian Canadians. This has led to the American Major League Cricket considering including a team from one of the Canadian cities with a substantial South Asian population.

In 2013, the Quebec Soccer Federation banned Sikh players in turbans from participating in matches, citing turbans were a health hazard, despite the practice being permitted in India. This move created controversy within the Sikh community in Canada, was condemned by FIFA, and was ultimately reversed.

Demography

Population

Reports on Canadians from India in 1908 indicated the East-Indian Canadian population was 5,179. The overwhelming majority of whom were Sikh, male, and settled in British Columbia. However, as a result of laws which restricted the immigration the community had declined to only 1,100 by the mid-1920s. By 1961, right before racial restriction were respectfully removed from Canada's immigration policy, Canadians of South Asian descent rose to 6,774. With racial quotas being removed (invitations extended) during the 1960s the number of Canadians of South Asian ancestry created the diverse population we see into the present day.

According to the 2021 census, 2,322,895 Canadians had South Asian origins and 2,571,400 other Canadians were classified as belonging to the visible minority group, generally termed, South Asian. The growth of the population is mainly attributed to sustained invitations of immigration from South Asian nations. According to a 2022 study conducted by Statistics Canada, Canadians with South Asian ancestry will grow to between 4.7 and 6.5 million by 2041 or 11.0 to 12.5 percent of the Canadian population overall.

National origins

Religion

Until the 1950s, Sikhs formed up to 95% of the entire South Asian Canadian population. The 2011 Canadian census marked the first time in census records where Hindus formed the largest religious group amongst Canadians of South Asian ancestry.

A report detailing the religious proportion breakdown of the South Asian Canadian community was done between 2005 and 2007 by Statistics Canada, with results derived from the 2001 Canadian census and a following survey which found that Canadians of South Asian ancestry were 28% Sikh, 28% Hindu, 22% Muslim and 16% Christian, and 4% irreligious. Other religious such as Jainism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism practiced by Canadians of South Asian heritage formed the remaining 2%. The irreligious proportion of 4% among South Asian Canadians is statistically significant, as this figure climbs to approximately 17% when surveying all Canadians.

Religious affiliation in the South Asian Canadian community varies greatly based on national background. Based on a 2007 report, Indo-Canadians are split between Sikhs (34%) and Hindus (27%), Muslims (17%), Christians (16%), Irreligious (4%), with Jains, Buddhists, and Zoroastrians forming the remaining 2%. The majority of Pakistani Canadians (90%) and Bangladeshi Canadians (87%) profess to follow Islam, while the majority of Sri Lankan Canadians are Hindu (64%) with a significant minority following Christianity. Nepalese Canadians tend to mostly follow Hinduism with few of them following Buddhism. Additionally, religious distributions among certain South Asian Canadian ethnic groups also vary; 80% of Tamil Canadians are adherents of Hinduism, a large majority of Punjabi Canadians (86%) are Sikh, while most Bengali Canadians (74%) are Muslim.

Provinces and territories

Religious affiliation amongst Canadians of South Asian ancestry varies greatly by province and territory. For example, in British Columbia, adherents of Sikhism are the largest religious group amongst the South Asian community, a legacy of chain migration stemming from nearly 130 years of settlement and immigration to the western province. Conversely, in Ontario, adherents of Hinduism and Islam are more prevalent amongst the South Asian community, reflecting the religious diversity of South Asia through more recent settlement and immigration waves.

Metropolitan areas

With the diversity in religious affiliation across the provinces and territories of Canada amongst individuals of South Asian descent, metropolitan areas follow a similar trend.

Language

Knowledge of language

Many South Asian Canadians speak Canadian English or Canadian French as a first language, as many multi-generational individuals do not speak South Asian languages as a mother tongue, but instead may speak one or multiple as a second or third language.

According to the 2021 census, South Asian languages with the largest number of speakers in Canada include Hindustani (1,176,295 persons or 3.2 percent of the national population), Punjabi (942,170 persons or 2.6 percent), Tamil (237,890 persons or 0.7 percent), Gujarati (209,410 persons or 0.6 percent), Bengali (120,605 persons or 0.3 percent), Malayalam (77,910 persons or 0.2 percent), Telugu (54,685 persons or 0.2 percent), Marathi (35,230 persons or 0.1 percent), and Sinhalese (33,050 persons or 0.1 percent).

Mother tongue

Generation status

A large minority of Canadians are first generation, numbering 9,606,600 people and forming 26.44% of the national population as of the 2021 Canadian census. In comparison with the nationwide statistics, as of the 2021 Canadian census, a majority of the South Asian Canadian community was first generation, numbering 1,833,640 people and forming 71.31% of the total South Asian Canadian population.

