Okanagan population becoming more culturally diverse, latest census shows

Population-wise, the Okanagan has long been one of the whitest places in Canada but there are signs that diversity growing.

From 2016 to 2021, the proportion of visible minorities grew, according to the latest round of census information from Statistics Canada.

In the 2021 census report, 11.18 per cent of the population identified as a visible minority, which is an increase from 7.9 per cent in the 2016 census.

In Penticton, 7.8 per cent identified as a visible minority in 2021, compared to 5.9 per cent in 2016 and in Vernon, 6.5 per cent are now a visible minority compared to just more than four per cent five years earlier.

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In the greater Kelowna area, people of South Asian descent make up the greatest proportion of visible minorities, accounting for 3.4 per cent of the population.

The next most numerous groups are those of Chinese descent, at 1.5 per cent, Filipino descent at 1.3 per cent, and Black, at one per cent.

Despite some growth the Okanagan’s proportion of visible minorities is still much lower than other larger centres in B.C.

In Metro Vancouver the proportion of people who are of a visible minority has surpassed 50 per cent.

About 54 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents identify as a member of a racialized group, up from 48.9 per cent in the 2016 census.

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Of these, more than one in three, or 36 per cent, are people of Chinese heritage. About 26 per cent are people of South Asian descent, and 10 per cent are of Filipino heritage.

In B.C., 1,689,490 out of about 4.9 million people, or 34 per cent, identify as a visible minority.