Download Canada: A National Picture

RELIGION
REPORT
FROM THE
2001
CENSUS
CANADA: A NATIONAL PICTURE
Even though the census is held in Canada every five years, statistics on
religion is collected only every 10 years. Therefore, the current existing
statistics on religion in Canada dates back to the census of 2001. Data for
the 2001 census was released on May 13th, 2003. The next religious data
will be collected in 2011 and will probably be released in mid- 2013. The
2011 census will continue to collect more trends on religion, different
groups, and the religious breakdowns in Canadian cities and
municipalities.
According to the 2001 census in Canada, the following data was found
about religion
-Seven out of every 10 Canadians identify themselves as either Roman
Catholic or Protestant, according to data from the 2001 Census. In 2001,
Roman Catholics were still the largest religious group, drawing just under
12.8 million people, or 43% of the population, however down from 45% in
1991. The proportion of Protestants, the second largest group, declined
from 35% of the population to 29%, or about 8.7 million people.
Combined, the two groups represented 72% of the total population in
2001, compared with 80% a decade earlier.
-At the same time, the number of Canadians who reported religions such
as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism has increased substantially.
-The 2001 Census also recorded an increase in those reporting simply that
they were “Christian”, without specifying a Catholic, Protestant or
Christian Orthodox faith. This group more than doubled (+121%) during the
decade to 780,400, representing 2.6% of the population in 2001. This was
one of the largest percentage increases among all major religious groups.
-In addition, far more Canadians reported in the 2001 Census that they
had no religion. This group accounted for 16% of the population in 2001,
compared with 12% a decade earlier.
-Given below is a table that shows the major religious groups in this
country from the 2001 census. Respondents in the 2001 Census were
instructed to report a specific denomination or group, even if they were
not practicing members of their group. Consequently, these data indicate
only religious affiliation, not how religious people are or how often they
attend religious services. A comparison chart to the figures from the 1991
census is also provided.
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Religion
2001 Total
2001
1991 Total
1991
Percentage
Percentage
Roman
Catholic
12,793,125
43.2%
12,203.625
45.2%
Protestant
8,654,845
29.9%
9,427,675
34.9%
No religion
4,796,325
16.2%
3,333,245
12.3%
Christian,
n-i-e1
780,450
2.6%
353,040
1.3%
Muslim
579,640
2.0%
253,265
0.9%
Christian
Orthodox
479,620
1.6%
387,395
1.4%
Jewish
329,995
1.1%
318,185
1.2%
Buddhist
300,345
1.0%
163,415
0.6%
Hindu
297,200
1.0%
157,015
0.6%
Sikh
278,415
0.9%
147,440
0.5%
It is evident from the table above that people who reported belonging to
certain groups such as Muslim (religion is Islam) and Buddhist, Hindu, and
Sikh has increased significantly in the past decade. The next table gives a
breakdown of the religious groups that experienced the biggest increase
percentage wise in Canada between 1991 - 2001. The percentage in their
increase is given in the table as well.
_________________________________________________________________
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1. Includes persons who report "Christian", as well as those who report "Apostolic", "Born-again Christian" and
"Evangelical".
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION
GROWTH PERCENTAGES BETWEEN
1991 TO 2001
Islam
Christian n-i-e
Hindu
Sikh
Buddhist
Christian Orthodox
+128.9%
+121.1%
+89.3%
+88.8%
+83.8%
+27.8%
The graph below denotes the six religious groups who experienced the
biggest increase in members (percentage wise) between 1991 and 2001
in Canada. Islam increased by 128.9%, Christian n-i-e (not included
elsewhere) increased by 121.1%, and, Christian Orthodox increased by
27.8%. The three other religions, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism increased
by 89.3%, 88.8%, and 83.8% respectively.
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Islam
Christian n-ie
Hindu
1991
Figure 1
-3-
Sikh
2001
Buddhist
Christian
Orthodox
ONTARIO: A PROVINCIAL PICTURE
Protestant denominations accounted for 35% of the province’s
population, slightly more than the share of 34% for Roman Catholics. In
1991, the gap was much wider with Protestants accounting for 43%, and
Roman Catholics 35%. The situation occurred as the result of a decline
among Protestant faiths, accompanied by a gain among Roman
Catholics. The census in 2001 counted 3,935,745 Protestants, down 8%
from 1991, and 3,866,350 Roman Catholics, a 10% increase from 1991.
