1 in 4 Waterloo Region residents are immigrants, census shows

About 23 per cent of Waterloo Region residents are immigrants, the latest census figures show. However, the majority of them live in the threecities of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

According to statistics released Wednesday, the share of immigrants in Canadahas reached its highest level in almost a century, according to 2016 census figures releasedWednesday.

• Canada immigration explained: Answers to 7 common questions

The census figures show 21.9 per cent of Canadians report being or having been an immigrant or permanent resident, nearly matching the high of 22.3 per centin 1921 and up from 19.8 per cent in 2006. The number was slightly higher than 21.9 per cent in 1931 too.

In the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge CMA data, 22.9per cent of respondents identified themselves as being or having been an immigrant. In the Waterloo Region data, 22.6 per cent of people describe themselves as an immigrant.

That's down slightly from previous census reports.

Within Waterloo Region itself, the largest proportion of immigrants live in the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, representing about four per cent of local residents in those communities, with overthree percent arriving since 2011 in Kitchener and Waterloo, with 1.5 percent of immigrants to Cambridge arriving in the past sixyears.

In North Dumfries, the immigrant community represents 12 per cent of residents, with far fewer than one percent of them coming to the area since 2011.

Born where, speaking what

Themajority of immigrants living in and around Waterloo region were born in the United Kingdom, followed byIndia and Portugal.

In recent years, since 2011 as noted in the KitchenerCMA, newcomers have mainly come from:

• India: 1,835 (13.1 per cent) .
• China: 1,395 (10.0 per cent).
• Syria: 1,055 (7.5 per cent).
• Iraq: 850 (6.1 per cent).
• Pakistan: 625 (4.5 per cent).

Since 2011, the top three non-English languages spoken at home by immigrants moving into the areaare Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish. Before 2011 the same three languages dominated in the area, but in the order: Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic.

Three-quarters of the region's population was born in Canada, and about two-thirds of that group reported both parents were also born in Canada, the Waterloo Region data shows.

• First generation (born outside Canada): 131,190.
• Second generation (born in Canada with one or both parents born outside Canada):109,490.
• Third generation or more (born in Canada with both parents born in Canada):286,660.

Looking at Immigration

CBC News has prepared several short videos looking at immigration and its effect on Canada, using statistics and research data to answer commonly-asked questions:

More census stories from CBC

• Highest in share in decades: 21.9% ofCanadians are immigrants
• Indigenous population growing rapidly, languages surging
• Canada immigration explained: Answers to 7 common questions
• 1.9 million Canadian households live in condos, census data shows