This article presents a brief demographic and socioeconomic overview of the Vietnamese population in Canada. The data used in this article were drawn from a special tabulation compiled by Statistics Canada. The information was collected by Statistics Canada as part of the 1996 census. The data presented here includes those individuals who claimed a Vietnamese ethnicity either as their sole answer or as part of a multiple reply to the ethnic origin question on the survey form provided by the census. The census figures are rounded estimates tabulated from a questionnaire given to 20% of the entire Canadian population.

It should be noted that the government’s census estimates must be interpreted with caution. The 1996 Statistics Canada survey likely missed many individuals possessing a Vietnamese ethnic origin. Vietnamese community organizations based in Canadian cities have long been concerned about census undercounts of the overall Vietnamese population. While the figures presented here must be assessed carefully due to a likely undercount, the data utilized does present a useful general demographic and socioeconomic portrait of the Vietnamese population in Canada.

Statistics Canada estimates the number of persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin residing in Canada expanded from 94,250 in 1991 to 136,810 in 1996 (Figure 1). This represented an increase of 45% in the population over just five years. Several notable trends are evident in the government-collected data. According to the figures, most of the expansion in the population has occurred in just a few provinces. The 1996 census data show over 95% of the Vietnamese population lived in just four of the nation’s ten provinces – Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta (Figure 1). The government’s estimates indicate the number of persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin living in Ontario increased a remarkable 60% in the five-year period – from around 38,000 to about 62,000. In British Columbia, Statistics Canada counted almost 22,000 Vietnamese in 1996, an increase of nearly 70% from the 12,500 estimated to live in the western-most province a half-decade earlier. Smaller, but notable increases were also observed in the Vietnamese ethnic origin populations of Quebec and Alberta. In 1996, according to the government estimates, very small Vietnamese populations resided in the Prairie provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island) as well as the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

Among metropolitan areas, the Statistics Canada figures indicate the most notable growth in Vietnamese ethnic origin individuals occurred in several Ontario cities, as well as British Columbia and Alberta urban centres (Figure 2). Slower growth was apparent in the cities of Quebec, and in Winnipeg, Manitoba the Vietnamese population actually declined, according to the government data. Statistics Canada estimates the Vietnamese population living in the Toronto metropolitan area increased from 24,550 to 41,740 from 1991 to 1996 – an increase of about 70% in just five years. Significant growth in Vietnamese ethnic origin individuals was also observed in Ottawa-Hull, Kitchener, Hamilton, London, Windsor, St. Catherine’s-Niagara, and Oshawa. In British Columbia, the government counted almost 17,000 Vietnamese in 1996, compared to just over 10,000 five years earlier. In addition, a notable increase in the population was registered in Victoria. In Alberta, according to the census estimates, the Vietnamese ethnic origin population grew by about 40% in Calgary and nearly 15% in Edmonton in the same five-year period.

Within the province of Quebec, the census figures indicate Montreal maintained its position as the second largest Vietnamese community in the nation, after Toronto. Statistics Canada counted about 30% more Vietnamese living in Montreal in 1996 compared to 1991. While a small increase in population was also registered in the provincial capital of Quebec City, decreases in the number of Vietnamese residents were observed in other Quebec urban centres including Sherbrooke and Trois-Riveres. In Manitoba, the number of Vietnamese counted in the Winnipeg metropolitan area actually declined about 20% over the five-year period. However, in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan, the small Vietnamese communities in Regina and Saskatoon expanded in size, according to the government figures. Finally, in Atlantic Canada, tiny Vietnamese populations registered small increases in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Saint John, New Brunswick. The somewhat larger Vietnamese community in Halifax, Nova Scotia exhibited a notable decrease in population.

It should be pointed out that the government’s census estimates must be assessed with caution. The 1996 Statistics Canada figures likely represent a significant undercount of the overall Vietnamese population. While the number of Vietnamese living in Canada has without a doubt shown an impressive increase it seems very unlikely that the Vietnamese population expanded to such an extent in several Canadian cities and across the country as a whole in the 1991-1996 time period. After the early 1990s, the number of Vietnamese admitted to Canada as refugees slowed to a trickle. Much of the increase in population which has occurred in the past half-decade has been the result of already established Vietnamese sponsoring family members to join them in Canada. Vietnamese populations have also expanded in certain regions (especially Southern Ontario and coastal British Columbia), due to the movement of Vietnamese to these areas from other parts of the country.

It seems plausible to suggest that the strong growth in persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin apparent in the 1996 census figures is the consequence of several factors. These include the impressive number of family sponsorships, secondary migration to certain urban centres, and the significant rate of natural increase (births far exceeding deaths) among the overall Vietnamese population. However, the rather remarkable population expansion indicated in the data could very well be related to the probability that government census officials missed far fewer Vietnamese in 1996 compared to 1991. As the population becomes more established in Canada, Vietnamese individuals are more likely to be aware of the census and capable of understanding and filling out the census survey due to an improved knowledge of English.

