Profile of the Francophone population in Ontario – 2016

Inclusive Definition of Francophones (IDF)

On June 4, 2009, the Government of Ontario introduced a new, broader definition of the Francophone population to better reflect Ontario’s Francophone community. This document uses this more inclusive definition. As a result, the numbers may differ from those recorded in the census data and reports published by other organizations or governments that do not use this definition.

Francophones were previously defined on the basis of their mother tongue. The “mother tongue” category solely identified Francophones as those who learned French at home as a child and who still understood French at the time of the census.

The IDF broadens the definition of Francophone to include those persons whose mother tongue is neither French nor English but have a particular knowledge of French as an Official Language and use French at home. 

Highlights

Ontario has more than 622,000 Francophones. According to the 2016 Census, the Francophone community now has 622,415 people, an increase of 10,915 since 2011.

Ontario’s Francophone population has increased by 2% since 2011. The population is mainly concentrated in Eastern and Northeastern Ontario. A large proportion of the Francophone population lives in Central Ontario.

Ontario’s Francophone population is older than the overall provincial population. While the median age of the total population is 41, that of Francophones is 44.6.

Women account for more than half of Ontario’s Francophone population.Women outnumber men across the province, except in the Northwestern region, where they account for half of the population.

Demographics aspects

Ontario has 622,415 Francophones, according to the 2016 Census data. In 2011, this number stood at 611,500. The Francophone population has increased by 10,915 since 2011, up by about 2%.

Francophones make up 4.7% of the Ontario population, down slightly (-0.1%) since 2011. While the number of Francophones in Ontario is on the rise, the proportion of Francophones against the total population of the province has fallen since 1986.

The Francophone population has increased in Eastern and Central Ontario.
While the number of Francophones has risen in Eastern and Central Ontario, there has been a decline in other regions of the province. The Francophone population of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario has increased by more than 10,000 and 7,000 people respectively.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2011 and 2016

The Francophone community represents 4.7% of the population of the province, but the proportion varies by region. In Northeastern Ontario—a region that accounts for 22.6% of the province’s population—roughly one in four is Francophone. In Eastern Ontario—a region that accounts for 15.4% of the population—one in six is Francophone. Elsewhere, the Francophone community represents less than 5% of the total population.

Chart 1 - Ontario's Francophone population

The largest concentration of Francophones is in Eastern Ontario. Almost two-thirds of the province’s Francophones live in Eastern and Northeastern Ontario (43.1% in Eastern Ontario and 19.7% in Northeastern Ontario); 182,825 Francophones (about 30%) live in the Champlain region.

Although Francophones only account for 2.1% of the total population in Central Ontario, this region is home to 30.7% of the province’s Francophone population—one-third of whom live in Toronto.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

Age groups

Ontario’s Francophone community is older than the overall provincial population. Compared to Ontario as a whole, there are proportionately more Francophones in the 45 and over categories, and proportionately fewer in the under 45 categories.

Chart 2 - Age pyramid of Ontario’s men

Chart 2.a - Age pyramid of Ontario’s women

The age pyramid of Ontario’s population illustrates in detail the differences between the Francophone population and the total population of Ontario in terms of age distribution. Compared to the total population, there are proportionately more Francophone women in the 35 and over categories, and proportionately more Francophone men in the 45 and over categories. Also compared to the total population, there are proportionately fewer Francophone women and men in the younger age categories.

The pyramid also shows that there are more women than men in all the 45 and over age groups.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

On average, the Francophone population is older than the Ontario population, as a whole. While the median age of the total population is 41, that of the Francophone population is 44.6. The median age of the Northeastern and Northwestern regions’ Francophone population is 50.8 and 50.4 respectively. These figures are higher than in any other region in Ontario.

Central Ontario’s Francophones have the lowest median age (40.6). The median age of the Francophone population increased in all regions, except in the Central region where the median age fell from 41.1 in 2011 to 40.6 in 2016.

