Afghan Canadians

For Pashtuns in Canada, see Pashtun diaspora.

Afghan Canadians are Canadians with ancestry from Afghanistan. They form the second largest Afghan community in North America after Afghan Americans. Their ethnic origin may come from any of the ethnic groups of Afghanistan, which include Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara, Turkmen, etc. In the Canada 2016 Census about 83,995 Canadians were from Afghanistan.^[4]

Afghan Canadians

Total population
96,810[1]
Regions with significant populations
Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton
Languages
Canadian English, Canadian French, Dari, Pashto, Uzbek and other Afghan languages
Religion
Predominantly: Islam (92.44%) Minorities: Irreligion (5.6%) Christianity (1.1%) Hinduism (0.5%) Sikhism (0.2%) Judaism (0.04%) Buddhism (0.01%) Indigenous (0.01%) Others (0.1%) [2][lower-alpha 1][3]

Demography

Population

Afghan−Canadian
Population History

Year	Pop.	±%
2016	83,995	—
2021	96,810	+15.3%
Source: Statistics Canada [1][5]

Religion

Afghan Canadian demography by religion

Religious group	2021[2][lower-alpha 1]
	Pop.	%
Islam	89,485	92.44%
Irreligion	5,400	5.58%
Christianity	1,035	1.07%
Hinduism	465	0.48%
Sikhism	235	0.24%
Judaism	40	0.04%
Buddhism	10	0.01%
Indigenous spirituality	10	0.01%
Other	135	0.14%
Total Afghan Canadian population	96,810	100%

Geographical distribution

Afghan Canadians by Canadian province or territory (2016)

Province	Population	Percentage	Source
Ontario	54,535	0.4%	[6]
Quebec	10,940	0.1%	[7]
Alberta	8,545	0.2%	[8]
British Columbia	7,890	0.2%	[9]
Manitoba	1,015	0.1%	[10]
Saskatchewan	780	0.1%	[11]
Nova Scotia	230	0.0%	[12]
New Brunswick	25	0.0%	[13]
Newfoundland and Labrador	10	0.0%	[14]
Prince Edward Island	10	0.0%	[15]
Northwest Territories	10	0.0%	[16]
Nunavut	0	0.0%	[17]
Yukon	0	0.0%	[18]
Canada	83,995	0.24%	[5]

Media

The diaspora also have media outlets for the Afghan community, including private TV channels such as Watan E Maa,^[19] AfghanJavan TV and Afghan Nobel TV.

Notable individuals

• Kawa Ada — actor and playwright
• Fardaws Aimaq — basketball player
• Layla Alizada — actress
• Hangama — singer
• Donnie Keshawarz – actor
• Sadi Jalali — soccer player
• Nasser Jamal — football player
• Mozhdah Jamalzadah – singer^[20]
• Maryam Monsef – member of Parliament for Peterborough-Kawartha; first Afghan-Canadian elected to Canada's House of Commons, former Minister of Status of Women
• Ariel Nasr - documentary filmmaker^[21]
• Nelofer Pazira – filmmaker and author
• Parween Pazhwak – Persian artist and poet
• Humira Saqib – Journalist^{[citation needed]}
• Massih Wassey – soccer player
• Hamid Zaher – writer and gay rights activist^[22]

See also

• Canada portal
• Afghanistan portal

• Afghan diaspora
• West Asian Canadians
• Pashtun diaspora
• Hazara diaspora
• List of Afghans

Notes

1. Religious breakdown proportions based on "Afghan" ethnic or cultural origin response on the 2021 census.^[2]

References

1. "Census Profile, 2021 Census Canada [Country] and Canada [Country]".
2. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2023-05-10). "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
3. "Dozens of Sikh and Hindu families persecuted in Afghanistan approved to settle in Canada". cbc.ca. December 27, 2018.
4. "Ethnic origin population". statcan. Statistics Canada. 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-04.
5. "Immigration and Ethnocultural Diversity Highlight Tables". statcan.gc.ca. 25 October 2017.
6. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Ontario, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
7. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Quebec, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
8. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Alberta, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
9. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), British Columbia, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
10. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Manitoba, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
11. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Saskatchewan, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
12. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Nova Scotia, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
13. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), New Brunswick, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
14. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Newfoundland and Labrador, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
15. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Prince Edward Island, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
16. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Northwest Territories, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
17. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Nunavut, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
18. "Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Yukon, 2016 Census – 25% Sample data". Canada 2016 Census. Statistics Canada. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
19. "HOME". Watan-E-Maa tv. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
20. "Afghanistan's Oprah: Mozhdah on fame, threats and why she won't live her life in fear". The Guardian. October 30, 2019.
21. "Halifax-born producer gets Oscar nod for short film". CBC News Nova Scotia, January 10, 2013.
22. "Gay Afghan defies tradition to expose identity". BBC News. Retrieved February 20, 2013.

External links

• Rebuilding Afghanistan