document_title: Immigration to Canada

question_text: where are most immigrants coming from to canada

text: Immigration to Canada

text: History[edit]

text: After the initial period of British and French colonization, four major waves (or peaks) of immigration and settlement of non-aboriginal peoples took place over a period of almost two centuries. The fifth wave is currently occurring.

text: First wave[edit]

text: The first wave of significant, non-aboriginal immigration to Canada occurred over almost two centuries with slow but progressive French settlement of Quebec and Acadia with smaller numbers of American and European entrepreneurs in addition to British military personnel. This wave culminated with the influx of 46–50,000 British Loyalists fleeing the American Revolution, chiefly from the Mid-Atlantic States mostly into what is today Southern Ontario, the Eastern Townships of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia of whom 36,000 went to the Maritimes. Some of these later made their way to Ontario. A second wave of 30,000 Americans settled in Ontario and the Eastern Townships between the late 1780s and 1812 with promises of land. Some thousands of Gaelic-speaking Scottish Highlanders from land clearances also Nova Scotia during this period. It marked a new age for Canada and its people.

text: Second wave[edit]

text: The second wave from Britain and Ireland was encouraged to settle in Canada after the War of 1812, and included British army regulars who had served in the war. The colonial governors of Canada, who were worried about another American invasion attempt and to counter the French-speaking influence of Quebec, rushed to promote settlement in back country areas along newly constructed plank roads within organized land tracts, mostly in Upper Canada (present-day Ontario). With the second wave Irish immigration to Canada had been increasing and peaked when the Irish Potato Famine occurred from 1846 to 1849 resulting in hundreds of thousands more Irish arriving on Canada's shores, although a significant portion migrated to the United States either in the short-term or over the subsequent decades. Over 800,000 immigrants arrived between 1815 and 1850, 60% of them British and the remainder mostly Irish before or after the Famine. This movement of people is known as the Great Migration and boosted Canada's population from 600,000 in 1812 to 2.4 million in 1850 and made it an majority English-speaking country. In 1815 80% of the English-speakers who numbered 250,000 were American colonists of their descendants not including in the count the 35,000 inhabitants of Newfoundland. By 1851 they as a percentage had dropped 35% due to the arrival of 800,000 immigrants from the UK (Upper Canada population 750,000; Maritimes 550,000). The French-speaking population exceeded 300,000 in 1812. The population of Quebec in 1851 was 900,000.

text: The Dominion Lands Act of 1872 copied the American system by offering ownership of 160 acres of land free (except for a small registration fee) to any man over 18 or any woman heading a household. They did not need to be citizens, but had to live on the plot and improve it.

text: Also during this period, Canada became a port of entry for many Europeans seeking to gain entry into the U.S. Canadian transportation companies advertised Canadian ports as a hassle-free way to enter the U.S. especially as the U.S. began barring entry to certain ethnicities. The U.S. and Canada mitigated this situation in 1894 with the Canadian Agreement which allowed for U.S. immigration officials to inspect ships landing at Canadian ports for immigrants excluded from the U.S. If found, the transporting companies were responsible for shipping the persons back.[6]

text: Clifford Sifton, minister of the Interior in Ottawa, 1896–1905, argued that the free western lands were ideal for growing wheat and would attract large numbers of hard-working farmers. He removed obstacles that included control of the lands by companies or organizations that did little to encourage settlement. Land companies, the Hudson's Bay Company, and school lands all accounted for large tracts of excellent land. The railways kept closed even larger tracts because they were reluctant to take legal title to the even-numbered lands they were due, thus blocking sale of odd-numbered tracts. Sifton broke the legal log jam, and set up aggressive advertising campaigns in the U.S. and Europe, with a host of agents promoting the Canadian west. He also brokered deals with ethnic groups that wanted large tracts for homogeneous settlement. His goal was to maximize immigration from Britain, eastern Canada and the U.S.[7]

text: Third wave (1890–1920) and fourth wave (1940s–1960s)[edit]

text: The third wave of immigration coming mostly from continental Europe peaked prior to World War I, between 1911–1913 (over 400,000 in 1912). The fourth wave came from Europe after the Second World War, peaking at 282,000 in 1957. Together, they made Canada a more multiethnic country with substantial non-British or non-French European elements. For example, Ukrainian Canadians accounted for the largest Ukrainian population outside Ukraine and Russia. The Church of England took up the role of introducing British values to farmers newly arrived on the prairies. In practice, they clung to their traditional religious affiliations.[8]

text: Periods of low immigration have also occurred: international movement was very difficult during the world wars, and there was a lack of jobs "pulling" workers to Canada during the Great Depression in Canada.

text: Canadianization was a high priority for new arrivals lacking a British cultural background.[9] Immigrants from Britain were given highest priority.[10] There was no special effort to attract Francophone immigrants. In terms of economic opportunity, Canada was most attractive to farmers headed to the Prairies, who typically came from eastern and central Europe. Immigrants from Britain preferred urban life.[11]

text: Fifth wave (1970s–present)[edit]

text: Immigration since the 1970s has overwhelmingly been of visible minorities from the developing world. This was largely influenced in 1976 when the Immigration Act was revised and this continued to be official government policy. During the Mulroney government, immigration levels were increased. By the late 1980s, the fifth wave of immigration has maintained with slight fluctuations since (225,000–275,000 annually). Currently, most immigrants come from South Asia, China and Caribbean and this trend is expected to continue.[citation needed]

text: Chinese[edit]

text: Prior to 1885, restrictions on immigration were imposed mostly in response to large waves of immigration rather than planned policy decisions, but not specifically targeted at one group or ethnicity, at least as official policy. Then came the introduction of the first Chinese Head Tax legislation passed in 1885, which was in response to a growing number of Chinese working on the Canadian Pacific Railway. Subsequent increases in the head tax in 1900 and 1903 limited Chinese entrants to Canada. In 1907 a major riot against Asians took place in Vancouver, BC. In 1923 the government passed the Chinese Immigration Act which excluded Chinese from entering Canada altogether between 1923 and 1947. For discriminating against Chinese immigrants in past periods, an official government apology and compensations were announced on 22 June 2006.

text: Citizenship[edit]

text: The term Canadian as a term of nationalism or citizenship was first used under the Immigration Act, 1910, to designate those British subjects who were domiciled in Canada. All other British subjects required permission to land. A separate status of "Canadian national" was created under the Canadian Nationals Act, 1921, which was defined as being a Canadian as defined above, their wives, and any children (fathered by such citizens) that had not yet landed in Canada. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the monarchy ceased to be an exclusively British institution. Because of this Canadians, and others living in countries that became known as Commonwealth realms, were known as subjects of the Crown. However, in legal documents the term "British subject" continued to be used and "Canadians" were officially British Subjects born or regularly domiciled in Canada.

text: Canada was the first nation in the then British Commonwealth to establish its own nationality law in 1946, with the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act 1946. This took effect on January 1, 1947. In order to be deemed a Canadian citizen on January 1, 1947, one generally had to be a British subject on that date, or had been admitted to Canada as landed immigrants before that date. First Nations people were later included by amendment in 1956. The phrase British subject refers in general to anyone from the United Kingdom, its colonies at the time, or a Commonwealth country. Acquisition and loss of British subject status before 1947 was determined by United Kingdom law.

text: Canada offers Canadian citizenship through naturalization. In June 2015 the implementation of the latest reforms to the Citizenship Act took effect and revised access to Canadian citizenship. The new reforms raises the residency requirements to 4 years out of 6 years during the period immediately prior to filing the application thereby reducing the length of time to 66% from 75% of the relevant residency period. However, it also requires physical residence for 183 days in each of four the qualifying calendar years prior to submission and a requirement to file income tax. Persons aged 14 to 64 years of age must demonstrate a knowledge of Canada and a basic ability in either official language. There is a provision of an intention to reside on the part of an applicant that applies only during the application process and is irrelevant once a person is a citizen.[12] On 15 February 1977, Canada removed restrictions on dual citizenship. Many of the provisions to acquire or lose Canadian citizenship that existed under the 1946 legislation were repealed. Canadian citizens are in general no longer subject to involuntary loss of citizenship, barring revocation on the grounds of immigration fraud.

