Immigrants constitute quarter of Canada's population; largest proportion from India
What's the story
As per Statistics Canada's latest census data, Indians constitute a major portion of the immigrant population in Canada. Of the immigrants who shifted to the country from different parts of the world between 2016 to 2021, Indians constitute 18.6%. "Other key immigrant groups were Filipinos and people from Africa," said the Statistics Canada report.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Canada, which has a population of nearly 4 crore, or around 3.18% of India's total population, is witnessing a major inflow of immigrants. The country's population has witnessed exponential growth due to the incessant immigration from different countries. The country has become a prime destination for immigrants due to opportunities, and a lack of workforce.
Growth
Major increase in Canada's immigrant population
The incessant immigration to the country has enlarged its population by nearly 5.3% from 3.7 to 4 crore in recent years, as per the census data shared on October 26. The data marks that 23% of the country's population are now immigrants. The proportion is largest since 1921 (22.3%), and may go up to around 30% by 2041 if the trend continues.
Country's workforce
Immigrants main suppliers of the workforce
Immigrants have been the main source of the country's workforce to keep the economy intact. Another Statistics Canada report earlier said that "the country's fertility rate has further declined to a record low of 1.40 children per woman in 2020, far below the no-migration population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman." COVID-19 furthered the difficulties in terms of workforce and fertility rate.
Opportunities
Robust mechanism to captivate skilled workers
The country has been a prime destination for immigrants given its robust mechanism to captivate skilled workers from across the world. The country's hassle-free citizenship opportunities and easily available jobs have fascinated a large number of Indians to migrate to the country. The census report said, "Over 64% of immigrants country got between 2016 and 2021 are capable of contributing to the country's workforce."
Abundance
'Over 50% immigrants from Asia'
The report has said that over fifty percent of immigrants in the country are Asia born while 23.5% were born in Europe and 14.4% are Americans. It further mentioned that 2.3% of the population is Hindu and the number of Punjabis is 1.8%. The census said 0.4% have their mother language as Tamil, Hindi, or Gujarati and 0.1% have Malayalam or Telugu.