This report was published by Statistics Canada.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021: A Sociodemographic Portrait is the first of a portrait series that Statistics Canada developed to support the initiatives under Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, which seeks to address racism and discrimination faced by racialized groups and Indigenous Peoples. This analytical paper aligns with the Disaggregated Data Action Plan, a whole-of-government approach led by Statistics Canada, to enhance data collection, analysis, and dissemination pertaining to diverse populations in Canada.

The focus of this portrait is the analysis of the sociodemographic, linguistic, ethnocultural, and religious diversity of the Black populations in Canada. An intersectional perspective is used to explore the interactions between multiple diversity measures. Gaining insights into the diversity of these growing populations is an important step toward understanding their unique characteristics and experiences. In so doing, this analytical paper acknowledges the key tenets of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) – recognition, justice, and development.

The analysis highlights the changing sociodemographic situation of the Black populations in Canada over the last 25 years, up until the 2021 Census, and shows the extent to which the Black populations differ from other racialized groups and the non-racialized populations (excluding Indigenous populations).

Note: This report includes details on Black children and youth, noting that Black populations are among the youngest in Canada, with children and youth (up to age 25) making up 41.9% of this group.