text: Statistics Canada has tabulated the effect of immigration on population growth in Canada from 1851 to 2001.[13]

text: Emigration[edit]

text: Emigration from Canada to the United States has historically exceeded immigration, but there were short periods where the reverse was true; for example, the Loyalist refugees; during the various British Columbia gold rushes and later the Klondike Gold Rush which saw many American prospectors inhabiting British Columbia and the Yukon; land settlers moving from the Northern Plains to the Prairies in the early 20th century and also during periods of political turmoil and/or during wars, for example the Vietnam War. In recent years, the emigration from Canada to the U.S. is very small in numbers compared to immigrants coming to Canada.[citation needed]

text: It should be noted that immigration has always been offset by emigration: at times this was of great concerns of governments intent on filling up the country, particularly the western provinces. The United States was overall the primary destination followed by reverse migration. Emigration to the US was 370,000 in the 1870s averaged on million a decade from 1880 to 1910, almost 750,000 from 1911 to 1920 and 1.25 through 1930. Many of these were not Canadians but recent immigrants from the British Isles who did not stay. As a result the population of Canada at Confederation which was 10% that of the US, 3.75 million, dropped to 7.5% or 5.5 million to 76 million in the US. Between 1945 and 1965 emigration to the US averaged 40–45000 yearly. The population of Canada was roughly 10% of the US population from 1830 to 1870, but dropped to 6% by 1900 due to the emigration to the US and in spite of large-scale immigration. It was not until 1960 that the population of Canada reached the 10% mark again, 18 million. In times of economic difficulty, Canadian governments frequently resorted to deportation and coerced "voluntary" deportation to thin out ranks of unemployed workers; however, by the time of the Mackenzie-King government it was realized that this was an improvident short-term solution resulting in future labor shortages (that immigration was initially intended to overcome).[citation needed]

text: Immigration rate[edit]

text: In 2001, 250,640 people immigrated to Canada, relative to a total population of 30,007,094 people per the 2001 Census. Since 2001, immigration has ranged between 221,352 and 262,236 immigrants per annum.[14] The three main official reasons given for the level of immigration are:

text:
100,000 +

  50,000-99,999

  20,000-49,999

  10,000-19,999

text:
The social component – Canada facilitates family reunification.
The humanitarian component – Relating to refugees.
The economic component – Attracting immigrants who will contribute economically and fill labour market needs.

text: The level of immigration peaked in 1993 in the last year of the Progressive Conservative government and was maintained by Liberal Party of Canada. Ambitious targets of an annual 1% per capita immigration rate were hampered by financial constraints. The Liberals committed to raising actual immigration levels further in 2005. All political parties are now cautious about criticizing the high level of immigration. Consequently, immigration levels to Canada (roughly 0.7% per year) are considerably higher per capita than to the United States (about a million, or 0.3%, per year). Further, much of the immigration to the United States is from Latin America, with relatively less from Asia; the United States only admits about twice as many immigrants from Asian countries like China, India, the Philippines, and Pakistan as Canada, despite having nine times the population. Due to this, the largest minority in the United States is the Latin American population, while Canada's largest minority is its Asian population.

text: Immigrant population growth is concentrated in or near large cities (particularly Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal). These cities are experiencing increased services demands that accompany strong population growth, causing concern about the capability of infrastructure in those cities to handle the influx. For example, a Toronto Star article published on 14 July 2006 authored by Daniel Stoffman noted that 43% of immigrants move to the Greater Toronto Area and said "unless Canada cuts immigrant numbers, our major cities will not be able to maintain their social and physical infrastructures".[15] Most of the provinces that do not have one of those destination cities have implemented strategies to try to boost their share of immigration.

text: According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, under the Canada-Quebec Accord of 1991, Quebec has sole responsibility for selecting most immigrants destined to the province. Of course, once immigrants are granted permanent residency or citizenship they are free to move between and reside in any provinces under Section 6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

text: Immigration categories[edit]

text: There are three main categories to Canadian immigration:

text: Economic immigrants[edit]

text: Citizenship and Immigration Canada uses seven sub-categories of economic immigrants. The high-profile Skilled worker principal applicants group comprised 19.8% of all immigration in 2005. Canada has also created a VIP Business Immigration Program which allows immigrants with sufficient business experience or management experience to receive the Permanent Residency in a shorter period than other types of immigration. The Province of Quebec has a program called the Immigrant Investor Program.[14]

text: The Business immigration program (BIP) was cancelled by the Harper government in 2014.[16]

text: Family class[edit]

text: Under a government program, both citizens and permanent residents can sponsor family members to immigrate to Canada.

text: Refugees[edit]

text: Immigration of refugees and those in need of protection.

text: Acceptance of refugees has been strangely erratic; for example, Canada once accepted a large block of Estonians displaced by Russian advances but refused Jewish people displaced to western Europe prior to WWII and refused entry to Jewish DPs after WWII. A large block of Romanian refugees was accepted during the height of the communist regime. At times Mennonites and Hutterites were accepted based on their agricultural acumen but at other times denied based on their tendency to not integrate with Anglo-Saxon society (often held to be the ideal).

text: In 2010, Canada accepted 280,681 immigrants (permanent and temporary) of which 186,913 (67%) were Economic immigrants; 60,220 (22%) were Family class; 24,696 (9%) were Refugees; and 8,845 (2%) were Other.[17] Some 60,000 come to Canada each year under the International Experience Canada initiative, which provides Working Holiday, internship, and study visas.[18]

text: Under Canadian nationality law an immigrant can apply for citizenship after living in Canada for 1095 days (3 years) in any 5-year period provided that they lived in Canada as a permanent resident for at least two of those years.[19]

text: As of May 1, 2014, the Federal Skilled Worker Class opened once again accepting 25,000 applicants with intake caps at 1,000 per category. A New Economic Action Plan 2015 took effect in January 2015 in which the skilled worker program will be more of an employer based program. The current list of accepted occupations for 2014 includes many occupations such as senior managers, accountants, physicians and medical professionals, professionals in marketing and advertising, real estate professionals and many more.[20] The changes in 2015 moved permanent residency in Canada away from the 'first come, first served' model, and towards a new structure that took on permanent residents based on Canada's economic need. The new system is called "Express Entry".[21]

text: Effective August 2, 2016, all home buyers (including immigrants and refugees) who are not Canadian citizens nor have landed immigrant status are obliged to pay a 15% Property Transfer Tax when purchasing residential property in the Greater Vancouver Regional District.[22]

text: Sources of immigration[edit]

text: Canada receives its immigrant population from almost 200 countries.

text:
Permanent Residents Admitted in 2015, by Top 10 Source Countries[23]

Rank
Country
Number
Percentage

1
 Philippines
50,846
18.7

2
 India
39,530
14.5

3
 China
19,532
7.2

4
 Iran
11,669
4.3

5
 Pakistan
11,329
4.2

6
 Syria
9,853
3.6

7
 United States
7,522
3.0

8
 France
5,807
2.0

9
 United Kingdom
5,451
2.0

10
 Nigeria
4,133
2.0

Top 10 Total
165,672
61.5

Other
106,173
38.5

Total
271,845
100

text: Statistics Canada projects that, by 2031, almost one-half of the population over the age of 15 will be foreign-born or have at least one foreign-born parent.[24] The number of visible minorities will double and make up the majority of the population of cities in Canada.[25]

text: Canadian immigrant population by country of birth (2005)[edit]

text: "Immigrant" refers to all those who hold or have ever held permanent resident status in Canada, including naturalized citizens.[26][27]

text:
Rank
Country of birth
Population
Portion of immigrants in Canada
Portion of Canadian population
Notes

1
 Canada
24,788,720
N/A
7001793000000000000♠79.3%

2
 United Kingdom
579,620
7000940000000000000♠9.4%
7000190000000000000♠1.9%
From England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

3
 China
466,940
7000750000000000000♠7.5%
7000150000000000000♠1.5%
The official name is 'People's Republic of China'. These figures exclude Hong Kong and Macau, which have separate lines below in this table.

4
 India
443,690
7000720000000000000♠7.2%
7000140000000099999♠1.4%

5
 Philippines
303,195
7000490000000000000♠4.9%
7000100000000000000♠1%

6
 Italy
296,850
7000480000000000000♠4.8%
7000100000000000000♠1%

7
 United States
250,535
7000400000000000000♠4%
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

8
 Hong Kong
215,430
7000350000000000000♠3.5%
6999700000000000000♠0.7%
Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

9
 Germany
171,405
7000280000000099999♠2.8%
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

10
 Poland
170,490
7000280000000099999♠2.8%
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

11
 Vietnam
160,170
7000260000000000000♠2.6%
6999500000000000000♠0.5%
Many from the former Republic of Vietnam

12
 Portugal
150,390
7000240000000000000♠2.4%
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

13
 Pakistan
133,280
7000220000000000000♠2.2%
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

14
 Jamaica
123,420
7000200000000000000♠2%
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

15
 Netherlands
111,990
7000180000000000000♠1.8%
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

16
 Sri Lanka
105,670
7000170000000000000♠1.7%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

17
 South Korea
98,395
7000160000000000000♠1.6%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

18
 Iran
92,090
7000150000000000000♠1.5%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

19
 Guyana
87,195
7000140000000099999♠1.4%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

20
 Romania
82,645
7000130000000000000♠1.3%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

21
 France
79,550
7000130000000000000♠1.3%
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

22
 Lebanon
75,275
7000120000000000000♠1.2%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

23
 Greece
73,125
7000120000000000000♠1.2%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

24
 Trinidad and Tobago
65,540
7000110000000000000♠1.1%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

25
 Taiwan
65,205
7000110000000000000♠1.1%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
The official name is 'Republic of China'.

