Profile of the Francophone population in Ontario – 2021

Inclusive Definition of Francophones (IDF)

In 2009, the Government of Ontario introduced a new, broader definition of the Francophone population to better reflect Ontario’s Francophone community. The Inclusive Definition of Francophones (IDF) broadens the definition of Francophone to include those persons whose mother tongue is neither French nor English but have particular knowledge of French as an official language and use French at home.

Francophones were previously defined on the basis of their mother tongue. The “mother tongue” category solely identified Francophones as those who learned French at home as a child and who still understood French at the time of the census. The IDF captures three census questions, pertaining to mother tongue, language spoken at home and knowledge of official languages.

This document uses this more inclusive definition. As a result, numbers may differ from those recorded in the census data and reports published by other organizations or governments that do not use this definition.

Highlights

Ontario has more than 652,000 Francophones. According to the 2021 Census and based on the Inclusive Definition of Francophones (IDF), the Francophone community now has 652,540 people, an increase of 30,125 since 2016.

Ontario’s Francophone population has increased by 5% since 2016. The population is mainly concentrated in Eastern and Northeastern Ontario. A large proportion of the Francophone population lives in Central Ontario.

Ontario’s Francophone population is older than the overall provincial population. While the median age of the total population is 41.6, that of Francophones is 45.

Women account for more than half of Ontario’s Francophone population. Women (53.2%) outnumber men (46.8%) across the province except for the North-West where they represent half of the population.

Demographics aspects

Ontario has 652,540 Francophones, according to the 2021 Census data. In 2016, this number stood at 622,415. The Francophone population has increased by 30,125 since 2016, up by about 5%.

The Francophone population has increased in Eastern, Central and Southwestern Ontario, and in Toronto. The Francophone population of Eastern Ontario has increased by more than 22,500 people. While the number of Francophones has risen in most regions, there has been a decline in the Northeastern and Northwestern regions of the province. 

Table 1: Francophone population in 2016 and 2021, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016 and 2021}

Francophones make up 4.6% of the Ontario population, down slightly (-0.1%) since 2016. While the number of Francophones in Ontario is on the rise, the proportion of Francophones compared to the total population of the province has decreased since 1991.

Table 2: Ontario's Francophone population 1991 – 2021

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 1991 to 2021}

The Francophone community represents 4.6% of the population of the province, but the proportion varies by region. In Northeastern Ontario—a region that accounts for 21,3 % of the province’s population—roughly one in five residents is Francophone. In Eastern Ontario, 15.4% of the population is francophone. Elsewhere in the province, the Francophone community represents less than 3% of the total population. 

The largest concentration of Francophones is in Eastern Ontario. Almost two-thirds (63%) of the province’s Francophones live in Eastern and Northeastern Ontario (44.5 % in Eastern Ontario and 18.2% in Northeastern Ontario).

Although Francophones only account for 2.0% of the total population in Central Ontario, this region is home to 30.8% of the province’s Francophone population—one-third of whom live in Toronto.
 

Table 3: Francophone population, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Age groups

Ontario’s Francophone community is older than the overall provincial population. Compared to Ontario as a whole, there are proportionately more Francophones in the 55 and over categories. 

Table 4: Age pyramid of men in Ontario

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 5: Age pyramid of women in Ontario

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The age pyramids of Ontario’s population above illustrate in detail the differences between the Francophone population and the total population of Ontario in terms of age distribution by gender. Compared to the total population, there are proportionately more Francophone women in the 45 and over categories, and proportionately more Francophone men in the 55 and over categories. Also compared to the total population, there are proportionately fewer Francophone women and men in the younger age categories, except for the 10 to 14 age group, where the proportion of Francophone men and women is greater than the total population.

The pyramids also shows that there are more women than men in all the 45 and over age groups.

Table 6: Median age of the population, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016 and 2021}

On average, the Francophone population is older than the Ontario population, as a whole. While the median age of the total population is 41.6, that of the Francophone population is 45. The median age of the Northeastern and Northwestern regions’ Francophone population is 52 and 54 respectively. These figures are higher than in any other region in Ontario.

Central Ontario’s Francophones have the lowest median age (41 ). The median age of the Francophone population increased in all regions, except in the Southwestern and Northwestern regions. The median age fell from 52.1 in 2016 to 51 in 2021 in the Southwestern region, and fell from 54.3 in 2016 to 54 in 2021 in the Northwestern region.

