Religion of Indian population in Canada
As per the Canadian Census of 2021, South Asians numbering 2,571,400 (2.5 million) make up 7.1% of the Canadian population, and Indians are the largest Chunk of the South Asian population. According to the Statistics Canada 2021 report, The total Indian Population in Canada is 1,858,755 (1.85 million) or 5.1% of the Canadian population
Indian Canadians have diverse religious backgrounds and are represented mainly by Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Hindus now make up 2.3% of the population, up from 1.45% in 2011 and 0.96% in 2001. The Sikh population now stands at 2.1%, up from 1.38% in 2011 and 0.94% in 2001.
The religion of the Indian population in Canada is as follows
- Sikhs – 40%
- Hindus – 38%
- Muslims – 7%
- Christians -10%
- Others ( Buddhist, Jain ) – 5%
Source: Census Estimates
Canada is home to the largest national Sikh proportion in the world (2.1%), and also has the second-largest Sikh population in the world, after India.
Canadian Sikhs are the largest Indian Community and numbering nearly 800,000 people and account for 2.1% of Canada’s population as of 2021, forming the country’s fourth-largest religious group.
The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed by British Columbia and Alberta. British Columbia has the third-largest Sikh proportion (5.9%) amongst all global administrative divisions, behind only Punjab and Chandigarh in India.
| Candian Province | Sikh Pop. 2021 | Percentage |
| Ontario | 300,435 | 2.14% |
| British Columbia | 290,870 | 5.92% |
| Alberta | 103,600 | 2.48% |
| Manitoba | 35,470 | 2.71% |
| Quebec | 23,345 | 0.28% |
| Saskatchewan | 9,035 | 0.82% |
| Nova Scotia | 4,730 | 0.49% |
| New Brunswick | 1,780 | 0.23% |
| Prince Edward Island | 1,165 | 0.77% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 850 | 0.17% |
| Yukon | 385 | 0.97% |
| Northwest Territories | 110 | 0.27% |
| Nunavut | 10 | 0.03% |
| Canada | 771,790 | 2.12% |
Population by Indian Regions / Cultural Origins
Statistics Canada conducts a census of the resident population based on ethnic or cultural origins. In addition to nationality, individuals in Canada also define themselves in terms of various regions, cultures, or linguistic backgrounds within India. Let’s examine the Canadian population of Indian descent categorized by their diverse cultural origins or affiliations.
| Regions/Cultural Origins | Responses | % of Canada Pop. |
| Indian (India) | 1347715 | 3.71% |
| Punjabi | 279950 | 0.77% |
| Tamil | 102170 | 0.28% |
| Gujarati | 36970 | 0.10% |
| Bengali | 26675 | 0.07% |
| Jatt | 22785 | 0.06% |
| Malayali | 12490 | 0.03% |
| Goan | 9700 | 0.03% |
| Telugu | 6670 | 0.02% |
| Kashmiri | 6165 | 0.02% |
| Maharashtrian | 4120 | 0.01% |
| Anglo-Indian | 3335 | 0.01% |
| Total Indians | 1858765 | 5.12% |
Source: Canada Census 2021
Canadian Population by Indian Languages
The diversity of the South Asian group can be observed in the broad range of mother tongues reported in the 2021 Census, with English (36.4%), Punjabi (29.4%), Urdu (11.3%), Hindi (8.2%), Tamil (7.1%) and Gujarati (6.4%) the most commonly reported, alone or with other languages.
Among Indian Languages Punjabi is spoken by more than 5 lakh people, Other languages which are spoken by sizable numbers are Urdu, Tamil, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Telugu as their mother tongues. While 1.8% of the respondents said their mother tongue is Punjabi, 0.4% said their mother tongue is Tamil, Hindi, or Gujarati and 0.1% said theirs is Malayalam or Telugu. A small population of people recorded Kannada as their mother tongue as well.
| South Asian Languages | Speakers | % of Canadian Population |
| Punjabi | 543,495 | 1.8 % |
| Urdu | 243,090 | 0.7 % |
| Tamil | 157,125 | 0.5 % |
| Hindi | 133,925 | 0.4 % |
| Gujarati | 122,455 | 0.4 % |
| Bengali | 80,935 | 0.2 % |
| Malayalam | 32,290 | 0.1 % |
| Telugu | 18,750 | < 0.1 |
| Sindhi | 13,885 | < 0.1 |
| Marathi | 9,755 | < 0.1 |
| Kannada | 4,795 | < 0.1 |
| Oriya (Odia) | 1,215 | < 0.1 |
Source: Canadian Census 2016