The proportion of Francophones aged 65 and over (19.5%) is higher than the proportion of people aged 65 and over (16.2%) in the total population. The Francophone population is older in Southwestern and Northwestern Ontario. It is also older than the Francophone population in the other regions. Seniors aged 65 and over make up almost one in three Francophones in Southwestern Ontario (29.5%) and more than one in four in Northwestern Ontario (26.9%).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

Gender

Women account for more than half of Ontario’s Francophone population (53.1%). They make up the majority of the population in all regions, except in Northwestern Ontario, where they represent 50% of Francophones. The proportion of women is highest in Central Ontario, where they represent 54% of the Francophone population.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

Language in endogamous and exogamous families

Increase in exogamous families (families where only one spouse is Francophone).

Chart 4 - Endogamous versus exogamous families by region

Since 2006, Ontario has seen a steady decline in the number of families where both spouses have French as the mother tongue. Fewer than one-third (30.5%) of Francophone families are made up of two spouses with French as the mother tongue (endogamous families). Proportionately, this is down from 31.7% in 2011 and 33.3% in 2006.

Chart 5 - Proportion of endogamous families with children, by region

The proportion of endogamous families varies from one region to another. It is higher in the Northeastern (41.6%) and Eastern (39.6%) regions, and lower in the Southwestern (15.9%) and Central (20.2%) regions. Even so, the proportion of endogamous families in the Central and Southwestern regions of the province continues to increase, in particular in the Central region, where the proportion of endogamous families has been rising since 2006.

Visible minority

Francophone visible minorities are mostly grouped in Central and Eastern Ontario. 16% of Francophones in Ontario identify as visible minorities. As with the general population’s visible minorities, Francophone visible minorities mostly live in Central (56.5%) and Eastern (37.8%) Ontario.

There are significantly fewer Francophone visible minorities in other parts of the province: 4.5% in Southwestern Ontario, 1% in Northwestern Ontario and less than 1% in Northeastern Ontario.

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

Place of birth and immigration

Overall, three out of five Francophones were born in Ontario, one out of five in Quebec and the rest outside Canada (16.4%) and in the other provinces (4.5%) (Chart 6).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

Chart 6 - Place of birth of Francophones

The composition of the Francophone community varies from one region to another. In northeastern Ontario, more than four out of five Francophones were born in Ontario; by comparison, few were born in Quebec (11.8%) and only 1% were born outside Canada. In the Northwest, more than half of Francophones were born in Ontario, just over one-third in Quebec and 12.6% in another Canadian province.

In comparison, in central Ontario, only 39.6% of Francophones were born in the province, while almost a quarter (21.1%) were born in Quebec and one-third (32.9%) outside Canada. In Toronto, almost half of Francophones were born outside Canada.

It is interesting to note that the proportion of Francophones born outside Canada is higher in the Southwest than in the East (15.4% and 12.3% respectively).

Chart 7 - Place of birth of Francophones immigrants born outside Canada, 2016

The profile of Francophone immigrants has changed considerably in recent decades. In 2011, Europe was the leading continent of origin of French-speaking immigrants, the proportion of European immigrants decreased from 37% in 2011 to 28% in 2016. The majority of Francophone immigrants were born in Europe and Africa. More than one-third of Francophone immigrants come from Africa (35%) and one-quarter from Europe (28%) (Chart 7).

Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2016

The Francophone community has a high proportion of recent immigrants.  Recent immigration represents people who arrived between 2011 and 2016. Recent immigrants represent 17.4% of the Francophone immigrant population, compared to the total population where recent immigrants represent 12.3% of the total immigrant population. This recent immigration is particularly high among Francophone immigrants from the Northwest (21%), Toronto (20%) and Southwest (20%) regions.

Mobility

Between 2011 and 2016, 45,270 Francophones settled in Ontario; 20,190 came from Quebec, 5,865 from other Canadian provinces and 19,225 from abroad. The group of Francophones from a foreign country is slightly smaller than that of Francophones from Quebec, a difference of nearly 1,000 people.