At the same time, the number of Ontario residents who reported that they
had no religion increased 48% to more than 1.8 million. They accounted
for 16% of the population in 2001, compared with 12% in 1991. All major
Protestant denominations, except one, declined during the 1990s. The
only gain occurred among Baptists, whose numbers rose 9% to almost
289,500. The 1.3 million members of the United Church, the largest of the
Protestant faiths, accounted for 12% of the province’s population. The
second largest Protestant group was Anglican, followed by Baptist and
Presbyterian.
The number of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs grew substantially in
Ontario. The census enumerated more than 352,500 Muslims, well over
double the total of 145,600 a decade earlier. Muslims in Ontario
accounted for 61% of all Muslims in Canada. There were also substantial
increases in the number of Buddhists, and in Hindus and Sikhs, whose ranks
also doubled. Provided now is a table that highlights the largest religious
groups in Ontario by their total percentage. A comparison chart from
1991 has also been provided.
Religion
2001 Total
2001
1991 Total
1991
Percentage
Percentage
Protestant
3,935,745
34.9%
4,291,785
43.0%
Roman
Catholic
3,866,350
34.3%
3,506,820
35.1%
-4-
No religion
1,809,535
16.0%
1,226,300
12.3%
Muslim
352,530
3.1%
145,560
1.5%
Christian, n-i-e
301,935
2.7%
136,515
1.4%
Christian
Orthodox
264,055
2.3%
187,905
1.9%
Hindu
217,560
1.9%
107,705
1.1%
Jewish
190,800
1.7%
175,650
1.8%
Buddhist
128,320
1.1%
65,325
0.7%
Sikh
104,785
0.9%
50,085
0.5%
Figure 2
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The top 10 religious denominations in Ontario in 2001 were
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION
Roman Catholic
No religion
United Church
Anglican
Muslim
Christian, n-i-e
Baptist
Presbyterian
Protestant, n-i-e
Hindu
PERCENTAGES
34.3%
16.0%
11.8%
8.7%
3.1%
2.7%
2.6%
2.5%
2.3%
1.9%
Six religions experienced a massive growth in percentage from the 1991
census to 2001 census. These religions along with the growth percentage
in the 10 year span are given below.
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION
Muslim
Christian n-i-e
Sikh
Hindu
Buddhist
Christian Orthodox
PERCENTAGES
142.2%
121.2%
109.2%
103.9%
96.4%
40.5%
The religion that experienced the largest growth was Islam (142.2%)
followed by Christian n-i-e at 121.2%. Sikhism experienced a growth of
109.2%, Hinduism 103.9%, Buddhism 96.4% and Christian Orthodox 40.5%.
The growth of Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism has been attributed
to the large number of immigration to the province of Ontario. The
following graph shows a comparison of the religions with the largest
growth between 1991 and 2001 in the province of Ontario.
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3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Islam
Christian n-i-e
Sikh
Hindu
1991
Buddhist
Christian
Orthodox
2001
Figure 3
The next section has detailed statistical breakdowns of the religious groups
in the Windsor and Essex region. Groups with the largest members are
listed first. If two groups have the exact same number of members, they
are listed in ascending alphabetical order. All data is from the census
conducted in Canada in 2001 since religious data is only collected in
Canada every 10 years. The next census that included religious data will
be conducted in 2011. Given below is a definition of certain religious
groups (as defined by Statistics Canada).
Catholic - Includes Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Polish National
Catholic Church, and Old Catholic.
Christian n-i-e (not identified elsewhere) - Includes persons who report
"Christian", as well as those who report "Apostolic", "Born-again Christian"
and "Evangelical".
Eastern religions - Includes Baha'i, Eckankar, Jains, Shinto, Taoist,
Zoroastrian and Eastern religions, not identified elsewhere.