The proportion of Francophones aged 65 and over (21.5%) is higher than the proportion of people aged 65 and over (18.5%) in the total population. The Francophone population is older in Southwestern and Northwestern Ontario. It is also older than the Francophone population in the other regions. Seniors aged 65 and over make up 29.6% in Southwestern Ontario and 29.5% in Northwestern Ontario (29.5%).
 

Table 7: Francophone population, by age group and by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Gender

Women account for more than half of Ontario’s Francophone population (53.2%). They make up the majority of the population in all regions. The proportion of women is highest in Central Ontario, where they represent 54.1% of the Francophone population.

Table 8: Distribution of Francophones, by gender and region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Ethnocultural community 

The population of Francophone ethnocultural communities has increased in Ontario since 2016. 129,480 Francophones are members of an ethnocultural community in 2021 compared to 98,925 in 2016. This represents an increase of approximately 31%. The relative demographic weight of members of ethnocultural communities in the Francophone population is now 20.3% in Ontario, compared to 16% in 2016.

The largest Francophone ethnocultural communities are :

• Black (51%)
• Arab (15%)
• South Asian (12%)

As with ethnocultural communities in the general population, Francophones from ethnocultural communities live mainly in Central (52.5%) and Eastern (40.9%) Ontario. There are far fewer Francophones from ethnocultural communities in other parts of the province: 4.6% in the southwest are members of an ethnocultural community, 2% in the Northeast and less than 1% in the Northwest.

The City of Toronto in the Central region alone accounts for 41.7% of the French-speaking population belonging to ethnocultural communities.

Table 9: Francophone members of an ethnocultural community, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}
 

Place of birth and immigration

Overall, 58.9% of Francophones in the province were born in Ontario, 18% in Quebec and the rest outside Canada (19.2%) and in the other provinces (4%). The proportion of Francophone immigrants has risen by around 3% since 2016.

Table 10: Place of birth of Francophones, by region (%)

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The composition of the Francophone community varies from one region to another. In Northeastern Ontario, more than four out of five Francophones were born in Ontario; by comparison, few were born in Quebec (10.3%) and only about 2% were born outside Canada. In the Northwest, 61% of Francophones were born in Ontario, 21.9% in Quebec, 12.2% in another Canadian province and only 4.4% were born outside of Canada.

In comparison, in central Ontario, only 41% of Francophones were born in the province, while almost a quarter (18.7%) were born in Quebec and more than one-third (35.1%) outside Canada. In Toronto, almost half of Francophones were born outside Canada.

Table 11: Place of birth of Francophone immigrants born outside Canada

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The profile of Francophone immigrants has changed considerably in recent decades. In 2011, Europe was the leading continent of origin of French-speaking immigrants, the proportion of European immigrants decreased from 37% in 2011 to 24% in 2021. In 2021, the majority of Francophone immigrants were born in:

• Africa (41%)
• Europe (24%)
• Asia (19%)
• Central and South America (16%)
• Oceania (0%)

Table 12: Proportion of immigrants (total immigration and recent immigrants), by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The proportion of Francophone immigrants in the total immigrant population is low, at just 2.5%. Between 2016 and 2021, 3.6% of the total recent immigrant population were Francophone in the total recent immigrant population.

Recent immigration represents people who arrived between 2016 and 2021.

The Francophone community has a high proportion of recent immigrants, particularly among Francophone immigrants from the East (16.2%) and Northeast (12.7%) regions. While recent Francophone immigration is high in the City of Ottawa (17.7%) in the Eastern Region, the City of Toronto in the Central Region receives only 3% of recent Francophone immigrants.

Mobility

Between 2016 and 2021, 56,105 Francophones settled in Ontario:

• 22,340 came from Quebec
• 7,825 came from other Canadian provinces
• 25,940 came from abroad

Of those coming from abroad, around 45% arrived from Africa, 22% from Europe, 15% from the Americas and 18% from Asia.

Toronto and Ottawa are communities of choice for Francophones moving to Ontario. More Francophones from other countries are settled in Ottawa (40% in 2021 vs. 30% in 2016) than in Toronto (28.5% in 2021 vs. 33% in 2016). The same trend can be observed among francophones from Quebec: 40% are settled in Ottawa (34% in 2016) and 12% in Toronto (17% in 2016). 

