Diversity of race, religion and lifestyle help define and set Toronto apart from other world cities. Toronto is home to virtually all of the world's culture groups and is the city where more than 100 languages and dialects are spoken.

Between 2001 and 2005, the Toronto CMA attracted an average of 107,000 international immigrants each year, The City of Toronto welcomed two thirds (69,000). As well, 10,738 foreign students chose to study in Toronto originating from countries including South Korea, Japan, China and India. (Source: The Monitor, Fall 2005 - Citizenship and Immigration Canada)

Almost three-quarters of Torontonians aged 15 or older have direct ties to immigration. About one-half (52%) are themselves immigrants while another 22% are 2nd generation immigrants with at least one parent born outside of Canada. The remaining 26% of the Toronto population (aged 15 or older) is comprised of individuals who were born in Canada to two Canadian-born parents. (Source: Immigrants in Canada's Census Metropolitan Areas - Grant Schellenberg, Statistics Canada).

Percent of recent immigrants to Toronto CMA from top five countries of birth, 2001

China	10.8
India	10.3
Philippines	6.9
Hong Kong	6.9
Sri Lanka	6.4

Top 15 languages by mother tongue* Toronto CMA, 2001

Total responses	4,647,960
Single mother tongue responses	4,556,475
English	2,684,195
Italian	195,960
Chinese, n.o.s.**	165,120
Cantonese	145,490
Portuguese	108,935
Punjabi	95,950
Spanish	83,245
Polish	79,875
Tagalog (Pilipino)	77,220
Tamil	72,715
French	57,485
Urdu	53,895
Greek	50,165
Russian	47,590
Arabic	46,570

Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census

* Refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the census.
** N.O.S. = not otherwise specified, i.e., not specified as Cantonese, Mandarin or Hakka.

To view a list of all mother tongues reported in the Toronto CMA please download: Mother Tongue Statistics (Excel file)

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