Ontario

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Ontario}}
{{see also|List of population centres in Ontario}}
[[File:Ontario Population Density 2021.svg|thumb|Population density of Ontario]]
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical populations
|type = Canada
|align = right
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|percentages =
|footnote = Source: [[Statistics Canada]]
|1851|952004
|1861|1396091
|1871|1620851
|1881|1926922
|1891|2114321
|1901|2182947
|[[Canada 1911 Census|1911]]|2527292
|1921|2933662
|1931|3431683
|1941|3787655
|1951|4597542
|1956|5404933
|1961|6236092
|1966|6960870
|1971|7703105
|1976|8264465
|1981|8625107
|1986|9101695
|1991|10084885
|[[Canada 1996 Census|1996]]|10753573
|[[Canada 2001 Census|2001]]|11410046
|[[Canada 2006 Census|2006]]|12160282
|[[Canada 2011 Census|2011]]|12851821
|[[Canada 2016 Census|2016]]|13448494
|[[Canada 2021 Census|2021]]|14223942
}}

=== Population ===
In the [[2021 Canadian Census|2021 census]], Ontario had a population of 14,223,942 living in 5,491,201 of its 5,929,250 total dwellings, a 5.8 percent change from its 2016 population of 13,448,494. With a land area of {{convert|892411.76|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|14223942|892411.76|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.<ref name=StatCan2021/> The largest [[List of population centres in Ontario|population centres]] in Ontario are [[Toronto]], [[Ottawa]], [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]], [[London, Ontario|London]] and [[Oshawa]], which all have more than 300,000 inhabitants.

=== Ethnicity ===
{{Main|Demographics of Ontario#Ethnic origins}}
{{unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
The percentages given below add to more than 100 per cent because of dual responses (e.g., "French and Canadian" response generates an entry both in the category "[[French Canadian]]" and in the category "Canadian").

The majority of Ontarians are of [[English Canadians|English]] or other [[European Canadians|European descent]] including large Scottish, Irish and Italian communities. Slightly less than 5 per cent of the population of Ontario is [[Franco-Ontarian]], that is those whose native tongue is French, although those with French ancestry account for 11 per cent of the population. Compared to natural increase or [[interprovincial migration in Canada|interprovincial migration]], [[Immigration to Canada|immigration]] is a huge population growth force in Ontario, as it has been over the last two centuries. More recent sources of immigrants with large or growing communities in Ontario include [[East Asian Canadians|East Asians]], [[South Asian Canadians|South Asians]], Caribbeans, Latin Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Most populations have settled in the larger urban centres.

