Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Chinese New Year… by the numbers
2008 is the Year of the Rat.
Commonly referred to as the "Chinese New Year" in Canada, the "Lunar New Year" begins February 7, 2008.
The Lunar New Year is not only a traditional festival for the Chinese, but also for the Korean, Vietnamese and other East Asian populations in Canada. It is also known in some cultures as the "Spring Festival".
Many people in the general population also appear to be getting in on the celebration. "Chinese New Year" cards are becoming more common in card shops and other stores. There is also a strong interest in the history of the ancient lunar calendar and the astrological significance of the animal that corresponds to a person's year of birth.
The Year of the Rat ends January 25, 2009.
Are you a rat?
(Please note that the following are approximations, given that the Chinese zodiacal year runs from January or February to January or February of the next calendar year. For ease of calculation, only the January to December period of a given year is used here.)
2,561,465 — The number of people in Canada who were born in a year of the rat. (Based on 2006 Census population figures.)
(Note to media: Data are also available by province and by census metropolitan area (CMA) upon request.)
Other years of the rat are 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984 and 1996.
Here are the estimates of the number of people in Canada who were born during years of the rat:
| Year of birth | Both sexes | Male | Female |
| 1900 | 155 | 30 | 120 |
| 1912 | 19,210 | 4,860 | 14,345 |
| 1924 | 138,165 | 54,245 | 83,920 |
| 1936 | 226,340 | 107,680 | 118,660 |
| 1948 | 410,510 | 201,800 | 208,710 |
| 1960 | 542,585 | 266,940 | 275,645 |
| 1972 | 410,550 | 200,915 | 209,635 |
| 1984 | 423,990 | 214,220 | 209,765 |
| 1996 | 389,960 | 200,015 | 189,945 |
| 2008 | No data | ||
| Note: Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding. | |||
(Note to media: Data are also available by sex at the Canada level for other Chinese zodiac signs, upon request.)
If you are not a rat, then (according to when you were born) you are one of the following 12 signs in the Chinese zodiac: ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig and, of course, rat.
| Ox | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon | Snake | Horse | Sheep | Monkey | Rooster | Dog | Pig |
| 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | ||||||||
| 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 |
| 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 |
| 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 |
| 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 |
| 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 |
| 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
| 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 |
| 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 |
| 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
Roughly 8% of the population falls under one of the 12 signs of the Chinese zodiac.
2,534,665 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Ox.
2,583,305 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Tiger.
2,580,865 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Rabbit.
2,643,115 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Dragon.
2,636,840 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Snake.
2,689,470 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Horse.
2,688,370 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Sheep.
2,759,865 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Monkey.
2,762,025 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Rooster.
2,636,565 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Dog.
2,536,350 — The number of people in Canada who were born under the sign of the Pig.
31,612,895 — The total population of Canada according to the 2006 Census.
Source: 2006 Census; Custom tabulation provided by Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.
A new nation to call home
According to the 2006 Census, the People’s Republic of China was the leading source country of newcomers to Canada, just as in 2001.
155,105 — The number of people from China (excluding special administrative regions) who immigrated to Canada between 2001 and 2006. The early 1990s witnessed the highest number of immigrants from China in recent history (the latter half of the 20th century to the present).
7,430 — The number of people from Hong Kong who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006. Most immigrants from Hong Kong came to Canada from the 1980s onward.
285 — The number of people from Macau who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006.
35,445 — The number of people from South Korea who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006. This period and the early 1990s witnessed the most immigration from South Korea.
435 — The number of people from Mongolia who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006, the period with the greatest immigration from this country in recent history.
10,715 — The number of people from Taiwan who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006. Immigration from Taiwan has been in decline since 1991.
100,230 — The number of people from Southeast Asia who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006. Immigration from this region (which includes Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) peaked during the 1990s.
10,545 — The number of people from Vietnam who came to Canada between 2001 and 2006. Immigration from Vietnam peaked in the 1970s to the 1990s.
Source: 2006 Census, custom tabulation provided by Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.
A new home in a new city
Here are the top 10 destinations of recent immigrants to Canada who arrived between 2001 and 2006, by census metropolitan area (CMA).
From China (including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau):
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Ottawa - Gatineau
- Edmonton
- Hamilton
- Kitchener
- Winnipeg
- Windsor
From Taiwan:
- Vancouver
- Toronto
- Montreal
- Calgary
- Victoria
- Ottawa-Gatineau
- Edmonton
- Kingston
- Halifax
- Abbotsford
From South Korea:
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Calgary
- Montreal
- Winnipeg
- Edmonton
- Hamilton
- Abbotsford
- London
- Kitchener
Source: 2006 Census, custom tabulation provided by Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.