Language

Children's retention of French

Table 13: Children's retention of French, by family type

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

In 2021, in Ontario, 87.9% of children born into endogamous families, meaning whose parents are both Francophone, have French as their mother tongue. About half of the children in Francophone single-parent families have French as their mother tongue: 46.1%. Fewer exogamous families, where only one of the parents is Francophone, pass on French to their children: 37% of children in exogamous families have French as their mother tongue.

Table 14: Francophone endogamous and exogamous families with children, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Between 2006 and 2016, there was a steady decrease in the number of endogamous families. Since 2016, Ontario has seen an increase in the number of families where both spouses are Francophone. In 2021, 33% of Francophone families are endogamous, an increase of 2.5% compared to 30.5% in 2016.

Table 15: Proportion of endogamous families with children, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2006, 2011, 2016, 2021}

The proportion of endogamous families varies from one region to another. It is higher in the East (42.2%) and the Northeast (40.5%), and lower in the Northwest (13.2%) and in the Southwest (16.5%). Nevertheless, the proportion of endogamous families in Central and Southwestern Ontario continues to increase, particularly in Central Ontario, where the proportion of endogamous families has been on the rise since 2006.

Language spoken at work

Speaking French at work is common for Francophones. More than half of Francophones (56%) use French at work — either regularly or most often. This proportion has however decreased since 2016, more than two-thirds of Francophones (66.9%) used French at work.

However, this data varies considerably from one region to another. The proportion of the Francophone community that uses French most often at work is remarkably higher in the East (41%) and Northeast (32.5%) than in other regions.

Table 16: Language spoken at work most often or regularly by Francophones, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Less than one in three Francophones reported using French most often at work (30%). The proportion of the Francophone community that uses French most often at work is remarkably higher in the East (40.8%) and the Northeast (32.5%) than in other regions.

Education

Levels of Education

Francophones with an apprenticeship or trade certificate or diploma outnumber those with a university degree.

Table 17: Highest level of education, ages 25 to 64 

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

In 2021, fewer Francophones aged 25 to 64 had completed high school compared to the total population (21% versus 23.3%). The proportion of Francophones holding a university certificate, diploma or degree is also lower than in the general population (35.8% and 36.8% respectively). However, Francophones are more likely to have completed an apprenticeship or trade certificate or diploma than the general population (27% versus 23.6%).

Table 18: Population with a university degree (bachelor's or higher), by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The proportion of Francophones with a university degree (bachelor or higher) varies from one region to another. More than one-third of Francophones in Central Ontario have a university degree, compared to 12.6% in Northeastern Ontario. In fact, a large proportion of Francophones in Central Ontario have a bachelor’s degree (37.7%), which is higher than in the general population (32.5%).

Table 19: Fields of study according to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2021 

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Francophone men and women choose different fields of study. The three most popular fields for men are:

• business, management, and public administration
• social and behavioural sciences, and law
• architectural, engineering, and related services

Women tend to choose:

•  social and behavioural sciences and law
• business, management, and public administration
• education

Table 20: Main field of study (CIP) among Francophones with a university degree (bachelor’s degree or higher), by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Compared to Ontarians as a whole, there are more Francophones in the following three fields of study:

• education (12.6%)
• business, management, and public administration (20.7%)
• social and behavioural sciences, and law (21.0%)

However, Francophones with a university degree are under-represented in the other fields of study. This is especially the case in:

• architectural, engineering, and related services (9.2% compared to 12.6%)
• physical and life sciences and technologies (6.6% compared to 7.6%)

Table 21: CIP fields of study for Francophones with a university degree (bachelor's or higher)

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Occupations

Francophone men and women choose different occupations. More than one-quarter of Francophone women (26.7%) work in business, finance, and administration. In comparison, only 12.9% of Francophone men are represented in these occupations. Trends are similar for sales and service occupations (24.1% of women compared to 19.7% of men) and for occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (23.8% of women compared to 12.1% of men). 

In contrast, there are more men in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (26.7% of men compared to 2,7% of women).

In general, Francophones are concentrated in the same occupational categories as the general population. However, there are differences between both groups. Francophone men and women are under-represented in manufacturing, utilities, and sales and service occupations. Conversely, they are over-represented in education, law, social, community, and government services, especially in professional roles within education services, law, and social, community, and government services. 

Table 22: Occupations of population aged 15 years and over 

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Labour market

Table 23: Labour market participation rates, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 24: Labour force participation rates, by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

In 2021, Francophones were under-represented in the labour market compared to the province as a whole.

