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🇮🇳Indian Canadian Communities in Canada

Population data, major metropolitan hubs, community services, education considerations and practical settlement information.

1.35M reporting Indian (India) ethnic/cultural origin in the 2021 Census
Statistics Canada also counted 2.57M South Asian people overall in 2021; South Asian is broader than Indian (India) origin.
Community overview

Indian Canadian communities are distributed across major metropolitan areas, with particularly strong concentrations in the Greater Toronto Area, Metro Vancouver and parts of Alberta. Statistics Canada reports that South Asians as a whole were the largest racialized population group in Canada in 2021, and India was the most common birthplace among South Asians.

Major Metropolitan Areas & Community Hubs

Community concentration is not the same as a formally designated ethnic enclave. The areas below are locations where official population data, established businesses, community services or cultural institutions make the community especially visible.

The Toronto CMA was the single largest centre for South Asian populations in the 2021 Census. Statistics Canada reported that 46% of South Asians in Canada lived in the Toronto CMA, with Brampton and Mississauga accounting for 13% and 7%, respectively, of the national South Asian population.

Brampton
Community & neighbourhood context:

Brampton is one of Canada’s strongest South Asian population centres. Statistics Canada reported that South Asians represented about 52% of Brampton’s population in 2021. The Census also recorded approximately 180,300 people reporting Indian (India) ethnic/cultural origin in the city.

School districts & education:

Most publicly funded schools in Brampton fall under the Peel District School Board or the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. School eligibility depends on the exact residential address, grade and program.

Mississauga
Community & neighbourhood context:

Mississauga is another major South Asian population centre in the Toronto CMA. Statistics Canada reported that 7% of Canada’s South Asian population lived in the Mississauga census subdivision in 2021.

School districts & education:

Public education is primarily provided by the Peel District School Board, with Catholic education provided by the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. Catchment and program availability should be checked for the exact address.

The Vancouver CMA accounted for 14% of Canada’s South Asian population in 2021. Surrey was the leading municipality within the CMA for the South Asian population share.

Surrey
Community & neighbourhood context:

Statistics Canada reported that 8% of Canada’s South Asian population lived in Surrey in 2021. Surrey is particularly important for Punjabi-speaking and Sikh communities, although the local South Asian population is diverse and not limited to one ethnicity or religion.

School districts & education:

Surrey Schools (School District No. 36) is British Columbia’s largest school district and serves Surrey, White Rock and nearby areas. The district operates more than 100 schools and provides a wide range of programs.

Calgary was one of the major Western Canadian centres for South Asian communities in 2021. Statistics Canada reported that about 6% of Canada’s South Asian population lived in the Calgary CMA.

Northeast Calgary
Community & neighbourhood context:

Northeast Calgary contains several neighbourhoods with substantial South Asian communities and convenient access to shopping, restaurants, faith communities and public transit. The area should be evaluated neighbourhood by neighbourhood rather than treated as one uniform enclave.

School districts & education:

Schools in Calgary are served primarily by the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District. Program, transportation and catchment eligibility should be checked using the exact home address.

How to use this directory
Compare community concentration

Use the population statistics to understand where communities are concentrated, but remember that a CMA, municipality and neighbourhood are different geographic units.

Verify the exact address

School catchments, transit access, municipal services and business availability should always be checked against the exact property or neighbourhood you are considering.

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What attracts newcomers?
  • ✓Large South Asian population concentrations in the Toronto and Vancouver metropolitan areas.
  • ✓Established grocery, restaurant, retail, professional and community-service networks.
  • ✓Strong presence of Punjabi, Hindi and other South Asian languages in many metropolitan communities.
  • ✓Access to schools, settlement services, places of worship and community organizations varies by neighbourhood.
School selection tip

A neighbourhood’s community profile does not guarantee admission to a particular school. In Canada, school eligibility is generally determined by the relevant provincial school system, board or district and the student’s residential address. Always confirm the current catchment, program, transportation and registration requirements before signing a lease or purchase agreement.

Before choosing a neighbourhood
  • Check the exact school catchment and registration rules.
  • Compare housing costs, commute times and public-transit access.
  • Confirm healthcare, childcare and municipal services nearby.
  • Treat community concentration as one decision factor, not a guarantee of service availability or quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. The page uses the latest detailed Statistics Canada Census figures and identifies the Census concept used for each community. The detailed geographic comparisons referenced here are based primarily on the 2021 Census, which Statistics Canada continues to use in its 2025 and 2026 population portraits.

Statistics Canada treats South Asian as a racialized population category in the Census. In 2021, 2,571,400 people were identified as South Asian, making South Asians the largest racialized population group in Canada. This is broader than people reporting Indian (India) as an ethnic or cultural origin.

Statistics Canada reports that 46% of South Asians lived in the Toronto census metropolitan area in 2021. Within the Toronto CMA, Brampton accounted for 13% and Mississauga 7% of the national South Asian population. Another 14% lived in the Vancouver CMA, particularly in Surrey.

Statistics Canada reports that 39.6% of the Chinese population lived in the Toronto CMA and 29.9% lived in the Vancouver CMA in 2021. Chinese residents made up 54.3% of Richmond and 47.9% of Markham in the 2021 Census.

Winnipeg is notable because it had the highest share of Filipino residents among Canadian census metropolitan areas in 2021: 10.3% of the Winnipeg CMA population was Filipino. Toronto had the largest absolute Filipino population, while Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Montréal were also major centres.

Use the relevant provincial school-board address lookup or catchment map for the exact property address. Community pages can identify areas with large populations and services, but school eligibility, program availability and transportation are address-specific and can change over time.