=== Visible minorities and Indigenous peoples ===
{{prose|date=July 2023}}
{{Main|Demographics of Ontario#Visible minorities and Aboriginals}}
In 2021, 34.3% of the population consisted of [[visible minorities]] and 2.9% of the population was [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]], mostly of [[First Nations in Canada|First Nations]] and [[Métis in Canada|Métis]] descent. There was also a small number of [[Inuit]] in the province. The number of Indigenous people and visible minorities has been increasing at a faster rate than the general population of Ontario.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/Page.cfm?Lang%3DE%26Geo1%3DPR%26Code1%3D35%26Data%3DCount%26SearchText%3DOntario%26SearchType%3DBegins%26SearchPR%3D01%26A1%3DAll%26B1%3DAll%26GeoLevel%3DPR%26GeoCode%3D35 |title=NHS Profile, Ontario, 2011 |access-date=December 26, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130703072838/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Ontario&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&GeoLevel=PR&GeoCode=35 |archive-date=July 3, 2013}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=4 | Visible minority and Indigenous population (Canada 2021 Census)<ref name="2021censusB">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00051209034&SearchText=halifax |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610051651/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00051209034&SearchText=halifax |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" | Population group!! Population !! %
|-
| colspan="2" | ''[[European Canadian|European]]''{{notetag|Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.|name="euro"}} || ''8,807,805'' || ''62.8%''
|-
| rowspan="12" | [[Visible minority]] group|| [[South Asian Canadians|South Asian]] || 1,515,295 || 10.8%
|-
| [[Chinese Canadians|Chinese]] || 820,245 || 5.8%
|-
| [[Black Canadians|Black]] || 768,740 || 5.5%
|-
| [[Filipino Canadian|Filipino]] || 363,650 || 2.6%
|-
| [[Arab Canadians|Arab]] || 284,215 || 2.0%
|-
| [[Latin American Canadians|Latin American]] || 249,190 || 1.8%
|-
| [[Southeast Asian Canadians|Southeast Asian]] || 167,845 || 1.2%
|-
| [[West Asian Canadians|West Asian]] || 212,185 || 1.5%
|-
| [[Korean Canadian|Korean]] || 99,425 || 0.7%
|-
| [[Japanese Canadians|Japanese]] || 31,420 || 0.2%
|-
| Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}} || 124,120 || 0.9%
|-
| [[Multiracial people|Multiple visible minorities]] || 181,025 || 1.3%
|-
| colspan="2" | ''Total visible minority population'' || ''4,817,360'' || ''34.3%''
|-
| rowspan="5" | [[Indigenous peoples in Canada|Indigenous]] group||[[First Nations in Canada|First Nations (North American Indian)]]|| 251,030 || 1.8%
|-
|[[Métis]]|| 134,615 || 1.0%
|-
|[[Inuit|Inuk (Inuit)]]|| 4,310 || 0.0%
|-
| Multiple Indigenous responses || 7,115 || 0.1%
|-
| Indigenous responses {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}} || 9,515 || 0.1%
|-
| colspan="2" |''Total Indigenous population''||''406,585''||''2.9%''
|-
| colspan="2" |'Total population'||'14,031,750'||'100.0%'
|}

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Demographics of Ontario#Religion}}
In 2021, 52.1% of the population was Christian, with the largest religious denominations being the [[Catholic Church in Canada|Roman Catholic Church]] (with 26.0% of the population) and the [[United Church of Canada]] with (4.1%). Other religions included [[Islam]] (6.7%), [[Hinduism]] (4.1%). 31.6% of Ontarians had no religious affiliation.<ref name="census-religion">{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000259,2021A000235,2021A000248,2021A000260&HEADERlist=32&SearchText=yukon | title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - British Columbia &#91;Province&#93;;Ontario &#91;Province&#93;;Alberta &#91;Province&#93;;Yukon &#91;Territory&#93; | date=February 9, 2022 | access-date=November 6, 2022 | archive-date=November 6, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106172132/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000259,2021A000235,2021A000248,2021A000260&HEADERlist=32&SearchText=yukon | url-status=live }}</ref>

The major religious groups in Ontario in 2021 were:
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Religion
!People
!%
|- style="text-align:right;"
! style="text-align:center;" |Total ||14,031,750 ||100&nbsp;&nbsp;

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |No religious affiliation ||4,433,675 ||31.6

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |[[Catholic Church|Catholic]] ||3,654,825 ||26.0

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |[[Protestantism|Protestant]] ||1,893,860 ||13.5

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Other Christians ||1,437,275||10.2

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Muslim ||942,990 ||6.7

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Hindu ||573,700 ||4.1

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |[[Orthodoxy#Christianity|Christian Orthodox]] ||329,850 ||2.4

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Sikh ||300,435 ||2.1

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Jewish ||196,100 ||1.4

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Buddhist ||164,215 ||1.2

|- style="text-align:right;"
|style="text-align:left;" |Other religions ||104,830 ||0.7
|}

In Ontario, [[Catholics]] are represented by the [[Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Accueil |url=http://acbo.on.ca/fr/ |website=Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario |language=fr-FR |access-date=October 25, 2018 |archive-date=February 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210230728/http://acbo.on.ca/fr/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and the [[Anglican]] [[Protestants]] by the [[Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario]].<ref name="province-ontario.anglican.ca">{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario |url=https://www.province-ontario.anglican.ca/ |website=province-ontario.anglican.ca |access-date=January 23, 2019 |archive-date=July 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716185005/https://www.province-ontario.anglican.ca/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Language ===
{{Main|Demographics of Ontario#Language}}
{{See also|Franco-Ontarian}}

[[File:Ontario French Ability 2021.svg|thumb|Map of French language ability according to the 2021 census.]]