Other religions - Includes Aboriginal spirituality, Pagan, Wicca, Unity - New
Thought - Pantheist, Scientology, Rastafarian, New Age, Gnostic, Satanist,
etc.
No religious affiliation - Includes Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist, and No
religion, and other responses, such as Darwinism, etc.
-7-
WINDSOR – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/
RELIGION
TOTAL NUMBER
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL POPULATION
CATHOLIC
PROTESTANT
NO RELIGIOUS
AFFLIATON
MUSLIM
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
BUDDHIST
HINDU
SIKH
JEWISH
OTHER RELIGIONS
EASTERN RELIGIONS
99,525
49,180
25,335
48.3%
23.8%
12.3%
9,875
8,835
6,545
1,985
1,540
1,405
1,175
295
180
4.7%
4.2%
3.1%
0.96%
0.74%
0.68%
0.57%
0.14%
0.08%
-8-
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
48.30%
25%
20%
10%
0.68%
0.74%
0.96%
3.10%
4.20%
0%
4.70%
5%
12.30%
23.80%
15%
0.57% 0.14% 0.08%
Catholic
Protestant
No religious affl
Muslim
Christian Orthodox
Christian n-i-e
Buddhist
Hindu
Sikh
Jewish
Other Religions
Eastern Religions
Figure 4
KINGSVILLE – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/
RELIGION
TOTAL NUMBER
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL POPULATION
PROTESTANT
CATHOLIC
NO RELIGIOUS
AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
MUSLIM
BUDDHIST
EASTERN RELIGIONS
HINDU
JEWISH
OTHER RELIGIONS
SIKH
9,800
6,905
1,920
50.7%
48.3%
9.9%
510
110
20
15
0
0
0
0
0
2.6%
0.56%
0.10%
0.07%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
-9-
60%
50%
40%
48.30%
50.70%
30%
20%
0.00%
0.00%
0.07%
0.10%
0.56%
0%
2.60%
9.90%
10%
0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Protestant
Catholic
No religious affl
Christian n-i-e
Christian Orthodox
Muslim
Buddhist
Eastern Religions
Hindu
Jew ish
Other Religions
Sikh
Figure 5
LEAMINGTON – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION TOTAL NUMBER
PROTESTANT
CATHOLIC
NO RELIGIOUS AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
MUSLIM
BUDDHIST
HINDU
OTHER RELIGIONS
EASTERN RELIGIONS
JEWISH
SIKH
12,910
10,455
1,940
930
155
105
55
30
25
10
10
0
- 10 -
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
POPULATION
48.4%
39.2%
7.2%
3.4%
0.58%
0.39%
0.20%
0.11%
0.09%
0.03%
0.03%
0%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
39.20%
20%
48.40%
25%
15%
10%
0.09%
0.11%
0.20%
0.39%
0.58%
0%
3.40%
7.20%
5%
0.03% 0.03%
Protestant
Catholic
No religious affl
Christian n-i-e
Christian Orthodox
Muslim
Buddhist
Hindu
Other Religions
Eastern Religions
Jewish
Sikh
0%
Figure 6
AMHERSTBURG – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION TOTAL NUMBER
CATHOLIC
PROTESTANT
NO RELIGIOUS AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
MUSLIM
OTHER RELIGIONS
JEWISH
BUDDHIST
EASTERN RELIGIONS
HINDU
SIKH
12450
4945
2235
390
155
15
15
10
0
0
0
0
- 11 -
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
POPULATION
61.6%
24.4%
11.0%
1.9%
0.76%
0.07%
0.07%
0.04%
0%
0%
0%
0%
70%
60%
50%
40%
61.60%
30%
20%
0.00%
0.04%
0.07%
0.07%
0.76%
0%
1.90%
11.00%
24.40%
10%
0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Catholic
Protestant
No religious affl
Christian n-i-e
Christian Orthodox
Muslim
Other Religions
Jewish
Buddhist
Eastern Religions
Hindu
Sikh
Figure 7
LaSALLE – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION TOTAL NUMBER
CATHOLIC
PROTESTANT