Toronto and Ottawa - Communities of choice for Francophones moving to Ontario. Almost one in three Francophones from other countries live in Toronto (32.7%) or Ottawa (30.3%). Almost one-third of Francophones from Quebec (34.3%) settled in the Ottawa area and almost two in ten in Toronto (17.1%).

Language

Chart 7 - Retention of French by family type

In Ontario, 90.2% of children born to endogamous families, both of whose parents are Francophone, have French as their mother tongue. About half of the children in single-parent families have French as their mother tongue: 52% when the mother is the head of the family and 49.8% when it is the father. Fewer exogamous families pass on French to their children: 43.2% of children have French as their mother tongue.

Chart 8 - Francophone endogamous and exogamous families with children, by region

Since 2006, there has been a steady decrease in the number of families in Ontario where both spouses have French as their mother tongue. Less than one-third (30.5%) of Francophone families are composed of two spouses with French as their mother tongue (endogamous families), down from 31.7% in 2011 and 33.3% in 2006.

Chart 9 - Proportion of endogamous and exogamous families, by region

The proportion of endogamous families varies from one region to another. It is higher in the Northeast (41.6%) and East (39.6%), and lower in the Southwest (15.9%) and Central (20.2%). Nevertheless, the proportion of endogamous families in Central and Southwestern Ontario continues to increase, particularly in Central Ontario, where the proportion of endogamous families has been on the rise since 2006.

Language spoken at work

Speaking French at work is common for Francophones. More than two-thirds of Francophones (66.9%) use French at work - either regularly or most often. However, this data varies considerably from one region to another.

Chart 10 - Language spoken at work most often or regularly by Francophones - by region

More than one in three Francophones reported using French most often at work (34%). The proportion of the Francophone community that uses French most often at work is remarkably higher in the East (43.9%) and the Northeast (33.9%) than in other regions.

Scolarity

Levels of Education

Francophones with an apprenticeship or trade certifcate or diploma outnumber those wiuth a university degree.

Chart 11 - Highest level of education – ages 25 to 64 - Ontario

In 2016, fewer Francophones aged 25 and 64 had completed high school compared to the total population (22.5% versus 24.5%). The proportion of Francophones holding a university certificate, diploma or degree is also lower than in the general population (33.2% and 34.3% respectively). However, Francophones are more likely to have completed an apprenticeship or trade certificate or diploma than the general population (27.0% versus 24.7%).

In 2016, fewer Francophones aged 25 and 64 had completed high school compared to the total population (22.5% versus 24.5%). The proportion of Francophones holding a university certificate, diploma or degree is also lower than in the general population (33.2% and 34.3% respectively). However, Francophones are more likely to have completed an apprenticeship or trade certificate or diploma than the general population (27.0% versus 24.7%).

Chart 12 - Population with a university degree (bachelor’s or higher), by region

The proportion of Francophones with a university degree (bachelor’s or higher) varies from one region to another. Close to one-third of Francophones in Central Ontario have a university degree, compared to one in 10 in Northeastern Ontario. In fact, a large proportion of Francophones in Central Ontario have a bachelor’s degree (33.4%), which is higher than in the general population (28.2%).

Chart 13 - Fields of study according to the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Canada 2016

Francophone men and women choose different fields of study. The three most popular fields for men are business; social and behavioural sciences and law; and architectural, engineering and related services. Women, however, tend to choose social and behavioural sciences and law; education; and commerce, management and business administration.

Compared to Ontarians as a whole, there are more Francophones in the fields of education (8.2%); social and behavioural sciences and law (19%); and business, management and public administration (22.4%).

However, Francophones with a university degree are under-represented in the other fields of study. This is especially the case in architectural, engineering and related services (16.9% compared to 19.8%); and in physical and life sciences and technologies (7.2% compared to 8.1%).