[[File:Hwy 416 Ottawa.JPG|thumb|English and French displayed on a gantry sign. Communities with sizeable francophone populations are able to receive provincial services in French.]]

As of the [[2021 Canadian census|2021 Canadian Census]], the ten most spoken languages in the province included English (13,650,230 or 97.28%), French (1,550,545 or 11.05%), Mandarin (467,420 or 3.33%), Hindi (436,125 or 3.11%), Spanish (401,205 or 2.86%), Punjabi (397,865 or 2.84%), Cantonese (352,135 or 2.51%), Arabic (342,860 or 2.44%), Italian (312,800 or 2.23%), and Urdu (295,175 or 2.1%).<ref name="language2021">{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=August 17, 2022 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Profile table Ontario [Province] |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000235&HEADERlist=,15,13,18,12,16,14,17&SearchText=Ontario |access-date=August 17, 2022 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |archive-date=August 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817232547/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000235&HEADERlist=,15,13,18,12,16,14,17&SearchText=Ontario |url-status=live }}</ref>{{notetag|The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses.}}

The principal language of Ontario is English, the province's ''[[de facto]]'' official language,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal|title=The Legal Context of Canada's Official Languages|publisher=Site for Language Management in Canada, [[University of Ottawa]]|access-date=February 4, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221032458/https://slmc.uottawa.ca/?q=english_french_legal|archive-date=December 21, 2016}}</ref> with approximately 97.2 per cent of Ontarians having proficiency in the language, although only 69.5 per cent of Ontarians reported English as their mother tongue in the 2016 Census.<ref name=langcen>{{cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=35&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Ontario&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1&type=0|title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Ontario – Language Profile|website=statcan.gc.ca|publisher=Stat Canada|access-date=September 7, 2019|date=August 9, 2019|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192116/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=35&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&SearchText=Ontario&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=Language&TABID=1&type=0|url-status=live}}</ref> English is one of two [[official languages of Canada]], with the other being French. English and French are the official languages of the courts in Ontario. Approximately 4.6 per cent of the population identified as francophone,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/profile-francophone-population-ontario-2016#section-0|title=Profile of the Francophone population in Ontario – 2016|publisher=Queen's Printer for Ontario|access-date=April 24, 2020|date=February 5, 2019|website=ontario.ca|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522192203/https://www.ontario.ca/page/profile-francophone-population-ontario-2016#section-0|url-status=live}}</ref>{{notetag|name=inclu|The following figure is taken from the province's "Inclusive Definition of Francophones", (IDF) which includes those whose mother tongue is French, and those whose mother tongue is not French, but have proficiency in the language, and use French as the primary language at home.}} and a total of 11.5 per cent of Ontarians reported having proficiency in French.<ref name=langcen/> Approximately 11.2 per cent of Ontarians reported being bilingual in both English and French.<ref name=langcen/> Approximately 2.5 per cent of Ontarians have no proficiency in either English or French.<ref name=langcen/>

[[Franco-Ontarian]]s are concentrated in the northeastern, eastern, and extreme southern parts of the province, where under the ''[[French Language Services Act]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title= Law |url=https://csfontario.ca/en/loi |website=Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario |access-date=October 25, 2018 |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026025122/https://csfontario.ca/en/loi |url-status=live }}</ref> provincial government services are required to be available in French if at least 10 per cent of a designated area's population report French as their native language or if an urban centre has at least 5,000 francophones.

Other languages spoken by residents include Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Dutch, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Hebrew, Italian, Korean, Malayalam, Mandarin, Marathi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Sinhalese, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Telugu, Tamil, Tibetan, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/tbt-tt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=908351&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=103251&PRID=0&PTYPE=101955&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2011&THEME=90&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0|title=2011 Census of Canada: Topic-based tabulations|publisher=[[Government of Canada]], Statistics Canada |date=October 24, 2012|access-date=June 7, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704095730/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/tbt-tt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=908351&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=103251&PRID=0&PTYPE=101955&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2011&THEME=90&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&D1=0&D2=0&D3=0&D4=0&D5=0&D6=0|archive-date=July 4, 2016}}</ref>