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Cantonese in Canada.
393,430 people spoke Cantonese most often at home in 2021 (single responses); 553,380 learned it first as a mother tongue. Toronto had the most speakers.
Data 2021 CensusNext update Census 2026 (from Feb. 2027)
Cantonese spoken most often at home, by metropolitan area
Circle area shows the number of people.
| Metropolitan area | People |
|---|---|
| Toronto | 177,950 |
| Vancouver | 131,660 |
| Calgary | 21,770 |
| Montréal | 16,320 |
| Edmonton | 14,215 |
| Ottawa - Gatineau | 5,680 |
| Winnipeg | 4,370 |
| Victoria | 2,655 |
| Hamilton | 1,970 |
| Oshawa | 1,380 |
| Windsor | 1,220 |
| Saskatoon | 1,185 |
| Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo | 1,170 |
| London | 1,155 |
| St. Catharines - Niagara | 790 |
| Regina | 790 |
| Guelph | 745 |
| Halifax | 580 |
| Abbotsford - Mission | 390 |
| Kelowna | 330 |
| Red Deer | 260 |
| Barrie | 235 |
| Lethbridge | 230 |
| Nanaimo | 230 |
| Kingston | 215 |
| Québec | 180 |
| Kamloops | 170 |
| Chilliwack | 160 |
| St. John's | 110 |
| Brantford | 110 |
| Peterborough | 105 |
| Greater Sudbury / Grand Sudbury | 105 |
| Moncton | 90 |
| Belleville - Quinte West | 90 |
| Thunder Bay | 90 |
| Saint John | 65 |
| Fredericton | 50 |
| Sherbrooke | 35 |
| Saguenay | – |
| Trois-Rivières | – |
| Drummondville | – |
Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population; Statistics Canada, 2021 Census boundary files (simplified).
Top 15 metropolitan areas
| Metropolitan area | People |
|---|---|
| Toronto | 177,950 |
| Vancouver | 131,660 |
| Calgary | 21,770 |
| Montréal | 16,320 |
| Edmonton | 14,215 |
| Ottawa - Gatineau | 5,680 |
| Winnipeg | 4,370 |
| Victoria | 2,655 |
| Hamilton | 1,970 |
| Oshawa | 1,380 |
| Windsor | 1,220 |
| Saskatoon | 1,185 |
| Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo | 1,170 |
| London | 1,155 |
| St. Catharines - Niagara | 790 |
Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population.
Share speaking Cantonese most often at home
By province and territory.
| Province or territory | Yue (Cantonese) |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 2.8% |
| Ontario | 1.4% |
| Alberta | 0.9% |
| Manitoba | 0.4% |
| Yukon | 0.4% |
| Prince Edward Island | 0.2% |
| Quebec | 0.2% |
| Saskatchewan | 0.2% |
| Northwest Territories | 0.2% |
| Nova Scotia | 0.1% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0.0% |
| New Brunswick | 0.0% |
| Nunavut | – |
Source: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population; Statistics Canada, 2021 Census boundary files (simplified).
Services
Finding help in your language.
- Many settlement agencies offer services in other languages: search IRCC’s find free newcomer services tool.
- Free English and French classes (LINC and CLIC) are open to permanent residents: see our settling guides.