Toronto Demographics

The last complete census by Statistics Canada estimated there were
2,503,281 people living in Toronto in June 2006,[1] making it the
largest city in Canada,[65] and the fifth most populous municipality
in North America.[66]

The city's population grew by 4% (96,073 residents) between 1996 and
2001, and 1% (21,787 residents) between 2001 and 2006. Persons aged 14
years and under made up 17.5% of the population, and those aged 65
years and over made up 13.6%. The median age was 36.9 years.
Foreign-born people made up 49.9% of the population.[67] The city's
gender population is 48% male and 52% female.[68] However, women
outnumber men in all age groups over 20.[69] As of 2006, 46.9% of the
residents of the city proper belong to a visible minority group,[70]
and visible minorities are projected to comprise a majority in the
Toronto CMA by 2017.[71] In 1981, Toronto's visible minority
population was 13.6%.[72] According to the United Nations Development
Programme, Toronto has the second-highest percentage of constant
foreign-born population among world cities, after Miami, Florida.
While Miami's foreign-born population consists mostly of Cubans and
other Latin Americans, no single nationality or culture dominates
Toronto's immigrant population, placing it among the most diverse
cities in the world.[67] By 2031, Toronto's current visible minority
population will have increased to 63%, changing the definition of
visible minority in the city. [73]

In 2006, people of European ethnicities formed the largest cluster of
ethnic groups in Toronto, 52.6%,[70] mostly of British, Irish,
Italian, and French origins. The five largest visible minority groups
in Toronto are South Asian (12.0%), Chinese (11.4%), Black (8.4%),
Filipino (4.1%) and Latin American (2.6%).[70] Aboriginal peoples, who
are not considered visible minorities, formed 0.5% of the
population.[70] This diversity is reflected in Toronto's ethnic
neighbourhoods, which include Little Italy, Corso Italia, Greektown,
Portugal Village, Chinatown, Koreatown, Little India, Kensington
Market, Bloor West Village, Little Jamaica, and The Junction.

Christianity is the largest religious group in Toronto. The 2001
Census reports that 31.1% of the city's population is Catholic,
followed by Protestant (21.1%), Christian Orthodox at (4.8%), Coptic
Orthodox (0.2%),[74] and other Christians (3.9%). Due to the city's
significant number of Methodist Christians, Toronto is often referred
to as the Methodist Rome. Other religions in the city are Islam
(6.7%), Hinduism (4.8%), Judaism (4.2%), Buddhism (2.7%), Sikhism
(0.9%), and other Eastern Religions (0.2%). 18.7% of the population
professes no religion.[75]

While English is the predominant language spoken by Torontonians, many
other languages have considerable numbers of local speakers, including
French, Italian, Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, Hindi, Tagalog, Urdu,
Portuguese, and Tamil.[76] Chinese and Italian are the second and
third most widely spoken languages at work.[77][78] As a result, the
city's 9-1-1 emergency services are equipped to respond in over 150
languages.[79]