Half in GTA [Greater Toronto Area] visible minorities

OTTAWA – Almost half the people in the Toronto region are visible minorities, according to new census data which shows the face of Canada continues to change from the country's European origins.

Statistics Canada released the latest information from the 2006 census Wednesday and it shows that across Canada, 16.2 per cent of the population identified themselves as a visible minority – that's more than five million Canadians.

In what's known as the census metropolitan area of Toronto, 42.9 per cent of the population identified themselves as a visible minority. A total of 27.8 per cent of the visible minority population was born in Canada.

The largest visible minority population was South Asian (684,070), followed by Chinese (486,325) and black (352,220).

The census also sheds light on the work and education of visible minorities.

In the Toronto area, visible minorities had a lower employment rate than non-visible minorities – 62.0 per cent compared to 64.9 per cent.

A total of 44.4 per cent of visible minorities attained at least a high school education and 36.4 per cent had a university certificate or degree. For non-visible minorities, the figures were 50.3 per cent and 29.6 per cent.