Chart 14 - CIP fields of study for Francophones with a university degree (bachelor’s or higher)

Occupations

Francophone men and women choose different occupations. One-quarter of Francophone women (25.2%) work in business, finance and administration. In comparison, only 1 in 10 Francophone men (10.5%) are represented in these occupations. Trends are similar for sales and service occupations (23.4% of women compared to 18% of men) and for occupations in social science, education, government service and religion (22.3% of women compared to 10.5% of men). In contrast, there are more men in trades, transport and equipment operation (23.2% of men compared to 1.5% of women).

In general, Francophones are concentrated in the same occupational categories as the general population. However, there are differences between both groups. While Francophone men and women are under-represented in manufacturing, processing and utilities, and sales and service occupations, they are over-represented in social science, education, government service and religion, in particular in the sub-category related to professional occupations in education services.

Labour market

Chart 15 - Participation rate 1

Chart 16 - Participation rate 2

In 2016, Francophones were under-represented in the labour market compared to the province as a whole.

The rate of Francophone activity in Central Ontario was higher (65.6%) than that in other regions in the province. With the exception of Eastern Ontario, the rate of Francophone activity was lower than that of the total population across all regions. The largest divergence between the Francophone community and the total population was found in Southwestern Ontario (with 48.2% and 62.5% respectively).

Chart 17 - Unemployment rate by gender

In 2016, the number of unemployed Francophone men (7.9%) was higher than that of unemployed Francophone women (6.8%). The divergence between men and women was less apparent in the general population, with an unemployment rate of 7.4% among women compared to 7.5% among men.

There are however significant regional variations. In the Francophone community and in the total population, the highest and lowest unemployment rates were in Northeastern and Eastern Ontario respectively.

In 2016, Francophones fared better than the total population in Northeastern, Northwestern and Eastern Ontario. But in Central and Southwestern Ontario, the unemployment rate was higher among Francophones than among the population as a whole.

Chart 18 - Unemployment rate by region

Overview of income

In the past, Ontario’s Francophone community tended to have lower incomes than the general population. However, this is no longer the case. In 2016, Francophones earned more than their counterparts among the general population.

All Francophones

Overall, in 2016, the median employment income of Ontario Francophones was $5,600 higher than that of the general population. There was a significant difference between the average employment income of both groups; Francophones earned $3,000 more than the general population. Francophones aged 55 years and over are an exception, however, as their median employment income was lower than that of Ontarians in the same age group.

Chart 19 - Median and average employment income of Francophones

Moreover, Francophones are under-represented in income levels below $40,000 and over-represented in higher income levels. When considering other types of income (e.g., total individual income or family income), we see that Ontario Francophones also have slightly higher income levels than in the Ontario population as a whole.

Chart 20 - Employment income levels before taxes

Chart 21 - Median employment income before taxes by age group

Chart 22 - Average employment income before taxes by age group

Regional variations

In 2016, the median employment income among Ontario Francophones was $33,551; however, there were variations across the regions. Thus, the median employment income varied from $28,533 in Northwestern Ontario to $46,050 in Central Ontario. The average employment income among Ontario Francophones was $49,969. The average employment income varied from $62,230 in Northeastern Ontario to $39,722 in Northwestern Ontario. 

Similar trends were observed among the total population in the same regions. The total population’s median income levels varied from $41,054 in Central Ontario to $30,959 in Northwestern Ontario. The total population’s average employment income varied from $41,172 in Northwestern Ontario to $54,032 in Northeastern Ontario.

Males and females

Francophone women have a higher employment income—in terms of median and average values—than their Ontario counterparts. The $5,762-difference is all the more apparent when comparing the median employment income of Francophone women against the total population ($35,178 compared to $29,451).

Francophone men also have a higher average employment income—in terms of median and average values—than their Ontario counterparts. The median employment income among Francophone men is $5,510 higher than in the total population ($44,988 compared to $39,477).

