PassPeersImmigrant population
Immigrants
29.0%
of residents · 1,425,715 people
Canada: 23.0% · 2nd highest of 13
Census 2021 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Share of residents in private households who are, or have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents.
Temporary residents (work or study permits) are not counted as immigrants.
Arrived 2016–2021
4.0%
of residents · 197,420 people
Canada: 3.7% · 4th highest of 13
Census 2021 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Share of residents who immigrated in the five years before the census – where newcomers have recently settled.
Five years old by now; the 2026 census will update it.
Hate crime
Read with care: Recorded crime depends on how often people report and how the police record it, and definitions differ from country to country. Compare regions within one country, not across countries.
Police-reported hate crimes
15.4
per 100,000 residents · 881 recorded
Canada: 11.3 · 1st highest of 8 published figures
2025 · calculated · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Hate crimes reported by police, per 100,000 residents. Calculated by PassPeers from Statistics Canada counts and population on 1 July 2025.
Statistics Canada groups the four Atlantic provinces and the three territories, so they share one figure. Reporting practice varies; for example a new hate crime unit in Halifax raised Nova Scotia's counts.
Hate crimes targeting race or ethnicity
9.3
per 100,000 residents · 531 recorded
Canada: 5.7 · 1st highest of 8 published figures
2025 · calculated · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Police-reported hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity, per 100,000 residents.
Same grouping and reporting limits as above.
Recorded crime
Read with care: Recorded crime depends on how often people report and how the police record it, and definitions differ from country to country. Compare regions within one country, not across countries.
Police-reported crime rate
6,943
per 100,000 residents
Canada: 5,585 · 8th highest of 13
2025 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
All Criminal Code violations reported by police, excluding traffic offences, per 100,000 residents.
The territories have small populations and much higher rates, so they sit at the top of the scale.
Violent crime rate
1,531
per 100,000 residents
Canada: 1,443 · 10th highest of 13
2025 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Violent Criminal Code violations reported by police, per 100,000 residents.
Includes threats and harassment as well as assault. Same limits as above.
Crime Severity Index
92.4
index, Canada 2006 = 100
Canada: 75.0 · 6th highest of 13
2025 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
Statistics Canada's measure of how much and how serious police-reported crime is: more serious crimes weigh more. Canada in 2006 = 100.
An index, not a count of crimes.
Violent Crime Severity Index
98.0
index, Canada 2006 = 100
Canada: 97.2 · 9th highest of 13
2025 · Source
What this does and doesn't say
The same index for violent crime only. Canada in 2006 = 100.
An index, not a count of crimes.
Out and about? Our sister app Stay Safe uses official police data like this, area by area, in 40 countries.
We don't rank regions as “friendly” or “unfriendly”. No single number can tell you that, and an area's figures don't describe the people you will meet. Use these figures as one input, next to jobs, housing and the people you know there.
Largest cities
People from your country in British Columbia
Most common here among the 37 countries we list:
- India 253,550
- China 243,315
- Philippines 139,240
- Iran 54,015
- Vietnam 36,900
- Mexico 21,925
- South Africa 16,840
- Brazil 15,245
Census day 11 May 2021. Statistics Canada rounds census counts randomly to a multiple of 5. See all provinces and territories on the map →
Closer look: recorded crime by area
Read with care: Recorded crime depends on how often people report and how the police record it, and definitions differ from country to country. Compare regions within one country, not across countries. Small areas with few residents can show very high rates from a handful of cases.
Metro areas in British Columbia
7 metro areas · 2025 · Source 1 Source 2
Census metropolitan areas only; the rest of the province is not listed. Ottawa-Gatineau is published in two parts, one per province.
All 7 metro areas as a table
| Metro areas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilliwack, British Columbia | 11,455 | 2,723 | 134.3 | 164.7 |
| Kamloops, British Columbia | 10,949 | 2,224 | 126.2 | 129.0 |
| Nanaimo, British Columbia | 9,648 | 2,100 | 106.0 | 115.4 |
| Kelowna, British Columbia | 8,688 | 1,872 | 103.7 | 101.9 |
| Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia | 6,717 | 1,702 | 95.5 | 127.5 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | 5,672 | 1,090 | 83.5 | 80.7 |
| Victoria, British Columbia | 5,588 | 1,542 | 74.6 | 85.4 |
Compare British Columbia with another province or territory
| Figure | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immigrant population | |||
| Immigrants% of residents · Census 2021 | 29.0% | 23.0% | |
| Arrived 2016–2021% of residents · Census 2021 | 4.0% | 3.7% | |
| Hate crime | |||
| Police-reported hate crimesper 100,000 residents · 2025 | 15.4 | 11.3 | |
| Hate crimes targeting race or ethnicityper 100,000 residents · 2025 | 9.3 | 5.7 | |
| Recorded crime | |||
| Police-reported crime rateper 100,000 residents · 2025 | 6,943 | 5,585 | |
| Violent crime rateper 100,000 residents · 2025 | 1,531 | 1,443 | |
| Crime Severity Indexindex, Canada 2006 = 100 · 2025 | 92.4 | 75.0 | |
| Violent Crime Severity Indexindex, Canada 2006 = 100 · 2025 | 98.0 | 97.2 | |
Differences between two regions are not a verdict on either. Read each figure's notes above.
Other provinces and territories
Official help for newcomers
Routes into Canada
Sources
- Statistics Canada – Table 98-10-0347-01 Immigrant status and period of immigration, Census 2021
- Statistics Canada – Table 35-10-0066-01 Police-reported hate crime by type of motivation
- Statistics Canada – Table 17-10-0009-01 Population estimates, quarterly
- Statistics Canada – Table 35-10-0177-01 Incident-based crime statistics, by detailed violations
- Statistics Canada – Table 35-10-0026-01 Crime severity index and weighted clearance rates
Map outlines: Natural Earth (public domain), simplified. Checked 20 October 2026. Figures marked “calculated” are one official count divided by an official population; nothing here is estimated or scored by PassPeers.