NO RELIGIOUS AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
MUSLIM
HINDU
SIKH
JEWISH
BUDDHIST
OTHER RELIGIONS
EASTERN RELIGIONS
14,800
6,265
2135
705
620
470
125
75
35
25
25
0
- 12 -
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
POPULATION
58.5%
24.7%
8.4%
2.7%
2.4%
1.8%
0.49%
0.29%
0.13%
0.09%
0.09%
0%
60%
50%
40%
58.50%
30%
20%
24.70%
10%
0.13%
0.29%
0.49%
1.80%
2.40%
2.70%
8.40%
0%
0.09% 0.09% 0.00%
Catholic
Protestant
No religious affl
Christian n-i-e
Christian Orthodox
Muslim
Hindu
Sikh
Jewish
Buddhist
Other Religions
Eastern Religions
Figure 8
TECUMSEH – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION TOTAL NUMBER
CATHOLIC
PROTESTANT
NO RELIGIOUS AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
MUSLIM
SIKH
JEWISH
HINDU
OTHER RELIGIONS
BUDDHIST
EASTERN RELIGIONS
15300
5845
1800
970
425
320
155
85
50
35
25
10
- 13 -
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
POPULATION
61.1%
23.3%
7.1%
3.8%
1.6%
1.2%
0.61%
0.33%
0.19%
0.13%
0.09%
0.03%
70%
60%
50%
40%
61.10%
30%
20%
23.30%
10%
0.19%
0.33%
0.61%
1.20%
1.60%
3.80%
7.10%
0%
0.13% 0.00% 0.00%
Catholic
Protestant
No religious affl
Christian Orthodox
Christian n-i-e
Muslim
Sikh
Sikh
Jewish
Buddhist
Other Religions
Eastern Religions
Figure 9
LAKESHORE – RELIGIOUS BREAKDOWN – 2001 CENSUS
DENOMINATION/ RELIGION TOTAL NUMBER
CATHOLIC
PROTESTANT
NO RELIGIOUS AFFLIATON
CHRISTIAN , n-i-e
CHRISTIAN ORTHODOX
HINDU
BUDDHIST
MUSLIM
EASTERN RELIGIONS
JEWISH
OTHER RELIGIONS
SIKH
18,455
6,720
2225
525
250
170
70
65
35
35
10
0
- 14 -
PERCENTAGE OF
TOTAL
POPULATION
64.5%
23.5%
7.7%
1.8%
0.87%
0.59%
0.24%
0.22%
0.12%
0.12%
0.03%
0%
70%
60%
50%
40%
64.50%
30%
20%
0.12%
0.22%
0.24%
0.59%
0.87%
1.80%
0%
7.70%
23.50%
10%
0.12% 0.03% 0.00%
Catholic
Protestant
No religious affl
Christian n-i-e
Christian Orthodox
Hindu
Buddhist
Muslim
Eastern Religions
Jewish
Other Religions
Sikh
Figure 10
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
1) Statistics Canada - is the federal government agency commissioned
with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its
population, resources, economy, society, and culture (also known as Stats
Can)
2) Census - Every five years, Statistics Canada gathers important
information on the Canadian population in order to provide a statistical
portrait of Canada and its people. However, religious data is only
gathered every 10 years. The last available data was collected during the
2001 census. The next census in 2011 will gather religious data once again.
Even though there was a census held nation-wide in 2006, religious data
was not gathered during that particular census .
- 15 -
3) Catholic - Includes Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Polish National
Catholic Church, and Old Catholic.
4) Christian n-i-e (not identified elsewhere) - Includes persons who report
"Christian", as well as those who report "Apostolic", "Born-again Christian"
and "Evangelical".
5) Eastern religions - Includes Baha'i, Eckankar, Jains, Shinto, Taoist,
Zoroastrian and Eastern religions, not identified elsewhere.
6) Other religions - Includes Aboriginal spirituality, Pagan, Wicca, Unity New Thought - Pantheist, Scientology, Rastafarian, New Age, Gnostic,
Satanist, etc.
7) No religious affiliation - Includes Agnostic, Atheist, Humanist, and No
religion, and other responses, such as Darwinism, etc.
- 16 -