The census figures make clear that the Vietnamese population differs significantly in its age profile from the larger Canadian population (Figure 3). Persons of Vietnamese ethnic origin living in the Toronto metropolitan area (which possesses the largest number of Vietnamese) and Canada as a whole were a bit more strongly represented in the 25-54 age category compared to the overall populations of Toronto and Canada. However, the most impressive differences in the age distribution were found in the youngest and oldest cohorts. A far greater proportion of the Vietnamese population were in the 0-14 age group compared to the larger population. The strong representation of Vietnamese in the youngest age group reflects in part the higher birth rates among Vietnamese women compared to Canadian women, which is another trend evident in the Statistics Canada data. Conversely, according to the census, Vietnamese were very much underrepresented in the oldest age categories (55-64, 65-74, and over 75) compared to the Canadian and Toronto populations overall.

The 1996 census figures provide a very interesting portrait in regard to the gender composition of the Vietnamese population across Canada (Figure 4). In 1991, men made up almost 55% of the the entire Vietnamese population counted in Canada (not shown). In every major Canadian city in 1991, there were far more Vietnamese men than Vietnamese women. Looking at the 1996 data, a far different picture emerges. In 1996, there was still a majority of men in the Vietnamese population across Canada as a whole according to Statistics Canada. However, this male majority had become quite small. It seems that between 1991 and 1996 the number of Vietnamese women increased to the point where the gender balance in the Vietnamese population became almost equal. In a few cities in 1996, notably Windsor, Vancouver, and Montreal, females had become the majority of the Vietnamese population. In this respect, the Vietnamese population is becoming more like the larger Canadian population where females have long been in the majority. The shifting gender balance over time in the Vietnamese population likely reflects the strong male majority in the refugee flow to Canada in the 1970s and 1980s and a female majority among family-sponsored Vietnamese immigrants in more recent years.

Examining the Vietnamese population by time of arrival, some interesting differences are apparent among the Vietnamese communities surveyed in different Canadian cities (Figure 5). The most notable trend is the more established population evident in Montreal compared to the other major cities. A much larger proportion of the Vietnamese surveyed in Montreal arrived in Canada in between 1961 and 1970 and especially in the decade of the 1970s. Conversely, several cities in southern Ontario possessed the largest proportion of Vietnamese who arrived in Canada in the 1990s. About 1/3 of the Vietnamese populations counted in Toronto, London, Windsor, and Kitchener came to Canada between 1991 and 1996. By contrast, less than 20% of the Vietnamese population counted in Montreal arrived in this most recent time period.

In terms of citizenship and immigration status, perhaps the most interesting trend pertains to the fact that 80% of the Vietnamese population surveyed by Statistics Canada in 1996 possessed Canadian citizenship (Figure 6). This is a remarkable increase from about 60% of the Vietnamese ethnic origin population in 1991 (not shown) and is indicative of the strong desire of the Vietnamese to become integrated with Canadian society as they become increasingly established. Not surprisingly, the figures also show that 75% of Vietnamese were immigrants to Canada. This figure is down from over 80% in 1991 (not shown). While the vast majority of the surveyed Vietnamese were Vietnam-born in 1996, the proportion of the population born in Canada rose significantly between 1991 and 1996 likely reflecting the large numbers of Vietnamese-Canadian women having children in this time period.

The 1996 average income figures for surveyed Vietnamese men and women differ greatly from that of the entire population across Canada, in Toronto, and across all of the major Canadian cities (Figure 7). The average income of Vietnamese men across Canada as a whole was $21,411 compared to $31,117 among all men in Canada. The average income of Vietnamese women living in Canada was just $14,054 compared to about $19,000 among all Canadian women. These income differences may be caused in part by language and other barriers faced by Vietnamese-Canadians in finding well-paying jobs. Income figures differed among Vietnamese populations surveyed across major Canadian cities. The highest incomes were held by Vietnamese men and women in Montreal, Ottawa, and Windsor. It should be pointed out, however, that the income figures in the different cities may not be directly comparable as a result of variations in the cost of living and economic conditions across Canada.

Unfortunately, the data indicate the unemployment rate among surveyed Vietnamese men and women was much higher in comparison to the larger Canadian population in 1996 (Figure 7). There were strong variations in the unemployment rate found among Vietnamese men and women in different cities. The lowest rates were found in Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. The highest rates of unemployment among Vietnamese were observed in Vancouver and London, though it should be noted that the London figure is based upon a particularly small survey sample given the lesser size of the Vietnamese population in this city. These rather discouraging unemployment figures also likely reflect in part the the barriers many Vietnamese face finding well-compensated jobs in Canadian cities.

There are some very interesting differences in the types of jobs Vietnamese were concentrated in compared to the larger Canadian population in 1996 (Figure 8). According to Statistics Canada, 40% of Vietnamese surveyed across Canada worked in manufacturing (factory) or construction jobs compared to just about 20% of the entire Canadian population. There was a strong variation in job distribution among the Vietnamese living in different Canadian cities. For example, around 50% or more of the Vietnamese working population was employed in manufacturing or construction in Hamilton, Toronto, Kitchener, and Windsor. In metropolitan areas such as Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Edmonton, the percentage of Vietnamese working in factory jobs was much less. Conversely, in Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Calgary, much larger proportions of Vietnamese worked in services industries. The service category of jobs is a a very broad one and includes jobs in retail, real estate, finance and insurance, business, government, education, restaurants, and health and social services. On the whole, Vietnamese were less likely to work in service industries compared to the larger Canadian population.

Virtual Library		Updated February 09, 2004