Burnaby Demographics

30.5% of Burnaby’s recent immigrants

spoke Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and Chinese n.o.s. combined) most often at home.
Source: 2016 Census

232,080 residents

lived in Burnaby in 2015.
Source: 2016 Census

39.8% of Burnaby’s total population

spoke English only as their mother tongue, notably lower (14%) than Metro Vancouver’s regional level of 54.0%.
Source: 2016 Census

15.7% of Burnaby’s recent immigrants

spoke non-official languages at work.
Source: 2016 Census

44.4% Of Burnaby's recent

immigration population came from China and the Philippines.
Source: 2016 Census

62.4% of Burnaby's 16,065 recent immigrants

arrived under the economic class, similar to Metro Vancouver’s regional levels (63%).
Source: 2016 Census

10% of Burnaby’s recent immigrants

were unemployed in 2015, significantly higher than their Canadian born counterparts (6.5%).
Source: 2016 Census

26.2% of Burnaby’s recent immigrants

worked in the retail trade, and the accommodation and food services sectors in 2015.
Source: 2016 Census

66.6% of Burnaby's recent immigrants

spoke non-official languages most often at home in 2016, notably more than 62.1% of Metro Vancouver’s recent immigrants.
Source: 2016 Census

63.6% Burnaby’s residents

self-identified as visible minorities.
Source: 2016 Census

66.0% of Burnaby’s recent immigrants

were between the ages of 15 and 44 when arriving Canada.
Source: 2016 Census

54% of Burnaby's labour force

are immigrants.
Source: 2016 Census

In 2015 35.6% of the recent

immigration population age 15 and over were in the low income bracket, down from 41.8% in 2010.
Source: 2016 Census

In 2016 Immigrants represented

50% of Burnaby's total population - that's 115,145 people.
Source: 2016 Census

Burnaby was home to the fourth-largest

immigrant population (115,145) in the Metro Vancouver Region, representing 11.6% of Metro Vancouver’s immigrant population.
Source: 2016 Census

In 2016 56.4% of recent immigrants

aged 25 to 64 had a bachelor's degree or higher, up from 54.9% in 2011.
Source: 2016 Census

8.7% of Burnaby's recent immigrants

are refugees.
Source: 2016 Census

See Report...

News

Sanctuary Schools policy adopted by Central Okanagan trustees

June 23, 2022

By Kelowna Capital News Central Okanagan Public Schools is ready to identify itself as a Sanctuary Schools zone to support students living with a precarious immigration status. Following the example set by the New Westminster School District in May 2017, the Central Okanagan Board of Education is about to become the second school district in the province to adopt the Sanctuary Schools policy. The Sanctuary Schools policy effectively would bar...

Canadian Multiculturalism Day returns to Maple Ridge!

June 21, 2022

By Maple Ridge News | Get ready for a fun-filled day celebrating the unique blend of cultures at home in our community! After two years as a virtual event, the Family Education & Support Centre is excited to welcome the community in person for Canadian Multiculturalism Day, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. June 25, at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge! “It’s very exciting to be back in person for this year’s event,”...

Minister’s statement on World Refugee Day

June 20, 2022

By BC Gov News | Nathan Cullen, Minister of Municipal Affairs, has issued the following statement to mark World Refugee Day on Monday, June 20, 2022: “Most British Columbians can’t begin to comprehend the hardships and challenges that refugees have overcome to seek safety in our province. Sometimes, taking only the belongings they can carry, fleeing in the dead of night or leaving behind friends, family and life as they...

Diversity and inclusion are Vancouver tech community’s ‘superpowers-in-waiting’

June 16, 2022

By Vancouver Sun | Vancouver may have one of the fastest-growing technology sectors in North America, but one local tech leader believes that the city must become more diverse and inclusive if it wants to be a true global powerhouse in this space. “For all our success, we are only scratching the surface of potential for the city’s tech ecosystem in terms of growth and global influence,” says Mansur Mirani,...

Vancouver teen who fled Iraq and then Trump heads to UBC with full-ride scholarship

June 16, 2022

By Vancouver Sun | Ashki Shkur’s first glimpses of the Vancouver area came from the back of an RCMP cruiser after she and her family were arrested for walking across the U.S. border in search of asylum in 2017. Now the 18-year-old Britannia Secondary student, originally from Iraqi Kurdistan, is headed to the University of British Columbia in the fall with dreams of becoming a surgeon and of a scholarship that fully...

New Canadian immigration program in the works

June 15, 2022

By CIC News | Canada is working on a new fast-track immigration program for temporary foreign workers and international students. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser told CBC News the new program will be a permanent pathway for temporary residents. It will be similar but not identical to the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) program which opened the door to 90,000 essential workers and international student graduates last year. “We are looking right now at...