26
 Russia
64,130
7000100000000000000♠1%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

27
 Haiti
63,350
7000100000000000000♠1%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

28
 Ukraine
59,460
7000100000000000000♠1%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

29
 Mexico
49,925
6999800000000000000♠0.8%
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

30
 Hungary
45,940
6999700000000000000♠0.7%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

31
 El Salvador
42,780
6999700000000000000♠0.7%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

32
 Egypt
40,575
6999700000000000000♠0.7%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

33
 Croatia
39,250
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

34
 Colombia
39,145
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

35
 Morocco
39,055
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

36
 South Africa
38,305
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

37
 Yugoslavia, n.o.s.
37,205
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
The abbreviation 'n.o.s.' means 'not otherwise specified'. Includes immigrants from the former Yugoslavia who did not specify Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, or Slovenia.

38
 Afghanistan
36,165
6999600000000000000♠0.6%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

39
 Iraq
33,545
6999500000000000000♠0.5%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

40
 Bangladesh
33,230
6999500000000000000♠0.5%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

41
 Algeria
32,255
6999500000000000000♠0.5%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

42
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
28,730
6999500000000000000♠0.5%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

43
 Chile
26,505
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

44
 Serbia
25,465
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Now divided into Serbia and Montenegro.

45
 Fiji
24,390
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

46
 Kenya
22,475
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

47
 Ireland
22,370
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

48
 Peru
22,080
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

49
 Czech Republic
22,030
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

50
 Malaysia
21,885
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

51
 Japan
21,705
6999400000000000000♠0.4%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

52
 Turkey
21,580
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

53
 Israel
21,320
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

54
 Austria
20,795
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

55
 Belgium
20,215
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

56
 Cambodia
20,190
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

57
  Switzerland
19,955
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

58
 Tanzania
19,765
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

59
 Ethiopia
19,715
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

60
 Somalia
19,515
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

61
 Ghana
18,830
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

62
 Syria
18,800
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

63
 Australia
18,165
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Includes Norfolk Island.

64
 Argentina
18,120
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

65
 Denmark
17,360
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Includes the Faroe Islands.

66
 Bulgaria
15,955
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

67
 Guatemala
15,705
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

68
 Barbados
15,325
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

69
 Brazil
15,120
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

70
 Slovakia
14,825
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

71
 Nigeria
14,705
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

72
 Laos
14,465
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

73
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
14,125
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

74
 Ecuador
13,480
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

75
 Sudan
12,590
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Now divided into Sudan and South Sudan.

76
 Finland
12,545
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

77
 Indonesia
12,260
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

78
 Saudi Arabia
11,630
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

79
 Uganda
11,005
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

80
 Kuwait
10,520
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

81
 Albania
10,295
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

82
 Spain
10,290
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

83
 Venezuela
10,270
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

84
 Singapore
9,880
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

85
 United Arab Emirates
9,865
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

86
 Thailand
9,705
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

87
 Mauritius
9,660
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

88
 Slovenia
9,460
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%

89
 New Zealand
9,415
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Includes Niue and Tokelau.

90
 Nicaragua
9,095
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

91
 Cuba
8,865
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

92
 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
8,795
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

93
 Grenada
8,740
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

94
 Macedonia
8,505
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

95
 Malta
8,255
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

96
 Paraguay
7,530
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

97
 Jordan
7,440
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

98
 Tunisia
7,410
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

99
 Belarus
7,270
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

100
 Latvia
7,085
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

101
 Sweden
6,845
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

102
 Uruguay
6,635
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

103
 Zimbabwe
6,525
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

104
 Dominican Republic
6,505
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

105
 Kazakhstan
6,420
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

106
 Lithuania
6,415
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

107
 Palestine
6,200
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Composed of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

108
 Eritrea
6,130
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

109
 Macau
6,005
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

110
 Estonia
5,300
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

111
 Moldova
5,250
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

112
 Norway
5,245
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

113
 Honduras
5,165
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

114
 Myanmar
4,800
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Formerly known as Burma.

115
 Brunei
4,425
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

116
 Cyprus
4,220
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

117
 Burundi
4,175
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

118
 Bolivia
3,770
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

119
 St. Lucia
3,520
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

120
 Rwanda
3,440
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

121
   Nepal
3,305
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%

122
 Cameroon
3,090
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

123
 Angola
3,045
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

124
 Costa Rica
2,940
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

125
 Dominica
2,830
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

126
 Sierra Leone
2,800
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

127
 Panama
2,760
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

128
 Libya
2,620
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

129
 Uzbekistan
2,610
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

130
 Zambia
2,520
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

131
 St. Kitts and Nevis
2,370
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

132
 Antigua and Barbuda
2,340
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

133
 Ivory Coast
2,305
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Also known as Côte d'Ivoire.

134
 Azerbaijan
2,260
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

135
 Soviet Union, n.o.s.
2,220
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
The abbreviation 'n.o.s.' means 'not otherwise specified'. The official name of the country was 'Union of Soviet Socialist Republics'. Includes immigrants from the former Soviet Union who did not state which former Soviet country they were born in. As of the Canada 2006 Census, the countries that were once part of the Soviet Union include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

136
 Senegal
2,205
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

137
 Armenia
2,195
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

138
 Belize
2,080
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

138
 Czechoslovakia, n.o.s.
2,080
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
The abbreviation 'n.o.s.' means 'not otherwise specified'. Includes immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia who did not state which former Czechoslovak country they were born in. As of the Canada 2006 Census, the countries that were once part of Czechoslovakia include the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

139
 Guinea
2,055
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

140
 Madagascar
2,030
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

141
 Bermuda
1,930
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

142
 Bahrain
1,590
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

143
 Georgia
1,530
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

144
 Liberia
1,400
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

145
 Qatar
1,340
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

146
 Togo
1,255
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

147
 Kyrgyzstan
1,215
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

148
 Yemen
1,090
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

149
 Mozambique
1,050
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

150
 Bahamas
970
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

151
 Seychelles
885
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

152
 Mali
855
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

153
 Oman
830
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

154
 Chad
810
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

155
 Suriname
765
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

156
 Montserrat
730
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

157
 Benin
685
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

158
 Republic of the Congo
630
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

159
 Aruba
580
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

160
 Luxembourg
570
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

161
 Tajikistan
560
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

162
 Iceland
530
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

163
 Mongolia
525
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

164
 Djibouti
515
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

165
 Gabon
510
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

166
 Netherlands Antilles
500
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Now divided into Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Maarten. At one time it also included Aruba.

167
 Malawi
425
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

168
 Martinique
385
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

169
 The Gambia
380
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

170
 St. Pierre and Miquelon
375
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

171
 Burkina Faso
365
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

172
 Mauritania
335
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

173
 Namibia
330
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

174
 Puerto Rico
325
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

175
 Guadeloupe
320
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

176
 Papua New Guinea
275
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

177
 Turkmenistan
225
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

178
 Niger
220
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

179
 Botswana
215
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

179
 Gibraltar
215
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

180
 Cayman Islands
200
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

181
 Cape Verde
165
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

181
 North Korea
165
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
The official name is 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea'.

182
 Central African Republic
160
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

183
 Swaziland
140
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

184
 Anguilla
100
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

185
 Monaco
95
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

186
 French Polynesia
90
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

186
 Lesotho
90
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

186
 Samoa
90
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

187
 Bhutan
85
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

187
 New Caledonia
85
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

188
 Tonga
80
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

189
 French Guiana
70
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

189
 Guinea-Bissau
70
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

190
 Réunion
60
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

190
 British Virgin Islands
60
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

191
 Liechtenstein
55
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

192
 Federated States of Micronesia
45
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

192
 Turks and Caicos Islands
45
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

193
 Comoros
40
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

194
 Greenland
40
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

195
 Solomon Islands
35
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

196
 Andorra
30
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

196
 Equatorial Guinea
30
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

196
 Guam
30
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

197
 Maldives
20
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

197
 Nauru
20
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

197
 Palau
20
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

198
 East Timor
15
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Also known as Timor-Leste.

198
 Falkland Islands
15
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

198
 St. Helena and Dependencies
15
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Now known as St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.

