|
The Ottawa region is a key economic centre of Canada that prides itself on the diversity of its employment base and the large volume of opportunities available to its resident. It is strongly committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. As such, the region continues to demonstrate consistent population growth and diversity.
The city of Ottawa's population is currently at 917,550 residents. The Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes Ottawa and Gatineau has a population of 1,239,100. 
Immigration
Immigration plays a significant role in Ottawa's population growth. Between 1987 and 2002, 131,816 individuals immigrated to the city, which represents 75% of the population growth for that period. According to the 2006 census, foreign-born residents in Ottawa are numbered at 178,545 which makes up approximately 22 per cent of the population.
The visible minority population of Ottawa-Gatineau consists of 179,295 residents where the majority of this population is represented by 32,445 Chinese, 27,130 South Asians, 45,060 Black residents and 28,195 Arab residents (Statistics Canada, 2006 census).
Language
While English is the predominant language of business, Ottawa is officially a bilingual region with approximately 44 per cent of the population having knowledge of both official languages, English and French. Just about 46 per cent of residents know only English and approximately 9 per cent have knowledge of the French language only.
Due to its rich ethnic diversity, Ottawa has emerged as a multi-lingual region. During the 2006 census, in Ottawa-Gatineau, 196,185 residents have claimed to have a mother tongue that is different then the two official languages. The top five non-official languages in Ottawa, in order of the proportion of population skilled in those languages are: Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and German.
Related Data, Charts and Figures
|
Home 
