The demographics of Metro Vancouver indicate a multicultural and multiracial region. Metro Vancouver is a metropolitan area, with its major urban centre being Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Vancouver census metropolitan area, as defined by Statistics Canada, encompasses roughly the same territory as the Metro Vancouver Regional District, a regional district in British Columbia. The regional district includes 23 local authorities. Figures provided here are for the Vancouver census metropolitan area and not for the City of Vancouver.

Population growth The following table shows the development of the number of inhabitants according to census data of Statistics Canada. The former municipalities of Point Grey and South Vancouver are not included in the data prior to 1931.

Population by municipality The Metro Vancouver Regional District comprises 23 member authorities — 21 municipalities, one electoral area, and one treaty First Nation.

Ethnic diversity The demographics of Metro Vancouver reveal a multi-ethnic society. There remains a small population, less than 2%, of Aboriginal peoples, who according to archeological and historical records, have inhabited this region for more than 3,000 years.

From the time of the region's first non-indigenous settlement in the second half of the 19th century, people from Britain and Ireland were the largest group of immigrants and, collectively, remain the largest ethnic grouping in Vancouver to this day. The largest non British or Irish ethnic groups situated in Vancouver include Chinese, Indians and Germans.

The metropolitan area has one of the most diverse Chinese-speaking communities with several varieties of Chinese being represented. Metro Vancouver contains the second-largest Chinatown in North America (after San Francisco's), and many multicultural neighbourhoods such as the Punjabi Market, Greektown, and Japantown. Commercial Drive, the core of the historic Little Italy, which is also the main Portuguese area, has become an alternative-culture focus, though traditional Italian and Portuguese and other establishments and residents remain in the area. Bilingual street signs can be seen in Chinatown and the Punjabi Market, and commercial signs in a wide array of languages can be seen all over the metropolitan area.