198
 San Marino
15
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 American Samoa
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 Marshall Islands
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 Tuvalu
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 Vanuatu
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 United States Virgin Islands
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

199
 Wallis and Futuna
10
5000000000000000000♠0%
5000000000000000000♠0%

Outside Canada
6,186,950
7002100000000000000♠100%
7001198000000000000♠19.8%

Others
6,220
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
5000000000000000000♠0%
Includes a small number of immigrants who were born in Canada, as well as other places of birth not classified elsewhere.

text: 2011 immigration statistics[edit]

text:
Number of immigrants granted permanent residence in Canada in 2011 by source country[28]

Rank
Country
Number of immigrants admitted
Proportion of total
Notes

1
 Philippines
34,991
7001141000000000000♠14.1%

2
 China
28,696
7001115000000000000♠11.5%
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan included separately.

3
 India
24,965
7001100000000000000♠10%

4
 United States
8,829
7000350000000000000♠3.5%

5
 Iran
6,840
7000270000000000000♠2.7%

6
 United Kingdom
6,550
7000260000000000000♠2.6%

7
 Haiti
6,208
7000250000000000000♠2.5%

8
 Pakistan
6,073
7000240000000000000♠2.4%

9
 France
5,867
7000240000000000000♠2.4%

10
 United Arab Emirates
5,223
7000210000000000000♠2.1%

11
 Iraq
4,698
7000190000000000000♠1.9%

12
 South Korea
4,573
7000180000000000000♠1.8%

13
 Colombia
4,317
7000170000000000000♠1.7%

14
 Morocco
4,155
7000170000000000000♠1.7%

15
 Algeria
3,800
7000150000000000000♠1.5%

16
 Mexico
3,642
7000150000000000000♠1.5%

17
 Egypt
3,403
7000140000000099999♠1.4%

18
 Sri Lanka
3,104
7000120000000000000♠1.2%

19
 Nigeria
2,768
7000110000000000000♠1.1%

20
 Ukraine
2,455
7000100000000000000♠1%

21
 Bangladesh
2,449
7000100000000000000♠1%

22
 Lebanon
2,335
6999900000000000000♠0.9%

23
 Saudi Arabia
2,299
6999900000000000000♠0.9%

24
 Germany
2,254
6999900000000000000♠0.9%

25
 Ethiopia
2,038
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

26
 Jamaica
2,021
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

27
 Afghanistan
1,977
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

28
 Israel
1,967
6999800000000000000♠0.8%
Does not include the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, or the West Bank.

29
 Taiwan
1,894
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

30
 Russia
1,887
6999800000000000000♠0.8%

31
 Romania
1,723
6999700000000000000♠0.7%

32
 Vietnam
1,682
6999700000000000000♠0.7%

33
 Brazil
1,519
6999600000000000000♠0.6%

34
 Japan
1,475
6999600000000000000♠0.6%

35
 Venezuela
1,446
6999600000000000000♠0.6%

36
 Tunisia
1,368
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

37
 Moldova
1,349
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

38
 Turkey
1,339
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

39
 Somalia
1,256
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

40
   Nepal
1,249
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

41
 Syria
1,181
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

42
 Kuwait
1,179
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

43
 Cameroon
1,166
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

44
 Mauritius
1,120
6999500000000000000♠0.5%

45
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
1,058
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

46
 South Africa
1,036
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

47
 Jordan
1,025
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

48
 Australia
979
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

49
 Cuba
938
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

50
 Peru
876
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

51
 Eritrea
874
6999400000000000000♠0.4%

52
 Hong Kong
820
6999300000000000000♠0.3%
Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

53
 Guyana
761
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

54
 Dominican Republic
759
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

55
 Kenya
750
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

56
 Ireland
662
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

57
 El Salvador
658
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

58
 Poland
657
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

59
 Belgium
633
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

60
 Netherlands
629
6999300000000000000♠0.3%

61
 Qatar
615
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

61
 Trinidad and Tobago
615
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

62
 Italy
572
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

63
 Libya
544
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

64
 Honduras
542
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

65
 Senegal
523
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

66
 Burundi
518
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

67
 Ghana
511
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

68
 Portugal
506
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

69
 Ivory Coast
503
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

70
 Sudan
488
6999200000000000000♠0.2%
Now divided into Sudan and South Sudan.

71
 Malaysia
485
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

72
 Albania
471
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

73
 Singapore
458
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

74
 Thailand
455
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

75
  Switzerland
448
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

76
 St. Vincent and the Grenadines
447
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

77
 Ecuador
437
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

78
 Rwanda
436
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

79
 New Zealand
410
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

80
 Zimbabwe
388
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

81
 Indonesia
368
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

82
 Kazakhstan
367
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

83
 Bulgaria
356
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

84
 Belarus
355
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

85
 Myanmar
311
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

85
 Fiji
311
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

86
 Argentina
298
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

87
 Uganda
288
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

88
 Oman
285
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

89
 Hungary
281
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

90
 Guatemala
276
6999200000000000000♠0.2%

91
 St. Lucia
262
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

92
 Palestine
261
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
Includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

93
 Guinea
252
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

94
 Spain
248
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

95
 Sweden
244
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

96
 Benin
233
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

97
 Tanzania
229
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

98
 Armenia
227
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

99
 Bahrain
209
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

100
 Cambodia
196
6999100000000000000♠0.1%
#

101
 Yemen
188
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

102
 Chile
183
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

103
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
178
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

104
 Costa Rica
173
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

105
 Grenada
169
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

106
 Greece
163
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

107
 Togo
154
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

108
 Kyrgyzstan
152
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

109
 Uzbekistan
146
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

110
 Azerbaijan
141
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

111
 Georgia
138
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

112
 Denmark
129
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

113
 Czech Republic
128
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

113
 Mali
128
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

114
 Sierra Leone
127
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

115
 Slovakia
125
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

115
 Djibouti
125
6999100000000000000♠0.1%

116
 Macedonia
124
5000000000000000000♠0%

117
 Croatia
123
5000000000000000000♠0%

118
 Madagascar
120
5000000000000000000♠0%

118
 Nicaragua
120
5000000000000000000♠0%

119
 Burkina Faso
117
5000000000000000000♠0%

120
 Barbados
110
5000000000000000000♠0%

121
 Latvia
104
5000000000000000000♠0%

121
 Paraguay
104
5000000000000000000♠0%

122
 Niger
97
5000000000000000000♠0%

123
 Mongolia
96
5000000000000000000♠0%

124
 Finland
95
5000000000000000000♠0%

125
 Austria
93
5000000000000000000♠0%

126
 North Korea
91
5000000000000000000♠0%

127
 Botswana
90
5000000000000000000♠0%

128
 Bolivia
82
5000000000000000000♠0%

129
 Republic of the Congo
79
5000000000000000000♠0%

130
 Uruguay
77
5000000000000000000♠0%

131
 Zambia
75
5000000000000000000♠0%

132
 Norway
71
5000000000000000000♠0%

133
 Gabon
65
5000000000000000000♠0%

134
 Chad
59
5000000000000000000♠0%

134
 Bahamas
59
5000000000000000000♠0%

135
 Panama
56
5000000000000000000♠0%

136
 Cyprus
54
5000000000000000000♠0%

137
 Tajikistan
53
5000000000000000000♠0%

138
 Liberia
49
5000000000000000000♠0%

139
 Malawi
45
5000000000000000000♠0%

140
 Antigua and Barbuda
43
5000000000000000000♠0%

141
 Lithuania
42
5000000000000000000♠0%

141
 Brunei
42
5000000000000000000♠0%

142
 Dominica
41
5000000000000000000♠0%

143
 Belize
40
5000000000000000000♠0%

144
 Angola
38
5000000000000000000♠0%

145
 Mauritania
34
5000000000000000000♠0%

146
 Bermuda
31
5000000000000000000♠0%

147
 Macau
29
5000000000000000000♠0%
Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

148
 Luxembourg
28
5000000000000000000♠0%

149
 The Gambia
27
5000000000000000000♠0%

150
 Serbia
25
5000000000000000000♠0%
Now divided into Serbia, and Montenegro.

151
 Namibia
24
5000000000000000000♠0%

151
 Martinique
24
5000000000000000000♠0%

152
 Laos
23
5000000000000000000♠0%

152
 Cayman Islands
23
5000000000000000000♠0%

153
 Turkmenistan
19
5000000000000000000♠0%

154
 Estonia
16
5000000000000000000♠0%

154
 Suriname
16
5000000000000000000♠0%

155
 Malta
14
5000000000000000000♠0%

155
 Swaziland
14
5000000000000000000♠0%

155
 St. Kitts and Nevis
14
5000000000000000000♠0%

156
 Central African Republic
12
5000000000000000000♠0%

156
 Seychelles
12
5000000000000000000♠0%

157
 Slovenia
10
5000000000000000000♠0%

158
 Guadeloupe
6
5000000000000000000♠0%

Other countries
2,326
6999900000000000000♠0.9%

Country not stated
58
5000000000000000000♠0%

Total
248,748
7002100000000000000♠100%

text: Permanent Residents admitted in 2013[edit]

text:
Permanent Residents admitted in 2013, by top 10 source countries[29]

