Chilliwack’s immigrant population has risen at double the rate of the general population, according to Statistics Canada.
Census data released Wednesday (Oct. 26) compares the five-year period from 2016 and 2021.
The 2016 census counted 10,985 landed immigrants or permanent residents. The 2021 census puts the total at 13,605, representing a 23.85 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, the general population rose 11.90 per cent, from 82,205 to 91,990.
According to Statistics Canada, “the term ‘immigrant’ includes persons who are, or who have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents. Such persons have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this category.”
Chilliwack immigrants account for 14.7 per cent of the total population, up from 13.3 per cent five years ago.
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The largest number of newcomers hail from Asia. Of those 2,210 people, nearly a third (820) are from India. The Philippines accounts for 415 and Vietnam 270, with 155 each from China and Iran.
The 2021 census lists 275 immigrants from Africa and 255 from the Americas, which includes Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
Nationwide, 8.3 million immigrants account for 23 per cent of Canada’s population.
That’s the highest proportion among G7 countries.
One in five people coming to Canada were born in India, the data shows, making it the top country of birth for recent arrivals.
By 2041, Statistics Canada projects as many as 34 per cent of people in Canada will be immigrants.
The 2021 census also took a snap shot of religious affiliations in Chilliwack, finding half of the population (45,475) identify as having no religion and secular perspectives.
There are 41,875 people who identified as Christian, which includes Catholicism and several other denominations.
Other religions represented in the data include Sikh (1,570), Muslim (750), Buddhist (575), Hindu (575), Jehovah’s Witnesses (555), Latter Day Saints (390), Jewish (120) and Traditional North American Indigenous spirituality (105).
With files from The Canadian Press
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