Ethiopian Canadians

See also: Habesha peoples

Ethiopian Canadians

Total population
44,065[1]
Regions with significant populations
Toronto · Calgary · Edmonton · Ottawa · Winnipeg · Vancouver
Languages
Amharic · Harari · Oromo · Somali · Tigrinya · Canadian English · Canadian French
Religion
Ethiopian Orthodox Christian · Muslim · Jewish
Related ethnic groups
Ethiopians, Eritreans, Eritrean Canadians, Ethiopian Americans, Eritrean Americans, Somali Canadians, Somali Americans

Ethiopian Canadians are a hyphenated ethnicity of Canadians who are of full or partial Ethiopian national origin, heritage and/or ancestry, Canadian citizens of Ethiopian descent, or an Ethiopia-born person who resides in Canada. According to the 2016 Canadian Census, 44,065 people reported Ethiopian ancestry.

History

Ethiopians began to immigrate to Canada in small numbers following new immigration regulations in 1962, which allowed skilled immigrants into the country regardless of ethnicity or country of origin.^[2] However, significant immigration did not occur until the mid-1980s.^[3]

Demographics

According to the 2011 Canadian Census, approximately 30,810 people reported Ethiopian ancestry.^[4] This number increased to 44,065 by 2016. In addition, a number of people reported other Ethiopian ethnicity: 1,530 people had Amhara ancestry, 660 had Harari ancestry, 3,350 had Oromo ancestry. A further 2,155 reported Tigrayan ancestry, although some of these might be Eritrean.^[1] Canada’s censuses list four major ethnic identities considered to be Ethiopian ethnic groups: Amhara, Harari, Oromo, and Tigrayan.^[5] These numbers cannot be added to people reporting Ethiopian ancestry as this may lead to double counting. Of the people reporting Ethiopian ancestry, 32,790 were Canadian residents born in Ethiopia and 7,510 were recent immigrants.^[6]

Geographic distribution

The following table lists Canadian provinces by Ethiopian population.

Rank	State	Population (2016)[1]
1	Ontario	22,560
2	Alberta	13,225
3	Manitoba	2,900
4	British Columbia	2,550
5	Quebec	1,575
6	Saskatchewan	675
7	Nova Scotia	280
8	New Brunswick	180
9	Newfoundland and Labrador	70
10	Nunavut	30
11	Northwest Territories	20
12	Prince Edward Island	15
13	Yukon	10

Toronto

The largest group of Ethiopians in Canada is that of Toronto. In the 2016 census, there were 17,730 people who reported their ethnic origin as Ethiopian (15,990), Amhara (500), Oromo (830) and/or Tigrinya (410) in the Toronto CMA.^[7] In the 2021 census, the number of people who reported their ethnic origin as Ethiopian (13,515), Amhara (2,165), Oromo (2,000) and/or Tigrinya (2,570) was 20,250.^[8] Toronto is home to community organizations such as the Ethiopian Association Toronto, which was founded in 1980.^[9] There is a concentration of Ethiopian restaurants and businesses along Danforth Avenue East; the area is unofficially referred to as "Little Ethiopia".^[10]

Calgary

As of 2016, approximately 6,355 people of Ethiopian descent live in Calgary.^[11]

Edmonton

As of 2016, approximately 5,210 people of Ethiopian descent live in Edmonton.^[12]

Ottawa

As of 2016, approximately 2,850 people of Ethiopian descent live in Ottawa.^[13] The Dawit family, who were among the first Ethiopians to settle in Canada in the 1960s, lived in Ottawa.^[14]

Winnipeg

As of 2016, approximately 2,520 people of Ethiopian descent live in Winnipeg.^[15]

Vancouver

As of 2016, approximately 2,020 people of Ethiopian descent live in the Vancouver CMA.^[16]

Other places

Approximately 1,575 people of Ethiopian descent live in the province of Quebec, the majority (1,020) of whom live in Montreal.^[17][18]

Notable individuals

Athletes

• Ali Ahmed, soccer player
• Simon Bairu, long distance runner
• Berhanu Girma, long distance runner
• Marcus Velado-Tsegaye, soccer player
• Miruts Yifter, long distance runner

Musicians

• The Weeknd, R&B and pop singer
• Naya Ali, rapper
• Ruth B., singer-songwriter
• Emanuel, rhythm and blues singer
• Witch Prophet, rapper and electronic musician
• XSDTRK, electronic musician

Writers

• Aida Edemariam, writer and journalist,
• Boonaa Mohammed (Oromo), poet and writer
• Nega Mezlekia, writer

Other

• Ferid Imam (Oromo), accused terror suspect
• Binyam Mohamed (Oromo), accused terror suspect
• Twomad (Oromo), YouTuber and streamer

See also

• Demographics of Ethiopia
• Ethiopian Americans
• Canada–Ethiopia relations

References

1. "Ethnic origin population". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
2. Rawlyk, G. A. (1962). "Canada's Immigration Policy, 1945-62". Dalhousie Review. 42 (3): 287–300. hdl:10222/58908. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
3. Danso, Ransford (2002). "From 'There' to 'Here': An investigation of the initial settlement experiences of Ethiopian and Somali refugees in Toronto". GeoJournal. 56 (1): 3–14. doi:10.1023/A:1021748701134. JSTOR 41147662. S2CID 144690305. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
4. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Statistics Canada. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
5. Thomson, Daniel K. (April 3, 2018). "Ethnicity and nationality among Ethiopians in Canada's census data: a consideration of overlapping and divergent identities". Comparative Migration Studies. 6 (6): 6. doi:10.1186/s40878-018-0075-5. PMC 5880900. PMID 29629299.
6. "Immigration and citizenship". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
7. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
8. "Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population". Statistics Canada. 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
9. "About Us". www.ethioassociation.org. Ethiopian Association Toronto. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
10. "Toronto continues to overlook the gem that is Little Ethiopia". www.blogto.com. blogTO. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
11. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
12. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
13. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
14. "1960's Canada gave newly immigrated Ethiopian sisters the freedom to be vocal about global issues". www.cbc.ca. CBC. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
15. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
16. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
17. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
18. "Census Profile, 2016 Census". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2021.