Rank
Country
Number
Percentage

1
 China
33,908
13.1

2
 India
30,576
11.8

3
 Philippines
27,292
10.5

4
 Pakistan
11,354
4.4

5
 United States
10,624
4.1

6
 Iran
10,038
3.9

7
 France
7,148
2.8

8
 United Kingdom
5,935
2.3

9
 South Korea
4,450
1.7

10
 United Arab Emirates
4,093
1.6

Top 10 Total
145,418
56.2

Other
113,535
43.8

Total
258,953
100

text: Intellectual Disabilities and Excessive Demand[edit]

text: The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Several families have recently been denied immigration to Canada because members of their family have an autism spectrum diagnosis and Citizenship and Immigration Canada felt the potential cost of care for those family members would place an excessive demand on health or social services.[30][31] People with autism disorders can be accepted if they are able to depend on themselves.[31]

text: Temporary Foreign Worker Program[edit]

text: In 2012 more than 200 000 people were admitted to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, three times the number in 2002.[32]

text: Illegal immigration in Canada[edit]

text: Estimates of illegal immigrants in Canada range between 35,000 and 120,000.[33] James Bissett, a former head of the Canadian Immigration Service, has suggested that the lack of any credible refugee screening process, combined with a high likelihood of ignoring any deportation orders, has resulted in tens of thousands of outstanding warrants for the arrest of rejected refugee claimants, with little attempt at enforcement.[34] A 2008 report by the Auditor General Sheila Fraser stated that Canada has lost track of as many as 41,000 illegal immigrants.[35][36]

text: Recent Canadian attitudes towards immigration[edit]

text: An October 2016 study of Canadian values by pollster Angus Reid [37] gave a conflicting picture: Although 68% of those polled said they wanted minorities to do more to fit into the mainstream, the same number also said they were nonetheless happy with how the immigrants they knew were integrating themselves into the community. Further, 79% of Canadians believe immigration policy should be based on the country's economic and labour needs, rather than on the needs of foreigners to escape crises in their home countries. In an analysis of the survey, Reid wrote that although Canadians' commitment to multiculturalism is not increasing, nevertheless their attitudes on immigration have no white-preference racism, and that the vast majority of newcomers feel that they are treated fairly and equally as "Canadians".[38]

text: Settlement workers[edit]

text: Settlement workers help immigrants in Canada to understand their rights and responsibilities and find them programs and services they need to integrate with the new culture and prospect of livelihood. They motivate organizations to hire immigrants and support immigration through recruiting new members. They work with government agency, school board, library and other community organization with network of resources.[39]

text: Criticisms[edit]

text: In L'Express, the French news magazine, Canadian academic, and environmental activist David Suzuki called Canada's immigration policy "disgusting" (We "plunder southern countries to deprive them of their future leaders, and wish to increase our population to support economic growth") and insisted that "Canada is full" ("Our useful area is reduced").[40]


document_title: Voting age

question_text: when did 18 years olds get the vote

question_tokens: when did 18 years olds get the vote

root

text: Voting age

text: History[edit]

text: Before the Second World War, the voting age in almost all countries was 21 years or higher. Czechoslovakia was the first to reduce the voting age to 20 years in 1946, and by 1968 a total of 17 countries had lowered their voting age.[1] Many countries, particularly in Western Europe, reduced their voting ages to 18 years during the 1970s, starting with the United Kingdom (1969),[2] with the United States (26th Amendment) (1971), Canada, West Germany (1972), Australia (1974), France (1974), and others following soon afterwards. By the end of the 20th century, 18 had become by far the most common voting age. However, a few countries maintain a voting age of 20 years or higher. It was argued that young men could be drafted to go to war at 18, and many people felt they should be able to vote at the age of 18.[3]

tag: p

text: In the late 20th and early 21st centuries voting ages were lowered to 16 in India, Switzerland, Austria, and Morocco. Japan was due to make the change to 18 in 2016.[4] A dispute is continuing in the Maldives.[5][6]

text: Debate on lowering the voting age to 16[edit]

text: Around the year 2000, a number of countries began to consider whether the voting age ought to be reduced further, with arguments most often being made in favour of a reduction to 16. The earliest moves came during the 1990s, when the voting age for municipal elections in some States of Germany was lowered to 16. Lower Saxony was the first state to make such a reduction, in 1995, and four other states did likewise.[7]

text: Arguments against lowering the voting age to sixteen include lack of political maturity. On the other hand, one of the major arguments for lowering the voting age to 16 is that at this age in most countries a person has reached the legal working age for most jobs and is liable to pay taxes and therefore should not have to pay taxes without the right to political representation.[8]

text: During the 2000s several proposals for a reduced voting age were put forward in U.S. states, including California, Florida and Alaska,[9] but none was successful. A national reduction was proposed in 2005 in Canada[10] and in the Australian state of New South Wales,[11] but these proposals were not adopted. In May 2009, Danish Member of Parliament Mogens Jensen presented an initiative to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg to lower the voting age in Europe to 16.[12]

text: Australia[edit]

text: A report suggesting that consideration be given to reducing the voting age to 16 in the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, Australia was tabled in the territorial legislature on 26 September 2007 and defeated.[13]

text: In 2015, federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said that the voting age should be lowered to 16.[14]

text: Austria[edit]

text: In 2007, Austria became the first member of the European Union to adopt a voting age of 16 for most purposes.[15] The voting age had been reduced in Austria from 19 to 18 at all levels in 1992. At that time a voting age of 16 was proposed by the Green Party, but was not adopted.[16]

text: The voting age for municipal elections in some states was lowered to 16 shortly after 2000.[7] Three states had made the reduction by 2003 (Burgenland, Carinthia and Styria),[7] and in May 2003 Vienna became the fourth.[17] Salzburg followed suit,[18][19] and so by the start of 2005 the total had reached at least five states out of nine.[20] As a consequence of state law, reduction of the municipal voting age in the states of Burgenland, Salzburg and Vienna resulted in the reduction of the regional voting age in those states as well.[19]

text: After the 2006 election, the winning SPÖ-ÖVP coalition announced on 12 January 2007 that one of its policies would be the reduction of the voting age to 16 for elections in all states and at all levels in Austria.[21] The policy was set in motion by a Government announcement on 14 March,[22] and a bill proposing an amendment to the Constitution was presented to the legislature on 2 May.[23][24] On 5 June the National Council approved the proposal following a recommendation from its Constitution Committee.[15][16][25] During the passage of the bill through the chamber relatively little opposition was raised to the reduction, with four out of five parties explicitly supporting it; indeed, there was some dispute over which party had been the first to suggest the idea. Greater controversy surrounded the other provisions of the bill concerning the Briefwahl, or postal vote, and the extension of the legislative period for the National Council from four to five years.[16] A further uncontroversial inclusion was a reduction in the candidacy age from 19 to 18. The Federal Council approved the Bill on 21 June, with no party voting against it.[26] The voting age was reduced when the Bill's provisions came into force on 1 July 2007.[27] Austria thus became the first member of the European Union, and the first of the developed world democracies, to adopt a voting age of 16 for all purposes.[15] Lowering the voting age encouraged political interest in young people in Austria.  More sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds voted than eighteen-to-twenty-one-year-olds in Austria.

text: Brazil[edit]

text: Brazil lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 in the 1988 constitution. The presidential election of 1989 was the first with the lower voting age. People between the ages 18 and 70 are required to vote.

text: Iran[edit]

text: Iran had been unique in awarding suffrage at 15, but raised the age to 18 in January 2007 despite the opposition of the Government.[28] In May 2007 the Iranian Cabinet proposed a bill to reverse the increase.[29][30]

text: Luxembourg[edit]

text: Luxembourg has compulsory voting from the age of 18. A proposal by the government to introduce optional voting for those aged 16 and 17 was rejected by 81% of voters in a June 2015 referendum.

text: Malta[edit]

text: On 20 November 2013, Malta lowered the voting age from 18 to 16 for local elections starting from 2015. The proposal had wide support from both the government and opposition, social scientists and youth organizations.

text: On Monday 29 January 2018, the Maltese Parliament debated to lower the voting age to 16 for general elections, European Parliament Elections and referenda.

text: On Monday, 5 March 2018, the Maltese Parliament unanimously voted in favour of amending the constitution, lowering the official voting age from 18 to 16, making Malta the second state in the EU to lower its voting age to 16.[31]

text: New Zealand[edit]

text: The New Zealand Green Party MP Sue Bradford announced on 21 June 2007 that she intended to introduce her Civics Education and Voting Age Bill on the next occasion upon which a place became available for the consideration of Members' Bills.[32] When this happened on 25 July Bradford abandoned the idea, citing an adverse public reaction.[33] The Bill would have sought to reduce the voting age to 16 in New Zealand and make civics education part of the compulsory curriculum in schools.