Similarly, a large minority of Canadians are second generation, numbering 6,393,310 people and forming 17.60% of the total national population as of the 2021 Canadian census. In comparison with the nationwide statistics, as of the 2021 Canadian census, a large minority of the South Asian Canadian community was second generation, numbering 682,760 people or 26.55% of the total South Asian Canadian population.

A narrow majority of Canadians are third or more generation, numbering 20,328,565 people and forming 55.96% of the total national population as of the 2021 Canadian census. In comparison with the nationwide statistics, as of the 2021 Canadian census, a small minority of the South Asian Canadian community was third or more generation, numbering 55,000 people or 2.14% of the total South Asian Canadian population.

Place of birth

Geographical distribution

Provinces and territories

According to the 2021 census provinces with the largest South Asian Canadian populations include Ontario (1,515,295 persons or 10.8 percent of the total population), British Columbia (473,970 persons or 9.6 percent), Alberta (297,650 persons or 7.1 percent), Quebec (127,995 persons or 1.5 percent) and Manitoba (71,215 persons or 5.5 percent).

Canadian provinces and territories by their ethnic South Asian population as per the 2001 Canadian census, 2006 Canadian census, 2011 Canadian census, 2016 Canadian census, and 2021 Canadian census below.

With immigration restrictions for non-European origin ethnocultural groups lifting during the 1960s, the South Asian Canadian population witnessed rapid growth in the mid-late 20th century, increasing from 67,925 persons or 0.3% of the total Canadian population in 1971 to 723,345 persons or 2.5% of the total Canadian population in 1996; this growth was primarily attributed to mass immigration.

Attributed to the large increase in immigration during the era, Ontario overtook British Columbia by 1971 as the province with the largest population of individuals with South Asian ancestry in Canada. The South Asian population in Ontario grew from 30,920 persons in 1971 to 427,470 persons by 1996; in British Columbia from 18,795 persons in 1971 to 165,010 persons by 1996.

During the same era, British Columbia would continue to be the province with the largest proportion of South Asian Canadians, increasing from 0.9% in 1971 to 4.5% by 1996, while the South Asian Canadian share of the total population in Ontario grew from 0.4% in 1971 to 4.0% by 1996.

Canadian provinces and territories by their ethnic South Asian population as per the 1971 Canadian census, 1981 Canadian census, 1986 Canadian census, 1991 Canadian census and 1996 Canadian census below.

Immigration restrictions prior to the 1960s severely limited South Asian population growth in Canada. British Columbia was the only province to have notable populations during the early-to-mid 20th century, peaking in 1908 with approximately 5,209 persons, forming 1.6% of the provincial population.

Tightened immigration restrictions, heightened racial tensions, along with migration to the United States or a return to the subcontinent prompted a population decline in the following years; the 1911 census counted 2,292 persons of South Asian ancestry in British Columbia, comprising 0.6% of provincial population.

This was followed by another population decline in the ensuing 10 years with 951 persons of South Asian ancestry in British Columbia or 0.2% of the total population in 1921. During the ensuing 30 years, a population stagnation followed by a slow gradual increase in the South Asian Canadian population principally stemmed from natural growth, as immigration from the subcontinent has been essentially halted since 1908 due to the Continuous journey regulation.

In the 1950s, country quotas were introduced and permitted sponsorship of relatives, thus resulting in the first relatively major increase in the South Asian Canadian population since prior to 1908.

Canadian provinces and territories by their ethnic South Asian population as per the 1871 Canadian census, 1911 Canadian census, 1921 Canadian census, 1931 Canadian census, 1941 Canadian census, 1951 Canadian census, and 1961 Canadian census below.

Metropolitan areas

According to the 2021 census, metropolitan areas with large South Asian Canadian communities include Toronto (1,182,485), Vancouver (369,295), Calgary (153,200), Edmonton (123,340), Montréal (121,260), Winnipeg (63,805), and Ottawa (60,780).

Canadian metropolitan areas by their ethnic South Asian population as per the 2011 Canadian census, 2016 Canadian census, and 2021 Canadian census below.

Subdivisions

According to the 2021 census, subdivisions with the largest South Asian Canadian communities include Brampton, Ontario (52.4%); Surrey, British Columbia (37.8%); Abbotsford, British Columbia (30.2%); Milton, Ontario (28.2%); Ajax, Ontario (26.2%); Delta, British Columbia (26.1%); Mississauga, Ontario (25.4%); Caledon, Ontario (21.4%); Pickering, Ontario (21.2%); and Chestermere, Alberta (20.3%). As of the 2021 census, Brampton is the first (and only) South Asian–majority city in Canada.