Metro Vancouver

Ethnic originPopulation (2016)Percent of 2016 population (2,426,235)Population (2006)Profile of Ethnic Origin and Visible Minorities for Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census Percent of 2006 population (2,097,960)Cornish2452250.02%English470,340500,34024.09%Irish275,355251,69512.00%Manx7706400.03%Scottish341,075337,23016.07%Welsh44,93541,8051.99%British 55,69535,5051.69%Acadians1,5201,2800.06%French147,835137,2706.54%Inuit6005800.03%Métis24,50517,1100.82%North American Indian52,30543,1902.06%American32,11527,0001.29%Canadian331,205278,35013.27%Newfoundlander6603900.02%Nova Scotian751200.01%Ontarian3520less than 0.01%Québécois7503500.02%Other North American provincial or regional groups1701500.01%Antiguan1301050.01%Bahamian16050less than 0.01%Barbadian1,3109250.04%Bermudan155100less than 0.01%Carib6085less than 0.01%Cuban8706400.03%Dominican 5352950.01%Grenadian2801750.01%Guyanese1,2408250.04%Haitian6354050.02%Jamaican6,4554,6450.22%Kittitian/Nevisian9515less than 0.01%Martinican2040less than 0.01%Montserratian1520less than 0.01%Puerto Rican2802600.01%St. Lucian11580less than 0.01%Trinidadian/Tobagonian3,1202,1850.10%Vincentian/Grenadinian3251200.01%West Indian1,4401,2450.06%Caribbean 1,4856200.03%Aboriginal from Central/South America1,7908300.04%Argentines1,3607900.04%Belizean35160less than 0.01%Bolivian185190less than 0.01%Brazilian4,0651,1150.05%Chilean3,8402,9350.14%Colombian4,6002,1250.10%Costa Rican4603550.02%Ecuadorian7402250.01%Guatemalan1,9851,4050.07%Hispanic1,2005550.03%Honduran1,1207450.04%Maya6205750.03%Mexican15,1157,6800.37%Nicaragua1,0608600.04%Panamanian1951450.01%Paraguayan2851700.01%Peruvian3,1001,9100.09%Salvadoran5,3105,7600.27%Uruguayan28560less than 0.01%Venezuelan1,5555350.03%Latin, Central or South American 2,4501,2250.06%Austrian21,26021,5001.02%Belgian8,2056,5550.31%Dutch (Netherlands)77,63571,7103.42%Flemish9558150.04%Frisian1951550.01%German222,025203,7159.71%Luxembourger3302350.01%Swiss11,34010,1300.48%Finnish14,08512,7450.61%Danish23,02522,8001.09%Icelandic11,0559,6300.46%Norwegian49,33546,2602.20%Swedish40,69039,9201.90%Northern European 5,3203,8300.18%Estonian2,5402,5900.12%Latvian2,4552,1600.10%Lithuanian4,1553,1000.15%Belarusian1,8258200.04%Czech11,71010,3850.50%Czechoslovak2,5602,8100.13%Slovak6,3455,7000.27%Hungarian (Magyar)25,86023,3651.11%Polish70,59060,7152.89%Romanian17,49014,0550.67%Russian58,53547,9352.28%Ukrainian94,40081,7253.90%Albanian1,3306500.03%Bosnian2,6752,5350.12%Bulgaria2,9401,9600.09%Croatian15,67012,4750.59%Cypriot3452700.01%Greek16,08515,0250.72%Italian87,87576,3453.64%Kosovar17085less than 0.01%Macedonian8656000.03%Maltese1,1859900.05%Montenegrin6003700.02%Portuguese24,57520,3350.97%Serbian10,1607,6900.37%Sicilian2101800.01%Slovenian3,0502,4750.12%Spanish43,99036,0001.72%Yugoslavs3,2755,5250.26%Basque4754050.02%Gypsy (Roma)3252500.01%Jewish11,23021,4651.02%misc. Slav (European)5057600.04%Other European 6,4703,9750.19%Afrikaner3652900.01%Akan3025less than 0.01%Amhara11565less than 0.01%Angolan5570less than 0.01%Ashanti6565less than 0.01%Bantu2351700.01%Black1,4603,0050.14%Burundian19590less than 0.01%Congolese (Zairian) people67575less than 0.01%Congolese 40085less than 0.01%Dinka1525less than 0.01%East African people1,3906100.03%Eritrean9503350.02%Ethiopian2,0201,6250.08%Gabonese1010less than 0.01%Gambian2015less than 0.01%Ghanaian1,2701,100less than 0.01%Guinean 12595less than 0.01%Ibo20015less than 0.01%Ivoirian4515less than 0.01%Kenyan1,1707650.04%Malagasay8035less than 0.01%Mauritian7603250.02%Nigerian1,6808800.04%Oromo1201450.01%Rwandan3052250.01%Senegalese4520less than 0.01%Seychellois1520less than 0.01%Sierra Leonean901150.01%Somali2,1051,3200.06%South African6,4854,1200.20%Sudanese940705less than 0.01%Tanzanian4251350.01%Tigrian18050less than 0.01%Togolese8015less than 0.01%Ugandan5953600.02%Yoruba13080less than 0.01%Zambian12040less than 0.01%Zimbabwean5652300.01%Zulu6570less than 0.01%African 10,3256,4900.31%Egyptian3,4052,1200.10%Iraqi5,2051,8050.09%Jordanian5853000.01%Kuwaiti10075less than 0.01%Lebanese5,3206,1750.29%Libyan21025less than 0.01%Algerian6153900.02%Berber1851500.01%Moroccan1,4806350.03%Tunisian38070less than 0.01%Maghrebi origins 1701600.01%Palestinian2,2451,0500.05%Saudi Arabian5502550.01%Syrian2,7809250.04%Yemeni25575less than 0.01%Arab 4,6553,0750.15%Afghan7,5004,6200.22%Armenian2,8452,7000.15%Assyrian4503550.02%Azeribaijani8904050.02%Georgian5502400.01%Iranian44,35527,1551.29%Israeli2,0757650.04%Kurd1,9801,1450.05%Pashtun3251700.01%Tatar6502350.01%Turk5,1853,3800.16%West Asian 2,1351,3500.06%Bangladeshi1,5107850.04%Bengali7554150.02%Indian243,135181,8958.67%Goan3202800.01%Gujarati6155150.02%Kashmiri14570less than 0.01%Nepali1,1554600.02%Pakistani10,8256,8750.33%Punjabi30,67013,7350.65%Sinhalese5304150.02%Sri Lankan5,0653,7400.18%Tamil1,0607400.04%South Asian 7,2006,4950.31%Burmese1,9708650.04%Cambodian2,5101,5250.07%Chinese499,175402,00019.16%Filipino133,92583,7603.99%Hmong11575less than 0.01%Indonesian4,9353,1400.15%Japanese37,63030,2301.44%Khmer01350.01%Korean55,50546,0402.19%Laotian1,7751,0650.05%Malaysian4,2303,3650.16%Mongolian1,0006800.03%Singaporean8955150.02%Taiwanese20,3459,8100.47%Thai3,3301,5650.07%Tibetan445100Less than 0.01%Vietnamese34,91526,1151.24%East or Southeast Asian 6301,1700.06%Asian 1,80580less than 0.01%Australian8,3605,5250.26%New Zealander3,3402,3900.11%Fijian13,0858,9200.43%Hawaiian8656600.03%Māori5653750.02%Polynesia3452650.01%Samoan2451600.01%Pacific Islander 6802100.01%–