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text: The Representation of the People Act 1969 lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, with effect from 1970 and remained in force until the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 which allowed 16 year olds to vote for the first time, but only in Scotland and only in that particular referendum. The Scottish Parliament reduced the voting age to 16 for its own and Scottish local elections in 2015.[34]

text: Men in military service who turned 19 during the first world war were entitled to vote in 1918 irrespective of their age as part of the Representation of the People Act 1918 which also allowed some women over the age of 30 to vote.  The Representation of the People (Equal Franchise) Act 1928[35] brought the voting age for women down to 21.

text: The reduction of the voting age to 16 in the United Kingdom was first given serious consideration on 15 December 1999, when the House of Commons considered in Committee an amendment proposed by Simon Hughes to the Representation of the People Bill.[36] This was the first time the reduction of a voting age below 18 had ever been put to a vote in the Commons.[37] The Government opposed the amendment, and it was defeated by 434 votes to 36.[37]

text: The Votes at 16 coalition, a group of political and charitable organisations supporting a reduction of the voting age to 16, was launched on 29 January 2003.[38] At that time a Private Member's Bill was also proposed in the House of Lords by Lord Lucas, and received a Second Reading on 9 January.[39]

text: In 2004, the UK Electoral Commission conducted a major consultation on the subject of the voting and candidacy ages, and received a significant response. In its conclusions it recommended that the voting age remain at 18.[40] On 29 November 2005 the House of Commons voted 136-128 (on a free vote) against a Private Member's Bill for a reduction in the voting age to 16 proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams. Parliament chose not to include a provision reducing the voting age in the Electoral Administration Act during its passage in 2006.

text: On 27 February 2006, the report of the Power Inquiry called for a reduction of the voting age, and of the candidacy age for the House of Commons, to 16.[41] On the same day the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, indicated in an article in The Guardian that he favoured a reduction provided it was made concurrently with effective citizenship education.[42]

text: The UK Ministry of Justice published on 3 July 2007 a Green Paper entitled The Governance of Britain, in which it proposed the establishment of a "Youth Citizenship Commission".[43] The Commission would examine the case for lowering the voting age. On launching the Paper in the House of Commons, PM Gordon Brown said: "Although the voting age has been 18 since 1969, it is right, as part of that debate, to examine, and hear from young people themselves, whether lowering that age would increase participation."[44]

text: During the Youth Parliament debates of 30 October 2009 in the House of Commons, Votes at 16 was debated and young people of that age group voted for it overwhelmingly as a campaign priority. Since that debate the issue has been raised in Prime Minister's Questions and has also gained the widespread support of the major political parties.[citation needed]

text: In April 2015, Labour announced that it would support the policy if it won an overall majority in the 2015 general election,[45] which it failed to do.

text: There was some criticism about not reducing the voting age to 16 years for the referendum on the membership in the European Union in 2016.[46][47]

text: Scotland[edit]

text: The Scottish National Party conference voted unanimously on 27 October 2007 for a policy of reducing the voting age to 16, as well as in favour of a campaign for the necessary power to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.[48]

text: In September 2011, it was announced that the voting age was likely to be reduced from 18 to 16 for the Scottish independence referendum.[49] This was approved by the Scottish Parliament in June 2013.[50]

text: In June 2015, the Scottish Parliament voted unanimously to reduce the voting age to 16 for elections for the Scottish Parliament and for Scottish local government elections.[34]

text: Crown dependencies[edit]

text: Moves to lower the voting age to 16 were successful in each of the three British Crown dependencies from 2006 to 2008. The Isle of Man was the first to amend its law, when in July 2006 it reduced the voting age to 16 for its general elections, with the House of Keys approving the move by 19 votes to 4.[51]

text: Jersey followed suit on 4 July 2007, when it approved in principle a reduction of the voting age to 16. The States of Jersey voted narrowly in favour, by 25 votes to 21,[52] and the legislative amendments were adopted on 26 September.[53] The law was sanctioned by Order in Council on 12 December,[54][55] and was brought into force on 1 April, in time for the general elections in late 2008.[56][57]

text: On 31 October 2007, a proposal[58][59] for a reduction made by the House Committee of the States of Guernsey, and approved by the States' Policy Committee, was adopted by the assembly by 30 votes to 15.[59][60] An Order in Council sanctioning the law was made on 12 December,[54] and it was registered at the Court of Guernsey on 19 December. It came into force immediately, and the voting age was accordingly reduced in time for the Guernsey general election, 2008.[61]

text: Alderney and Sark, each part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, have autonomy in deciding the question. Both have yet to favour a reduction to 16.

text: United States[edit]

text: In the United States, the debate about lowering voting age from 21 to 18 began during World War II and intensified during the Vietnam War, when most of those subjected to the draft were too young to vote, and the image of young men being forced to risk their lives in the military without the privileges of voting successfully pressured legislators to lower the voting age nationally and in many states. By 1968, several states had lowered the voting age below 21 years: Alaska and Hawaii's minimum age was 20, Kentucky's was 19, and Georgia's was 18.[62] In 1970, the Supreme Court in Oregon v. Mitchell ruled that Congress had the right to regulate the minimum voting age in federal elections; however, not at local and state level.

text: The 26th Amendment (passed and ratified in 1971)[63] prevents states from setting a voting age higher than 18.[64] Except for the express limitations provided for in Amendments XIV, XV, XIX and XXVI, voter qualifications for House and Senate elections are largely delegated to the States under Article I, Section 2 and Amendment XVII of the United States Constitution, which respectively state that "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature." and "The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures."[65]

text: 21 states permit 17-year-olds to vote in primary elections and caucuses if they will be 18 by election day: Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico,[66] North Dakota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington. Alaska, Kansas, North Dakota and Washington allow 17-year-olds to participate in Democrat caucuses, but not in the Republican caucus. Minnesota allows 17-year-olds to participate in presidential caucuses, but may not vote in primary elections for other offices.[67] New Hampshire allows anyone who will be 18 years old by the time of next election to register, meaning some 17-year-olds can register to vote in this state.[68]

text: Currently, the Maine Green Independent Party, the state branch of the Green Party of the United States, calls for the lowering of the voting age to 17.[69] Youth suffrage appears to be gaining ground in Massachusetts; three of the four Democratic United States Senate candidates in 2010 supported lowering the voting age.[70]

text: In 2013, the City of Takoma Park, Maryland became the first place in the United States to lower its voting age to 16, for local (but not general) elections and referendums.[71][72] As of 2018, three additional cities have lowered the voting age to 16: Hyattsville and Greenbelt in Maryland, and Berkeley in California (for school board elections only).[73] In 2018, a bill in the Council of the District of Columbia was proposed to lower the voting age to 16, which would make the federal district the first jurisdiction to lower the voting age for federal level elections.[74]

text: Venezuela[edit]

text: A request to lower the voting age to 16 was made during consideration of revisions to the Constitution of Venezuela in 2007. Cilia Flores, president of the National Assembly, announced that the Mixed Committee for Constitutional Reform had found the idea acceptable.[75] Following approval in the legislature[76] the amendment formed part of the package of constitutional proposals, and was defeated in the 2007 referendum.

text: Maximum voting age[edit]

text: There are occasional calls for a maximum voting age, on the grounds that older people have less of a stake in the future of the country or jurisdiction and tend to vote on the basis of self-interest.[77]

text: Voting ages around the world[edit]

text: Eighteen is the most common voting age, with a small minority of countries differing from this rule. Those with a national minimum age of 17 include East Timor, Greece, Indonesia, North Korea, South Sudan and Sudan. The minimum age is 16 in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua and the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey (three self-governing British Crown Dependencies). People aged 16–18 can vote in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro if employed. The highest minimum voting age is 21 in several nations. Some countries have variable provision for the minimum voting age, whereby a lower age is set for eligibility to vote in state, regional or municipal elections.

text: The only known maximum voting age is in the Holy See, where the franchise for electing a new Pope is restricted to Cardinals under the age of 80.

