Demography

Main article: Demographics of Ontario Historical populations Year Pop.   ±%   1851 952,004 —     1861 1,396,091 +46.6% 1871 1,620,851 +16.1% 1881 1,926,922 +18.9% 1891 2,114,321 +9.7% 1901 2,182,947 +3.2% 1911 2,527,292 +15.8% 1921 2,933,662 +16.1% 1931 3,431,683 +17.0% 1941 3,787,655 +10.4% 1951 4,597,542 +21.4% 1956 5,404,933 +17.6% 1961 6,236,092 +15.4% 1966 6,960,870 +11.6% 1971 7,703,105 +10.7% 1976 8,264,465 +7.3% 1981 8,625,107 +4.4% 1986 9,101,695 +5.5% 1991 10,084,885 +10.8% 1996 10,753,573 +6.6% 2001 11,410,046 +6.1% 2006 12,160,282 +6.6% 2011 12,851,821 +5.7% Source: Statistics Canada

The percentages given below add to more than 100% 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 or other European descent including large Irish and Italian communities. Slightly less than 5% of the population of Ontario is Franco-Ontarian, that is those whose native tongue is French, although those with French ancestry account for 11% of the population. In relation to natural increase or inter-provincial migration, 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 Caribbeans, Asians, Latin Americans, Europeans, and Africans. Most populations have settled in the larger urban centres.

Ontario is the second most diverse province in terms of visible minorities after British Columbia, with 22.8% of the population consisting of visible minorities. Aboriginal peoples make up 2% of the population, with two-thirds of them consisting of First Nations and the other third consisting of Métis. There is also a small number of Inuit in the province. The number of Aboriginal people has been increasing at rates greater than the general population of Ontario.

Religion

As of 2011, the largest religious denominations in Ontario are the Roman Catholic Church (with 31.4% of the population), the United Church of Canada (7.5%), and the Anglican Church (6.1%). 23.1% of Ontarians have no religion, making it the second largest religious grouping in the province after Roman Catholics.

The major religious groups in Ontario, as of 2011, are:

Religion People % Total 12,651,795 100   Catholic 3,976,610 31.4 No religious affiliation 2,927,790 23.1 Protestant 2,668,665 21.1 Other Christians 1,224,300 9.7 Muslim 581,950 4.6 Hindu 366,720 2.9 Christian Orthodox 297,710 2.4 Jewish 195,540 1.5 Sikh 179,765 1.4 Buddhist 163,750 1.3 Other Religions 68,985 0.5 Language

The principal language of Ontario is English, which is spoken natively by about 70% of the province's population as of the 2011 census. There is also a significant French speaking population concentrated in the central and eastern parts of the province, where under the French Language Services Act, provincial government services are required to be available in French if at least 10% of a designated area's population reports French as their native language. Immigrant languages such as Italian, Chinese and Punjabi are also found in the province.