Source: 2021 Canadian census

National average: 7.1%

Alberta

• Chestermere (20.3%)
• Edmonton (11.5%)
• Calgary (11.0%)
• Beaumont (7.8%)

British Columbia

• Surrey (37.8%)
• Abbotsford (30.2%)
• Delta (26.1%)
• Okanagan-Similkameen Subdivision A (15.8%)
• Okanagan-Similkameen Subdivision C (14.5%)
• Cawston (12.7%)
• Fraser Valley Subdivision G (12.1%)
• Mission (10.7%)
• New Westminster (10.4%)
• Burnaby (9.4%)
• Oliver (9.4%)
• McBride (8.0%)
• White Rock (7.6%)
• Richmond (7.4%)
• Fraser Valley Subdivision F (7.3%) |File:Surrey center library.jpg|Forming 37.8% of the population, Surrey has the highest percentage of South Asian Canadians in British Columbia. |File:Gur Sikh Temple 02.jpg|Forming 30.2% of the population, Abbotsford has the second-highest percentage of South Asian Canadians in British Columbia. |File:Guru Nanak Gurdwara Delta-Surrey (2010).jpg|Forming 26.1% of the population, Delta has the third-highest percentage of South Asian Canadians in British Columbia. |File:OsoyoosBC.JPG|Forming 15.8% of the population, Okanagan-Similkameen Subdivision A has the fourth-highest percentage of South Asian Canadians in British Columbia. |File:Oliver - panoramio.jpg|Forming 14.5% of the population, Okanagan-Similkameen Subdivision C has the fifth-highest percentage of South Asian Canadians in British Columbia.

Historical

|File:FortSt.James-NHS-2008.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 22% of the population in Fort St. James during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Rotary clock Quesnel.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 14% of the population in Quesnel during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Lake Cowichan.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 13% of the population in Lake Cowichan during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Merritt Sikh Temple-1.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 13% of the population in Merritt during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Williams Lake's welcome sign.JPG|South Asian Canadians formed up to 12% of the population in Williams Lake during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Welcome to the Village of Tahsis.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 10% of the population in Tahsis during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Town of 100 Mile House from the N (7959692224).jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 10% of the population in 100 Mile House during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Golden, BC (8002172936).jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 9% of the population in Golden during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:SquamishMain.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 9% of the population in Squamish during the mid-to-late 20th century. |File:Downtown Lillooet, Main Street.jpg|South Asian Canadians formed up to 9% of the population in Lillooet during the mid-to-late 20th century.

Manitoba

• Thompson (9.3%)
• Winnipeg (8.5%)
• West St. Paul (7.6%)

Ontario

• Brampton (52.4%)
• Milton (28.2%)
• Ajax (26.2%)
• Mississauga (25.4%)
• Caledon (21.4%)
• Pickering (21.2%)
• Markham (17.6%)
• Toronto (14.0%)
• Whitchurch-Stouffville (13.8%)
• Oakville (13.5%)
• Whitby (12.0%)
• Cambridge (11.7%)
• Vaughan (11.2%)
• Waterloo (10.7%)
• Kitchener (9.9%)
• Oshawa (9.3%)
• Bradford West Gwillimbury (9.0%)
• Pickle Lake (8.9%)
• Mono (7.8%)
• Richmond Hill (7.6%)
• Guelph (7.4%)
• Shelburne (7.2%)
• Puslinch (7.1%)
• Windsor (7.1%)

Québec

• Dollard-des-Ormeaux (12.2%)
• Vaudreuil-Dorion (9.7%)
• Vaudreuil-sur-le-Lac (8.8%)

Saskatchewan

• Regina (8.6%)
• Saskatoon (7.2%)

Immigration

For much of the early 20th century restrictions such as the continuous journey regulation and quotas were placed on people immigrating from the countries of South Asia to prevent them from immigrating to Canada. When these restrictions were removed in the 1960s immigration from the Indian subcontinent and other places like the African Great Lakes, the Caribbean and Fiji gradually increased. As of 2012, India was the third largest source of immigrants for Canada behind the Philippines and China respectively. Pakistan was the fourth, Sri Lanka the seventeenth, Bangladesh the nineteenth and Nepal the thirty-eighth. In addition immigrants to Canada arrive from regions such as the Arab States of the Persian Gulf, the Caribbean and the African Great Lakes (as well as European countries). Historically, British Columbia was the traditional destination for Punjabi immigrants. Beginning in the 1970s, however, Ontario grew to become the top destination due to its job availability. In recent years migration to Alberta has also increased due to its comparatively stronger economy and better job market.