The Most Spoken Languages in Canada
If you’ve ever been to Canada, you would know that the most spoken languages in Canada are French and English. Anywhere you go you’ll be able to hear a mix of the two in different conversations. After all, they are the official languages of the country. But there is little known about the other most popular languages in Canada that are leading the charge in creating a country of polyglots.
The Most Spoken Languages in Canada
The most spoken languages in Canada are English and French, that’s why they rank as the official languages of Canada. When you look at the stats, there are 58.1% of Canadians report themselves as English native speakers and 21.4% as French native speakers.
But there are more than just those two languages in Canada. Currently, Canada is home to 67 Aboriginal tongues, Mandarin is the third most common native language, and Tagalog is on the rise as more Canadians have a rapidly growing interest in learning another language.
Canadian Languages vs. the World
There are more than 200 languages spoken in Canada, each coming from a different part of the world. In the northern part of the country, the most spoken languages in Canada are Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, and Tagalong. The Asian influence is clear.
However, 18.8% of the Canadian population are native speakers of other immigrant languages too. These include Spanish, Arabic, Italian, Urdu, and German. Immigrant languages are concentrated in specific geographical locations and really only found within those communities.
How many languages are spoken in Canada?
Unofficially there are 200 world languages and 60 indigenous languages in Canada. However, Canada’s official languages are English and French, so the majority of Canadians speak one of these two options.
Languages Spoken in Canada by percentage
When you break down the number of native speakers of different languages in Canada there are a few interesting points that can be seen. It is very clear that English is the official language of Canada. With 75.5% of Canadians speaking English, it is one of the most common languages in Canada to be overheard.
After English, French is the native language for 21.4% of Canadians. Following French as a popular language is Chinese, with both Mandarin and Cantonese coming in at 3.5% of Canada claiming to be native speakers.
With 7 million foreign-born citizens and residents, Canada has 18.8% of their population claims some kind of immigrant language as their native language. And finally, with 1.4 million Indigenous people living in Canada, 0.6% of the population speak an Indigenous language that may no longer be considered “alive” but is very much used in the community.
What are the top 10 languages spoken in Canada?
Discover the most widely spoken languages in Canada, as we present the top languages spoken in the country:
- English
- French
- Chinese languages
- Punjabi
- Spanish
- Italian
- German
- Tagalog
- Arabic
- Portuguese
What are the best languages to learn in Canada?
To communicate with the majority of Canadians, you should learn English. However, there are other languages in Canada, as you know now. So it is also recommended to learn French for a number of Canadians as well.
If you are Canadian and wondering what the best language to learn is outside of our native language. You might want to take a look at who you interact with the most and what your future travel plans are. Spanish is slowly rising as a global majority native language, but it depends on where in the world you want to go.
