 Population distribution of Lebanese Canadians by census division, 2021 census | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 210,605 (by ancestry,2021 census)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Ontario | 80,345[2] |
 Quebec | 78,210[3] |
 Alberta | 28,480[4] |
 British Columbia | 8,440[5] |
| Languages | |
| Canadian English,Canadian French,Lebanese Arabic,Lebanese French,Armenian | |
| Religion | |
| |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arab Canadians, otherAsian Canadians includingWest Asian Canadians | |
| Part ofa series of articles on |
| Lebanese people |
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Lebanese Canadians areCanadians ofLebanese origin. According to the2016 census there were 219,555Canadians who claimedLebanese ancestry, showing an increase compared to the2006 census,[8] making them by far the largest group of people withArabic-speaking roots. As of the 2016 census, they are also one of the largest communities of Asian origin in the country.[9]
Lebanese immigration began in 1882. The first Lebanese immigrant to Canada was Abraham Bounadere (Ibrahim Abu Nadir) fromZahlé in Lebanon who settled in Montreal.[10] Because of situations withinLebanon and restrictiveCanadian laws these immigrants were 90 percentChristian. Theseimmigrants were mostly economic migrants seeking greater prosperity in theNew World as well as escaping Ottoman persecution.
In more recent years this pattern has changed, and large numbers of LebaneseMuslims andDruze have come to Canada.[11]Immigration laws were liberalized after theSecond World War, and immigration steadily increased in the 1950s and 1960s.
The greatest influx of Lebanese was during theLebanese Civil War (1975–1990), and this period saw a number of Lebanon's wealthiest and best educated move to Canada to flee the violence in their homeland.Canada andAustralia were the onlyWestern countries to set up special programs to enable Lebanese to more easily emigrate. Canada set up an office inCyprus to process Lebanese refugees.
The media has reported that as many as 50,000 of Lebanese-Canadians were in Lebanon during the summer of 2006, with about half of them permanently residing there.[12] During2006 Lebanon War the large number of Canadians caught in the crossfire led to a major effort to evacuate them from the war zone. It also led some to accuse some of those holding Canadian citizenship of beingCanadians of convenience.
November is Lebanese Heritage Month, and was declared as such by the Parliament of Canada in 2023.[13][14]
Many Lebanese speakFrench and prefer to settle infrancophoneMontreal.
| Religious group | 2021[15][a] | 2001[16][b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Christianity | 104,945 | 49.83% | 90,560 | 63.05% |
| Islam | 63,255 | 30.03% | 43,435 | 30.24% |
| Irreligion | 36,465 | 17.31% | 8,590 | 5.98% |
| Judaism | 785 | 0.37% | 670 | 0.47% |
| Buddhism | 95 | 0.05% | 75 | 0.05% |
| Hinduism | 40 | 0.02% | 60 | 0.04% |
| Indigenous spirituality | 10 | 0% | — | — |
| Sikhism | 0 | 0% | 25 | 0.02% |
| Other | 5,010 | 2.38% | 225 | 0.16% |
| Total Lebanese Canadian population | 210,605 | 100% | 143,640 | 100% |
| Religious group | 2021[15][a] | 2001[16][b] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Catholic | 62,230 | 59.3% | 59,865 | 66.11% |
| Orthodox | 14,705 | 14.01% | 16,460 | 18.18% |
| Protestant | 5,385 | 5.13% | 8,795 | 9.71% |
| Other Christian | 1,210 | 1.15% | - | 0% |
| Christian (nie) | 21,405 | 20.4% | 5,435 | 6% |
| Total Lebanese Canadian christian population | 104,905 | 100% | 90,560 | 100% |
About half of the Lebanese-Canadian community is located in and around Montreal, and most Lebanese-Canadian organizations, especially religious ones, are based in that city.
Lebanese Canadians account for a larger share of the population ofOttawa than that of any other census metropolitan area across the country, constituting over 2 percent of the total population of theNational Capital Region. Canadians of Lebanese origin also made up more than 1 percent of the total populations of bothMontreal andHalifax, while the figure was close to 1 percent in both Calgary and Edmonton. InToronto, people of Lebanese origin made up less than half of one per cent of the total population.[17] There are also substantial Lebanese populations inVancouver,Windsor,London,Edmonton,Fredericton, andCharlottetown.
Halifax is in particular known for its strong Lebanese community, which hosts two different festivals.[18][19]
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Arab Canadians by state of origin | ||
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| Asia | ||
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Based onstate membership in theArab League. | ||
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