The employment rate of Francophones in Central Ontario was higher (64.4%) than that of Francophones in other regions of the province. With the exception of Eastern and Central Ontario, the employment rate of Francophones was lower than that of the total population across all regions. The largest divergence between the Francophone community and the total population was found in Southwestern Ontario (with 52.7% and 60.4% respectively).

Table 25: Unemployment rate, by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021, according to the IDF.}

In 2021, the number of unemployed Francophone men (9.2%) was lower than that of unemployed Francophone women (10.4%). The divergence between men and women was more apparent in the general population, with an unemployment rate of 13.4% among women compared to 11.2% among men.

There are however significant regional variations. In the Francophone community and in the total population, the highest and lowest unemployment rates were in Central and Eastern Ontario respectively.

In 2021, Francophones fared better than the total population in Northeastern, Northwestern and Eastern Ontario. But in Southwestern Ontario, the unemployment rate was higher among Francophones than among the population as a whole. In Central Ontario, unemployment is high in both the Francophone community and the total population.

Table 26: Unemployment rate, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Overview of income

In the past, Ontario’s Francophone community tended to have lower incomes than the general population. However, this is no longer the case. In 2021, Francophones earned more than their counterparts among the general population.

All Francophones

Overall, in 2021, the median employment income of Ontario Francophones was $7,200 higher than that of the general population. There was a significant difference between the average employment income of both groups; Francophones earned $3,500 more than the general population. Francophones aged 65 years and over are an exception, however, as their median employment income was lower than that of Ontarians in the same age group.

Table 27: Median and average employment income of Francophones

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Moreover, Francophones are under-represented in income levels below $40,000 and over-represented in higher income levels. 

Table 28: Employment income levels before taxes, by income level

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 29: Median employment income before taxes, by age group

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 30: Average employment income before taxes, by age group

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Regional variations

In 2021, the median employment income among Ontario Francophones was $45,200. However, there were variations across the regions. The median employment income varied from $32,000 in Southwestern Ontario to $48,000 in Eastern Ontario. The average employment income among Ontario Francophones was $56,100. The average employment income varied from $62,400 in Central Ontario to $44,080 in Southwestern Ontario.

Similar trends were observed among the total population in the same regions. The total population’s median income levels varied from $42,000 in Eastern Ontario to $34,400 in Southwestern Ontario. The total population’s average employment income varied from $45,080 in Southwestern Ontario to $54,100 in Central Ontario.

Table 31: Average and median employment income before taxes

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Men and women

Francophone women have a higher employment income—in terms of median and average values—than their Ontario counterparts. The $8,000 difference is all the more apparent when comparing the median employment income of Francophone women against the total population ($40,800 compared to $32,800).

Francophone men also have a higher average employment income—in terms of median and average values—than their Ontario counterparts. The median employment income among Francophone men is $7,200 higher than in the total population ($50,800 compared to $43,600).

Table 32: Median employment income before taxes, by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 33: Average employment income before taxes, by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The salary gap between Francophone men and women is slightly lower than the salary gap between men and women among the total population. The average employment income of Francophone women is 78.1% of the average employment income of Francophone men. The average income of women is 73.1% of that of their male counterparts in the total population.

Main source of income

Employment income is the main source of income for the large majority of Francophones and the total population. However, the class of persons with employment income as the main source of income in the Francophone population (54.2%) is higher than that of the same class in the total population (53.8%). Francophones are somewhat less likely than the rest of the Ontario population to derive their income primarily from government transfers (30.0% compared to 33.2%).

Table 34: Main source of income

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Table 35: Main source of income among Francophones, by gender

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

The composition of Francophone men’s earnings differs significantly from Francophone women. More women than men depend on government transfers (34.5% compared to 24.7%).

Low income cut-off, after tax

In 2021, in Ontario, roughly 4.3% of Francophones were living below the after-tax low income cut-off.

The proportion of Francophones living below the low income cut-off is relatively high in Central Ontario (5.4%), in particular in Toronto (8.4%). This is lower in Northeastern Ontario (2.7% ). Generally speaking, there are proportionately fewer people living below the low income cut-off in the Francophone population than in the general population. This is the case in Northeastern Ontario, where 2.7% of Francophones are living below the low income cut-off compared to 3.7% of the total population in the region.

Table 36: Population living under the low income cut-off after tax, by region

^{Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021}

Concepts and definitions

Couple family with children
Refers to a census family that contains a married couple or a couple living common law and at least one child. The term "two-parent family" can also be used when referring to a couple family with children.