text: Alphabetical list of countries[edit]

text: The following is an alphabetical list of voting ages in the various countries of the world.[78]

text: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

tag: ul

text: A[edit]

text:
Afghanistan: 18
Albania: 18
Algeria: 18
American Samoa: 18
Andorra: 18
Angola: 18
Anguilla: 18
Antigua and Barbuda: 18
Argentina: 16, 16 to 18 and 70+ optional.
Armenia: 18
Aruba:18
Australia: 18 (compulsory)
Austria: 16[27]
Azerbaijan: 18

text: B[edit]

text:
Bahamas: 18
Bahrain: 20[79]
Bangladesh: 18
Barbados: 18
Belarus: 18
Belgium: 18 (compulsory)
Belize: 18
Benin: 18
Bermuda: 18
Bhutan: 18
Bolivia: 18, universal and compulsory
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 18, 16 if employed
Botswana: 18
Brazil: 16, compulsory for 18 to 70; optional for illiterate citizens.
British Virgin Islands: 18
Brunei: 18 (village elections only)
Bulgaria: 18
Burkina Faso: 18
Burundi: 18

text: C[edit]

text:
Cambodia: 18
Cameroon: 21
Canada: 18
Cape Verde: 18
Cayman Islands: 18
Central African Republic: 18
Chad: 18
Chile: 18
China: 18
Cocos (Keeling) Islands: 18
Colombia: 18
Comoros: 18
Democratic Republic of the Congo: 18
Republic of the Congo: 18
Cook Islands: 18
Costa Rica: 18
Côte d'Ivoire: 18
Croatia: 18
Cuba: 16
Curaçao: 18
Cyprus: 18
Czech Republic: 18

text: D[edit]

text:
Denmark: 18
Djibouti: 18
Dominica: 18
Dominican Republic: 18, compulsory; married persons regardless of age (members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote)

text: E[edit]

text:
East Timor: 17
Ecuador: 16; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18–65, optional for other eligible voters
Egypt: 18
El Salvador: 18
England: 18
Equatorial Guinea: 18
Eritrea: 18
Estonia: 18; 16 for local elections
Ethiopia: 17
European Union: 18

text: F[edit]

text:
Falkland Islands: 18
Faroe Islands: 18
Fiji: 18, as of 2013 Constitution
Finland: 18
France: 18
French Polynesia: 18

text: G[edit]

text:
Gabon: 18
Gambia: 18
Georgia: 18
Germany: 18
Voting age 16 for state elections:  Brandenburg,  Bremen,  Hamburg and  Schleswig-Holstein.
Voting age 16 for municipal elections:  Baden-Württemberg,  Berlin,  Brandenburg,  Bremen,  Hamburg,  Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,  Lower Saxony,  North Rhine-Westphalia,  Saxony-Anhalt and  Schleswig-Holstein.[80]
Ghana: 18
Gibraltar: 18; universal, plus other British citizens who have been residents six months or more
Greece: 17 from 3 August 2016 onwards,[81] was 18 before 3 August 2016
Greenland: 18
Grenada: 18
Guadeloupe: 18
Guam: 18; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
Guatemala: 18; active-duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day.
Guernsey: 16[82]
Guinea: 18
Guinea-Bissau: 18
Guyana: 18

text: H[edit]

text:
Haiti: 18
Honduras: 18
Hong Kong: direct election 18 years of age; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies and a 1,200-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Hungary: 18

text: I[edit]

text:
Iceland: 18
India: 18
Indonesia: 17; no threshold for married persons, except for the military and police
Iran: 18 (changed from 15 to 18 in 2007, returned to 15 in 2009 and returned to 18 in 2011)[28][83][84][85]
Iraq: 18
Ireland: 18
Isle of Man: 16
Israel: 18 (17 for municipal elections)
Italy: 18 (25 for Senate elections)

text: J[edit]

text:
Jamaica: 18
Japan: 18 (changed from 20 in 2016)[4]
Jersey: 16
Jordan: 18

text: K[edit]

text:
Kazakhstan: 18
Kenya: 18
Kiribati: 18
North Korea: 17; members of the military have the right to vote, regardless of age[86]
South Korea: 19
Kosovo (disputed): 18
Kuwait: 21 for those not in the military or police forces; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years; current proposal for reduction to 18[87]
Kyrgyzstan: 18

text: L[edit]

text:
Laos: 18
Latvia: 18
Lebanon: 21. Attempt to amend to 18 on 22 February 2010 failed to pass.[88]
Lesotho: 18
Liberia: 18
Libya: 18
Liechtenstein: 18
Lithuania: 18
Luxembourg: 18, compulsory until the age of 75. A proposal to lower the voting age to 16 was rejected in 2015 in a nationwide referendum (81% "no"-votes)

text: M[edit]

text:
Macau: direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (973 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
Republic of Macedonia: 18
Madagascar: 18
Malawi: 18
Malaysia: 21 (to be lowered to 18)[citation needed][when?]
Maldives: 18
Mali: 18
Malta: 16
Marshall Islands: 18
Martinique: 18
Mauritania: 18
Mauritius: 18
Mayotte: 18
Mexico: 18
Federated States of Micronesia: 18
Moldova: 18
Monaco: 18
Mongolia: 18
Montenegro: 18
Montserrat: 18
Morocco: 18
Mozambique: 18
Myanmar (Burma): 18

text: N[edit]

text:
Namibia: 18
Nauru: 20
Nepal: 18
Netherlands: 18
New Caledonia: 18
New Zealand: 18
Nicaragua: 16
Niger: 18
Nigeria: 18
Niue: 18
Norfolk Island: 18
Northern Mariana Islands: 18; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Norway: 18; however, persons 17 years of age are permitted to vote in parliamentary elections if they will be 18 years of age in the year the election is held.

text: O[edit]

text: Oman: 21, except for members of the military and police.

text: P[edit]

text:
Pakistan: 18; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims
Palau: 18
Panama: 18
Papua New Guinea: 18
Paraguay: 18; universal and compulsory until the age of 75
Peru: 18; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; (members of the military and national police could not vote until a Constitutional Reform in 2005[89])
Philippines: 18
For youth councils: 18 to 30; previously from 15 to 18. Incumbents are allowed to keep their positions if they surpass the legal age.
Pitcairn Islands: 18; universal with three years' residency
Poland: 18
Portugal: 18
Puerto Rico: 18; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections.

text: Q[edit]

text: Qatar: 18

text: R[edit]

text:
Réunion: 18
Romania: 18
Russia: 18
Rwanda: 18

text: S[edit]

text:
Saint Helena: 18
Saint Kitts and Nevis: 18
Saint Lucia: 18
Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 18
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 18
Samoa: 21
San Marino: 18
São Tomé and Príncipe: 18
Saudi Arabia: 18
Scotland: 16
Senegal: 18
Serbia: 18[90]
Seychelles: 18[91]
Sierra Leone: 18
Singapore: 21
Sint Maarten: 18
Slovakia: 18
Slovenia: 18
Solomon Islands: 21
Somalia: 18
South Africa: 18
South Sudan: 17
Spain: 18 (16 only for Catalonia's 9N Referendum)
Sri Lanka: 18
Sudan: 17
Suriname: 18
Swaziland: 18
Sweden: 18
Switzerland: 18 (16 for cantonal and municipal elections in the canton of Glarus[92][93] [1/26])
Syria: 18

text: T[edit]

text:
Taiwan: 20 (18 for referendums)
Tajikistan: 18
Tanzania: 18
Thailand: 18 (being a Thai citizen since birth, or at least 5 years)
Togo: 18
Tokelau: 21
Tonga: 21
Trinidad and Tobago: 18
Tunisia: 18 (with some exceptions)[94]
Turkey: 18
Turkmenistan: 18
Turks and Caicos Islands: 18
Tuvalu: 18

text: U[edit]

text:
Uganda: 18
Ukraine: 18[95]
United Arab Emirates: none[96] but at least 25 (the minimum age is decided by the ruler of each Emirate and may vary from one Emirate to another)[97]
United Kingdom: 18 (16 for the Scottish independence referendum, Scottish Parliament elections and Scottish local government elections.[34])
United States: 18; however, in many states, persons 17 years of age are permitted to vote in primary elections if they will be 18 years of age on or before the day of the general election.
Uruguay: 18
Uzbekistan: 18[98]

text: V[edit]

text:
Vanuatu: 18
Venezuela: 18
Vietnam: 18
Virgin Islands of the United States: 18; island residents are U.S. citizens but do not vote in U.S. presidential elections.