Chart 23 - Median employment income before taxes

Chart 24 - Average employment income before taxes

The salary gap between Francophone men and women is slightly lower than the salary gap between men and women among the total population. The average employment income of Francophone women is 74.5% of the average employment income of Francophone men. The average income of women is 70.7% of that of their male counterparts in the total population.

Main source of income

Employment income is the main source of income for the large majority of Francophones and the total population. However, the class of persons with employment income as the main source of income in the Francophone population (60.2%) is lower than that of the same class in the total population (63.1%). Francophones are somewhat more likely than the rest of the Ontario population to derive their income primarily from government transfers (23.7% compared to 23.2%).

Chart 25 - Main source of income

Chart 26 - main source of income among Francophones, by sex

The composition of men’s earnings differs significantly from women. More women than men depend on government transfers (27.7% compared to 19.1%).

Low income cut-off, after tax

In 2016, in Ontario, roughly 8% of Francophones were living below the after-tax low income cutoff.

The proportion of Francophones living below the low income cutoff is relatively high in Central Ontario (10.3%), in particular in Toronto (16.5%). This is lower in Northeastern and Northwestern Ontario (4.5% respectively). Generally speaking, there are proportionately fewer people living below the low income cutoff in the Francophone population than in the general population. This is the case in Northeastern Ontario, where 4.5% of Francophones are living below the low income cutoff compared to 6.2% of the total population in the region.

Chart 27 - Population living under the low income cut-off after tax, by region

Concepts and definitions

Bilingualism

Refers to the knowledge of official languages, i.e. the ability to converse in both official languages—English and French.

Champlain region

Located in Eastern Ontario, the Champlain region encompasses the cities of Pembroke, Ottawa, Cornwall and Hawkesbury.

Endogamous and exogamous families

Endogamous families are two-parent families with children where both spouses are Francophone. Exogamous families are two-parent families with children where only one spouse is Francophone.

Home language

Refers to the language spoken most often or on a regular basis at home by the individual at the time of the census.

Mother tongue

Refers to the first language learned at home as a child and still understood by the individual at the time of the census.

Language spoken most often at home

Language spoken most often at home' refers to the language the person speaks most often at home at the time of data collection. A person can report more than one language as "spoken most often at home" if the languages are spoken equally often.

Language used most often at work

Language used most often at work' refers to the language the person uses most often at work. A person can report more than one language as "used most often at work" if the languages are used equally often.

Highest certificate, diploma or degree

This variable refers to the highest level of education that a person has successfully completed and is derived from the educational qualifications questions, which asked for all certificates, diplomas and degrees to be reported.

Visible Minority

'Visible minority' refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese.

Labour Force

Refers to persons who, during the week of Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2016, were either employed or unemployed.

Occupation

'Occupation' refers to the kind of work performed in a job; a job being all the tasks carried out by a particular worker to complete his or her duties. An occupation is a set of jobs that are sufficiently similar in work performed.

Occupations are generally homogeneous with respect to skill type and skill level.

Employment income

All income received as wages, salaries and commissions from paid employment and net self-employment income from farm or non-farm unincorporated business and/or professional practice during the reference period.

For the 2016 Census, the reference period is the calendar year 2015 for all income variables.

Median Income

A value that separates the income distribution of a given group of people into two equal parts; the first part includes those with income below the median, and the second part includes those with income above the median.

Average Income

Average income of people aged 15 and over, who reported income in 2015. Average income is calculated by dividing the sum of the incomes of a group of individuals by the number of people who reported income in that group.

Low-income cut-offs, after tax

The low-income cut-offs, after tax refer to income thresholds, defined using 1992 expenditure data, below which economic families or persons not in economic families would likely have devoted a larger share (20 percentage points or more) of their after-tax income than average to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing. These thresholds have been adjusted to current dollars using the all-items Consumer Price Index (CPI).

For the 2016 Census, the reference period is the calendar year 2015 for all income variables.

Income sources

'Income sources' refers to those income sources that make up total income.

For the 2016 Census, the reference period is the calendar year 2015 for all income variables.

Data sources

Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2011 and 2016.