Employment income
All income received as wages, salaries and commissions from paid employment and net self-employment income from farm or non-farm unincorporated business and/or professional practice during the reference period. For the 2021 Census, the reference period for income data is the calendar year 2020, unless otherwise specified.

Endogamous families are two parent families with children where both spouses are Francophones. 

Exogamous families are two parent families with children where only one of the spouse is Francophone. 

Ethnic or cultural origin
Refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the person's ancestors. Ancestors may have Indigenous origins, or origins that refer to different countries, or other origins that may not refer to different countries. In this text, the concept of "ethnocultural community" is used instead of "visible minority," a term for which data is collected by Statistics Canada.

Gender
Refers to an individual's personal and social identity as a man, woman or non‑binary person (a person who is not exclusively a man or a woman).

Gender includes the following concepts:

• gender identity, which refers to the gender that a person feels internally and individually
• gender expression, which refers to the way a person presents their gender, regardless of their gender identity, through body language, aesthetic choices or accessories (e.g., clothes, hairstyle and makeup), which may have traditionally been associated with a specific gender

A person's gender may differ from their sex at birth, and from what is indicated on their current identification or legal documents such as their birth certificate, passport or driver's licence. A person's gender may change over time.

Some people may not identify with a specific gender.

Highest certificate, diploma or degree
This variable refers to the highest level of education that a person has successfully completed and is derived from the educational qualifications’ questions, which asked for all certificates, diplomas and degrees to be reported.

Immigrant
Refers to a person who is, or who has ever been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident. Such a person has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Immigrants who have obtained Canadian citizenship by naturalization are included in this group.

In the 2021 Census of Population, "immigrant" includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11, 2021.

Income sources
"Income sources" refers to those income sources that make up total income. For the 2021 Census, the reference period for income data is the calendar year 2020, unless otherwise specified.

Labour force
Refers to persons who, during the week of Sunday, May 2 to Saturday, May 8, 2021, were either employed or unemployed.

Language spoken most often at home
Language spoken most often at home refers to the language the person speaks most often at home at the time of data collection. A person can report more than one language as "spoken most often at home" if the languages are spoken equally often.

Language spoken most often at work by individuals aged 15 and older
Language used most often at work refers to the language the person uses most often at work. A person can report more than one language as "used most often at work" if the languages are used equally often.

Low-income cut-offs, after tax
The low‑income cut‑offs, after tax refer to income thresholds, defined using 1992 expenditure data, below which economic families or persons not in economic families would likely have devoted a larger share of their after‑tax income than average to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing. More specifically, the thresholds represented income levels at which these families or persons were expected to spend 20 percentage points or more of their after‑tax income than average on food, shelter and clothing. These thresholds have been adjusted to current dollars using the all‑items Consumer Price Index (CPI).

For the 2021 Census, the reference period for low‑income data is the calendar year 2020.

Mobility status, five years
Refers to the status of a person with regard to the place of residence on the reference day in relation to the place of residence on the same date five years earlier.

Mother tongue
Refers to the first language learned at home as a child and still understood by the individual at the time the data was collected.

Occupation
Refers to the type of work performed as part of a job. A job includes all tasks carried out by a worker as part of their duties. An occupation is defined as a group of jobs that are sufficiently similar in terms of the work performed.

Occupations are generally homogeneous with respect to skill type and skill level.

Place of birth
Refers to the name of the geographic location where the person was born. The geographic location is specified according to geographic boundaries current at the time of data collection, not the geographic boundaries at the time of birth. 

In the 2021 Census of Population, the geographic location refers to the name of the province, territory or country in which the person was born.

Population
Refers to individuals aged 15 years and older, in private households, who have worked since January 1, 2020.

Single parent families
Families where the only parent is Francophone.

Total income
Refers to the sum of certain incomes (in cash and, in some circumstances, in kind) of the statistical unit during a specified reference period

• In the context of persons, total income refers to receipts from certain sources, before income taxes and deductions, during a specified reference period
• In the context of census families, total income refers to receipts from certain sources of all of its family members, before income taxes and deductions, during a specified reference period
• In the context of economic families, total income refers to receipts from certain sources of all of its family members, before income taxes and deductions, during a specified reference period
• In the context of households, total income refers to receipts from certain sources of all household members, before income taxes and deductions, during a specified reference period

Data sources
Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016 and 2021