+ Panethnic groups in Metro Vancouver (1981–2021)Panethnic group2021201620112006200119961981 European 1,124,475 1,179,100 1,197,985 1,182,355 1,204,970 1,218,195 1,066,460 East Asian 606,920 557,745 488,240 451,790 395,540 318,005 98,895 South Asian 369,295 291,005 252,405 207,165 164,365 120,140 34,820 Southeast Asian 198,940 168,075 156,315 112,365 85,485 61,085 17,270 Middle Eastern 87,090 62,440 48,870 35,590 27,340 18,155 4,525 Indigenous 63,345 61,455 52,375 40,310 36,855 31,140 10,850 Latin American 51,500 34,805 29,125 22,695 18,715 13,830 3,025 African 41,180 29,830 23,545 20,670 18,405 16,400 2,570 Other/multiracial 65,350 41,780 31,835 25,035 15,810 16,990 12,195 Total visible minority 1,420,275 1,185,680 1,030,335 875,310 725,660 564,600 173,300 Total responses 2,607,015 2,426,235 2,280,695 2,097,965 1,967,480 1,813,935 1,250,610 Total population 2,642,825 2,463,431 2,313,328 2,116,581 1,986,965 1,831,665 1,268,183

Visible minorities

In the city of Vancouver and four adjacent municipalities (Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam), there is no visible majority. Hence, the term visible minority is used here in contrast to the overall Canadian population which remains predominantly of European descent. In Metro Vancouver, at the 2021 census, 54.5% of the population were members of non-European ethnic groups, 43.1% were members of European ethnic groups, and 2.4% of the population identified as Indigenous.

Greater Vancouver has more interracial couples than Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. In 2011, 9.6% of married and common-law couples in Greater Vancouver are interracial; double the Canadian average of 4.6%, and higher than in the Toronto CMA (8.2%) and the Greater Montreal (5.2%). Vancouver has less residential segregation of its ethnic minorities compared to Canadian cities like Montreal.Residential Segregation of Visible Minorities in Canada's gateway cities Residential Segregation of visible minorities in Canada's Gateway cities P207 However, residential segregation in Greater Vancouver continues to persist in certain parts of the metropolitan area.

+Population statistics for visible minorities in Greater Vancouver Population group 2021 19811981 Census of Canada: British Columbia. Ethnic Origin. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 17 December 2018. Total European population 1,124,475 1,066,460 Total Indigenous population 63,345 10,850 Visible minority groupChinese 512,260 83,845 South Asian 369,295 34,820 Filipino 142,125 12,830 Korean 63,465 3,335 West Asian 64,645 2,220 Southeast Asian 56,815 4,440 Latin American 51,500 3,025 Japanese 31,195 11,715 Black 41,180 2,570 Arab 22,445 2,305 Visible minority, 14,745 N/A N/A Multiple visible minorities 50,605 N/A N/A Total visible minority population 1,420,275 173,300 Total responses 2,607,015 1,250,610 Total population 2,642,825 1,268,183

Municipalities

+Panethnic origins by Metro Vancouver municipalities (2021 census)MunicipalityTotal populationEuropeanEast AsianSouth AsianSoutheast AsianMiddle EasternIndigenousLatin AmericanAfricanOtherMetro Vancouver2,642,82543.13%23.28%14.17%7.63%3.34%2.43%1.98%1.58%2.51%Vancouver662,24843.22%29.26%6.90%9.10%2.44%2.25%2.78%1.31%2.74%Surrey568,32230.78%10.91%37.81%9.71%2.24%2.16%1.57%2.29%2.53%Burnaby249,12530.46%38.62%9.42%8.37%3.65%1.70%2.50%2.03%3.24%Richmond209,93718.94%57.09%7.38%8.85%1.86%0.74%1.03%0.85%3.26%Coquitlam148,62541.51%31.45%5.02%5.2%8.19%1.98%2.27%1.45%2.92%Langley Township132,60369.53%10.94%6.66%4.15%1.10%3.85%1.31%1.11%1.35%Delta108,45551.71%10.29%26.09%4.12%0.83%2.96%0.96%1.02%1.99%Maple Ridge90,99073.70%5.81%4.72%4.31%2.52%4.68%1.46%1.60%1.20%North Vancouver (district)88,16869.11%10.27%3.18%2.90%9.04%1.81%1.44%0.54%1.72%New Westminster78,91650.07%14.19%10.38%10.33%2.27%3.11%3.28%3.45%2.91%Port Coquitlam61,49857.35%16.16%5.78%6.52%4.90%2.97%1.91%2.05%2.36%North Vancouver (city)58,12061.59%9.03%3.65%7.34%11.32%2.14%2.10%0.96%1.87%West Vancouver44,12255.77%23.03%3.24%1.77%12.24%0.98%0.99%0.43%1.54%Port Moody33,53564.25%17.23%3.00%2.85%4.74%3.08%1.73%1.18%1.96%Langley City28,96369.60%4.10%6.99%6.26%2.09%5.69%1.82%2.16%1.27%