See also: Immigration in Canada: A Portrait of the Foreign-born Population, 2006 Census: Findings.
Place of birth
In addition to the year of immigration, the census collects information on place of birth.
466,940 — The number of people in Canada in 2006 who reported that they were born in the People’s Republic of China.
215,430 — The number of people in Canada in 2006 who reported that they were born in Hong Kong.
6,000 — The number of people in Canada in 2006 who reported that they were born in Macau.
65,205 — The number of people in Canada in 2006 who reported that they were born in Taiwan.
98,395 — The number of people in Canada in 2006 who reported that they were born in South Korea.
(Note to media: Data for these and other regions are also available by province and by CMA, upon request.)
Source: 2006 Census, custom tabulation provided by Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.
Mother tongue
The first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census is known as mother tongue.
The 2006 Census reaffirmed the position of the Chinese languages as Canada’s third most common mother tongue group, behind English and French.
In the 2006 Census, “Chinese languages” were broken down into seven major languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Taiwanese, Chaochow (Teochow), Fukien and Shanghainese.
More than 1 million — The number of people in Canada who reported one of the Chinese languages as their mother tongue in 2006. This was an increase of 18.5%, from 2001. Two out of three people whose mother tongue is a Chinese language arrived in Canada in the 25 years leading up to 2006.
3.3% — The proportion of the total population of Canada in 2006 whose mother tongue was a Chinese language. This was up from 2.9% in the 2001 census.
18.6% — The proportion of people whose mother tongue was neither English nor French—and who were not born in Canada —whose mother tongue was a Chinese language. This was followed by Italian (6.6%), Punjabi (5.9%), Spanish (5.8%), German (5.4%), Tagalog (4.8%) and Arabic (4.7%).
Source: “2006 Census: Immigration, citizenship, language, mobility and migration”, The Daily, Tuesday, December 4, 2007.
420,000 — The number of people in the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA) who reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006.
332,000 — The number of people in the Vancouver CMA who reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006.
42,000 — The number of people in the Vancouver CMA who reported Korean as their mother tongue in 2006.
56,000 — The number of people in the Calgary CMA who reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006.
39,000 — The number of people in the Edmonton CMA who reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006.
27,000 — The population of the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA who reported a Chinese language as their mother tongue in 2006.
Source: The Evolving Linguistic Portrait, 2006 Census: Highlights.
Chinese (and many other) languages in Canada
1,012,065 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is Chinese.
361,450 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is Cantonese.
170,950 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is Mandarin.
4,415 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is Hakka.
456,705 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is an unspecified Chinese language.
141,630 — The number of people in Canada whose mother tongue is Vietnamese.
Source: Summary tables, Population by mother tongue, by province and territory (2006 Census).
See also: Summary tables, Population by mother tongue, by census metropolitan area (2006 Census); 2006 Census Dictionary, More information on Knowledge of non-official languages.
Trade with the dragon
China is Canada’s second largest trading partner, after the United States.
Imports
$34.5 billion — The value of imports to Canada from China in 2006. Imports from China were five times higher in 2006 than in 1997.
The top 10 imported products included machinery, reactors and boilers; articles of iron and steel; electronics and sound equipment; toys, games and sports equipment; furniture and bedding; apparel articles and accessories; knitted and non-knitted apparel and accessories; footwear; plastics and articles made of plastics; and optic, photo, medical or surgical instruments.
Exports
$7.7 billion — The value of merchandise goods Canada exported to China in 2006. Exports to China tripled from 1997 to 2006.
The top 10 exported products included wood pulp; organic chemicals; nickel articles; metal ores; machinery, reactors and boilers; electrical machinery and equipment; vehicles and parts; plastics and articles of plastics; fish and seafood; and fertilizers.
Canada is clearly benefiting from the magnitude of China's demand for natural resources. A nation of more than 1.3 billion people, China is expanding its manufacturing base and building massive infrastructure projects, from ports and bridges to facilities for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Trade balance
$26.8 billion — The amount of Canada’s trade deficit with China in 2006. The growth in Canada’s imports from China during the past decade has outpaced the growth in our exports to the country.
Sources: “Study: Canada's trade with China”, The Daily, Friday, December 14, 2007 ; Canada’s Trade with China: 1997 to 2006; The Media Room Spotlight on “Canada-China trade”.
See also: International Merchandise Trade Annual Review.
Culture goods trade
Since 2001, China has held second place in terms of imports of culture goods, after the United States.