text: W[edit]

text:
Wallis and Futuna: 18
Western Sahara: none (18 for residents of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara in Moroccan elections) [96]

text: Y[edit]

text: Yemen: 18

text: Z[edit]

text:
Zambia: 18
Zimbabwe: 18

text: Chronology of lowering the voting age to 18[edit]

text: The following is a chronological list of the dates upon which countries lowered the voting age to 18; unless otherwise indicated, the reduction was from 21. In some cases the age was lowered decrementally, and so the "staging points" are also given. Some information is also included on the relevant legal instruments involved.

text:
Turkey: 20 April 1924 (Previously 25 per the 1876 constitution, reduced to 18 with the 1924 constitution. It was again raised to 22 on 5 December 1934 while granting full women's suffrage, and gradually lowered to 21 in 1961, 20 in 1987 and 18 in 1995)[99][100]
Czechoslovakia: 1946
Poland: 1952[citation needed]
South Africa: 1958 (white voters only; Electoral Law Amendment Act, 1958)[101]
United Kingdom: 1 January 1970 (Representation of the People Act 1969)
Canada: 26 June 1970[102][103] (federal elections, amendment to Canada Elections Act)

text:
Germany: 1970 [108]
Netherlands: 1971 (previous reduction from 23 to 21 in 1965)
United States: 1 July 1971, per the Twenty-sixth Amendment. Previously reduced on 1 January 1971 by the Voting Rights Act Amendments 1970, ss. 302, 305[109] (Prior reductions: Georgia in August 1943,[110] Kentucky in 1955,[111] Guam in 1954[112] and American Samoa in 1965.[112])
Finland: 1972 (from 20; previous reductions were 24 to 21 in 1944 and 21 to 20 in 1968/1969)[113][114]
Sweden: 1972 (from 20) [115]
Ireland: 5 January 1973 (4th Amendment of the Constitution). Women under 30 gained the vote in local elections in 1935[116] and in Dáil elections and referendums in 1922 (Constitution of the Irish Free State[117]). The only popular election (in 1925) to the Free State Seanad had a voting age of 30.[118] (See also History of the franchise in Ireland.)
Philippines: 17 January 1973, after the 1973 constitution was announced to have been approved in a plebiscite. Among other things, the new constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.
Australia: 1973 (New South Wales was the first state to do so, in 1970)
France: 5 July 1974 (Act No. 74-631)[119]
New Zealand: November 1974 (from 20; previous reduction from 21 to 20 in 1969)[120][121]
Dominica: 1974[122]
Italy: 1975 (voting age to elect the Senate remained at 25)
Trinidad and Tobago: 1976
Denmark: 19 September 1978 (from 20; 53.8% in referendum; previous reductions were 25 to 23 in 1953, 23 to 21 in 1961 and 21 to 20 in 1971)[123]
Spain: 29 December 1978 (1978 Constitution)[124]
Peru: 1979 Constitution
Belgium: 1981[125]
India: 28 March 1989 (61st Constitution Amendment Act, 1988 read with Act 21 of 1989)[126]
Switzerland: 1991 (from 20; referendum held on 3 March)[127]
Austria: 1992 (from 19; previous reductions were 21 to 20 in 1949 and 20 to 19 in 1970)[128]
Estonia: 29 July 1992 (from 22, according to the 1938 Constitution; was 18 during the Soviet Occupation since 1940 and 16 for the Congress of Estonia in 1990)[129][130]
Hong Kong: 1995 (from 21)[131]
Liechtenstein: 2000 (from 20; LGBl. 2000 No. 55)[132]
Jordan: July 2001 (from 19; Provisional Election Law No. 34/2001)[133]
Pakistan: 21 August 2002 (Legal Framework Order, 2002),[134][135] was 18 under 1973 Constitution, then increased to 21, then lowered back to 18.[136]
Morocco: 11 December 2002 (from 20)[137]
Uzbekistan: July 2012 (from 25)
Saudi Arabia: April 2015 (from 21)[138]
Japan: June 2016 (from 20)[139]

text: Chronology of lowering the voting age to 16[edit]

text: This is a further list, similar to the above but of the dates upon which countries or territories lowered the voting age to 16; unless otherwise indicated, the reduction was from 18.

text:
Nicaragua: November 1984 (from 21)[140][141]
Brazil: 5 October 1988 (Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil, 1988)[142]
Estonia: 24 February 1990 (from 22 according to the 1938 Constitution, from 18 during the Soviet occupation); only for the Congress of Estonia, was raised to 18 according to the 1992 Constitution
Isle of Man: 11 July 2006; legislation brought into force in time for general election held on 23 November 2006[143]
Austria: 1 July 2007 (BGBl. No. 1/1930, as amended)[27]
Guernsey: 19 December 2007 (Reform (Guernsey) (Amendment) Law, 2007)[61][82]
Jersey: 1 April 2008 (Public Elections (Amendment No. 2) (Jersey) Law 2008)[55]
Ecuador: 28 September 2008 (New constitution accepted by referendum) for general election on 26 March 2009.
Argentina: 1 November 2012. Voting for teenagers between 16 and 18 years of age became optional.[144]
Malta: 20 November 2013. Motion passed in parliament to lower the voting age to 16 at local council elections starting from 2015.[145]
Scotland: 18 September 2014. 16 & 17 years old were given the vote for the Independence Referendum. This was subsequently extended permanently as of the 2016 parliament election.[146]
Estonia: 6 May 2015 in local elections only; 5 March 2018 for all elections.

text: Organizations in favour of lowering the voting age[edit]

text: This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: The following are political parties and other campaigning organisations that have either endorsed a lower voting age or who favour its removal.

text: Alphabetical list of countries[edit]

text: Australia[edit]

text:
Australian Democrats
Australian Greens
Australian Labor Party[14]

text: Austria[edit]

text:
The Greens – The Green Alternative
Liberal Forum[147]
Social Democratic Party of Austria[148]
vote4future.at Austrian National Youth Council[149]

text: Belgium[edit]

text:
Ecolo[150]
Groen[150]
Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten[150]

text: Canada[edit]

text:
Communist Party of Canada
Green Party of Canada[151]
Parti Québécois[152]
voteto16.ca[153]
Ontario Liberal Party [154]

text: Denmark[edit]

text:
Social Democrats
Socialist People's Party
Dansk Ungdoms Fællesråd[155]

text: Estonia[edit]

text:
Estonian National Youth Council
Young Social Democrats

text: France[edit]

text: La France Insoumise[156]

text: Germany[edit]

text:
Foundation for the Rights of Future Generations[157]
K.R.Ä.T.Z.Ä. (demanding abolition of any age-based voting restrictions)[158]

text: Greece[edit]

text: Ecologist Greens[159]

text: Ireland[edit]

text:
Green Party[160]
Labour Party[161]
Sinn Féin[162]
Socialist Party[163]

text: In 2013, the Constitutional Convention was asked to consider reducing the voting age to 17 and recommended lowering it to 16.[164] The then government agreed to hold a referendum,[165] but in 2015 postponed it indefinitely to give priority to other referendums.[166]

text: Italy[edit]

text:
Five Star Movement[167]
Northern League[168]

text: Malaysia[edit]

text: No political party had decreed that its members should all follow the party line about lowering voting age policy, resulting in public differences of view. Most parties had splits in their members and supporters, taking different sides.[169]

text:
Malaysian civil societies' demands (to 18)[170]
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH) (to 18)[171]
Democratic Action Party (to 18)[172]
National Trust Party (to 18)[173]
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (to 18)
Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (to 18)[174]
Parti Sosialis Malaysia (to 18)[175]
People's Justice Party (to 18)

text: Netherlands[edit]

text: GroenLinks

text: New Zealand[edit]

text:
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
New Zealand Labour Party

text: Norway[edit]

text:
Liberal Party[176]
Socialist Left Party[177]

text: Portugal[edit]

text:
Left Bloc
LIVRE/Tempo de Avançar
Socialist Party

text: Romania[edit]

text:
National Liberal Party[178]
National Union for the Progress of Romania[179]

text: Spain[edit]

text: Izquierda Unida

text: Sweden[edit]

text:
Feminist Initiative[180]
Left Party[181]
Green Party[182]

text: United Kingdom[edit]

text:
Green Party of England and Wales[183]
Green Party in Northern Ireland[184]
Labour Party[185]
Liberal Democrats[186]
Liberal Party[187]
National Health Action Party[188]
Plaid Cymru[189]
Scottish Conservative Party
Scottish Green Party
Scottish National Party
Scottish Socialist Party[190]
Social Democratic Labour Party
Ulster Unionist Party
Votes at 16

text: United States[edit]

text:
Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions (supports full elimination of voting age)
Future Voters of America[191]
Green Party of Texas[192]
National Youth Rights Association
Rock the Vote
Socialist Party USA (to 15)
FairVote
Vermont Libertarian Party