$295 million — The value of imports of culture goods from China by Canadian companies in 2006, up nearly 6% from 2005. Almost half of Canada's imports of culture goods from China were printed books.
$13.8 million — The value of exports of culture goods to China in 2006, up nearly 4% from 2005.
Source: “International trade in culture goods”, The Daily, Monday, June 25, 2007.
Investing in East Asian economies
$3.5 billion — The amount of Canadian direct investment in Singapore in 2005.
$1.3 billion — The amount of Canadian direct investment in the People’s Republic of China in 2005.
$356 million — The amount of Canadian direct investment in South Korea in 2005.
$98 million— The amount of Canadian direct investment in Taiwan in 2005.
$113 million — The amount of Canadian direct investment in Vietnam in 2005.
(Preliminary data for 2006 are also available.)
Source: CANSIM, table 376-0051 (Canada's International Investment Position).
See also: “Foreign direct investment”, The Daily, Wednesday, May 9, 2007.
Travel to and from the Asia and Pacific region
9th — The rank of China in terms of the most popular destinations for Canadian travellers, at 250,000 visits, followed by Hong Kong in 13th place, with 150,000 visits. China also ranked 9th in terms of most popular country of origin, with 139,000 trips. Hong Kong was 12th with 107,000 trips; Taiwan ranked 13th with 93,000 trips.
Sources: Summary tables, Travel by Canadians to foreign countries, top 15 countries visited (2006); Travellers to Canada by country of origin, top 15 countries of origin (2006).
148,000 — The number of persons from China who travelled to Canada in 2006.
148,000 — The number of persons from Hong Kong who travelled to Canada in 2006.
202,000 — The number of persons from South Korea who travelled to Canada in 2006.
507,000 — The number of persons from Other Asia and Pacific nations who travelled to Canada in 2006.
In total, nearly 1.6 million persons from the Asia and Pacific region travelled to Canada in 2006.
Source: CANSIM, table 387-0004 (National Tourism Indicators).
Asian cuisine
Rice
6.7 kg — The amount of rice consumed per person in Canada in 2006, nearly double the amount in 1990.
Chinese cabbage
0.42 kg — The amount of Chinese cabbage consumed per person in Canada in 2006.
Source: Food Statistics, 2006.
Tofu
Tofu is made of processed soybeans.
First domesticated in China, soybeans were adopted as a diet staple through many parts of Asia including Japan, Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal and north India between the 1st and 16th centuries. It appears the soybean first reached North America in 1765. By 1855 the seeds were grown in Canada.
While important Asian soybean foods included soy milk, miso, tempeh, natto and tofu, it was soy sauce that first drew the attention of the West to the bean. During the 17th century, soy sauce was a popular item in East-West trade. It was the prospect of producing soy sauce from the beans that was behind the earliest use in the West.
Soybean oil, extracted from the bean through crushing, is used not only in its original liquid form in cooking and food products but also in solidified form as margarine or shortening. In addition to traditional soy products, many modern foods employ soymeal as an additive, meat alternative or meat extender. Soybeans are also in animal rations and many industrial products.
7th — The rank of Canada when it comes to world production of soybeans. China ranks 4th.
Source: “Study: The soybean, a Canadian agricultural success story”, The Daily, Friday, October 26, 2007.
Ginseng
Wild ginseng was known to Aboriginals for centuries. A Jesuit priest was the first European to document the plant in the early 18th century, and not long after exports began to China. At that time, their export value was second only to fur.
Today, cultivated ginseng is considered a neutraceutical.
$56.6 million — The value of farm cash receipts for ginseng in Ontario in 2006.
$7.8 million — The value of farm cash receipts for ginseng in British Columbia in 2006.
$64.4 million — The value of farm cash receipts for ginseng in Canada in 2006.
Sources: Growing herbs for the medicine chest; CANSIM, table 002-0001 (Net Farm Income); The Media Room’s Spotlight on “Functional foods and nutraceuticals”.
See the 2007 edition of Chinese New Year… by the numbers for more information on the Chinese in Canada (based on the 2001 Census).
See the April 2, 2008 edition of The Daily for new 2006 Census data on ethnic origin and visible minorities.
For more analyses of various ethnic communities in Canada (using data from the 2001 Census), see the following articles found in the Profiles of Ethnic Communities in Canada series: “The Korean Community in Canada”, “The Vietnamese Community in Canada” and “The Chinese Community in Canada”, as well as the Media Room’s Spotlight on “Vietnamese in Canada”.
For more information about this page or for help finding more data, contact Media Relations.
