Demographics of Quebec

thumb|350px|Canada Quebec Density 2016

The demographics of Quebec constitutes a complex and sensitive issue, especially as it relates to the national question. Quebec is the only one of Canada's provinces to feature a Francophone (French-speaking) majority, and where anglophones (English-speakers) constitute an officially recognized minority group. According to the 2011 census, French is spoken by more than 85.5% of the population while this number rises to 88% for children under 15 years old. According to the 2011 census, 95% of Quebec's people are able to conduct a conversation in French, with less than 5% of the population not able to speak French.

In 2025, Statistics Canada had estimated the province's population to be 9,058,297. In the 2021 census, Quebec's population was determined to be 8,501,833 living in 3,749,035 of its 4,050,164 total dwellings, a 4.1% change from its 2016 population of 8,164,361. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016. Quebec accounts for a little under 23% of the Canadian population. Quebec's demographic weight in Canada has been gradually decreasing since 1971 when it was 28% of the population. In 2023, Quebec's three most populated regions are Montreal (2,109,525), Montérégie (1,492,662) and Capitale-Nationale (793,001). Quebec's three least populated regions are Nord-du-Québec (46,650), Côte-Nord (89,914) and Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine (92,059).

Quebec is home to "one of the world's most valuable founder populations". Founder populations are very valuable to medical genetic research as they are pockets of low genetic variability which provide a useful research context for discovering gene-disease linkages. The Quebec founder population arose through the influx of people into Quebec from France in the 17th century to mid-18th century; a high proportion of the settlers either returned to France or died. Of the approximately 33,500 colonists who arrived to Canada, fewer than 10,000 remained. There were approximately 8,500 colonists who settled from France and had at least one child in the colony. About seven million Canadians (along with several million French Americans in the United States) are descendants of these original 8,500 colonists. it is above the Canada-wide rate of 1.26, and is just above the historic low of 1.36 in 1987.

Demographic growth: In 2019, Quebec registered the highest rate of population growth since 1972 (when quality data began to be recorded), with an increase of 110,000 people, mostly because of the arrival of a high number of non-permanent residents. The number of non-permanent residents has recently sky-rocketed from a little over 100,000 in 2014 to 260,000 in 2019. Quebec's population growth is usually middle-of-the-pack compared to other provinces and very high compared to other developed countries (ex. United States, France, Germany, etc.) because of the federal government of Canada's aggressive immigration policies. Since the 1970s, Quebec has always had more immigrants than emigrants. This can be attributed to international immigration as the number of people moving to Quebec from another province is always lower than the other way around. As of 2019, most international immigrants come from China, India or France. In Quebec, couples where both parents work are far more likely to have children than couples where only one parent works or none of them do.

Households: In Quebec, most people are owners of the property that they live in. The vast majority of couples with or without children are property owners. Most one-person households, however, are renters. Single-parent homes are equally divided between being property owners or renters. From 1996 to 2016, the number of people per household has decreased from an average of 2.5 to 2.25. In 2016, the vast majority of low income households were one-person households. In 2016, 80% of both property owners and renters considered their housing to be "unaffordable".

! scope="col" |Rank

! scope="col" |City

! scope="col" |Region

! scope="col" |Population

|Montreal

|Quebec

|Capitale-Nationale

|Laval

|Gatineau

|Outaouais

|Longueuil

|Montérégie

|Sherbrooke

|Estrie

|Saguenay

|Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean

|Lévis

|Chaudière-Appalaches

|Trois-Rivières

|Mauricie

|10

|Terrebonne

|Lanaudière

Age structure

Age structure: (2016 census)

{| class="wikitable"

!Age groups

!Total

!% of population

!Male

!Female

|0–4 years || 444,930 ||5.45%||227,965 ||216,970

|5–9 years ||469,165 ||5.75%||240,225 ||228,940

|10–14 years ||419,160 ||5.13%||214,345||204,815

|15–19 years ||429,825 ||5.26%||219,070 ||210,755

|20–24 years ||500,100 ||6.13%||252,600 ||247,500

|25–29 years ||495,410 ||6.07%||248,030 ||247,380

|30–34 years || 515,505||6.31%||256,440||259,070

|35–39 years ||550,540||6.74%||274,595||275,945

|40–44 years || 506,525 ||6.20%|| 254,100 || 252,425

|45–49 years || 519,425 ||6.36%|| 260,410 || 259,015

|50–54 years || 619,435 ||7.59%|| 309,070 || 310,370

|55–59 years || 636,475 ||7.80%|| 314,190 ||322,285

|60–64 years || 562,670 ||6.89%|| 276,140 || 286,535

|65–69 years || 488,175 ||5.98%|| 236,395 || 251,775

|70–74 years || 373,590 ||4.58%|| 176,905 || 196,690

|75–79 years || 256,905 ||3.15%|| 116,020 || 140,890

|80–84 years || 187,835 ||2.30%|| 78,390 || 109,450

|85 years and over || 188,685 ||2.31%|| 61,885 || 126,805

|Total || 8,164,360 || 100%||4,016,760 || 4,147,605

In 2016, Quebec's median age was 41.2 years old. According to Quebec's age pyramid, the most numerous generation is the baby-boomers that are between 54 and 74 years of age. There are a few other less pronounced peaks, namely in the 1980s, and the one around 2010. A noticeable crater can be observed around the year 2000 because of a record-low amount of births. In 2020, 20.8% of the population is less than 20 years old, 59.5% are aged between 20 and 64 years old, and 19.7% are 65 years old or older. In 2019, Quebec witnessed an increase in the number of births compared to the year before (84,200 vs 83,840) and had a replacement rate of about 1.6 per woman. Replacement rates being below 2.1 something that is the norm in industrialised regions like Quebec. Quebec has a higher replacement rate than the Canadian average (1,47). Quebec's rate can also be both higher (ex. Switzerland (1.48), Portugal (1.42), Japan (1.36), Italy (1.29), etc.) or lower (ex. United States (1.73), New Zealand (1.75), Sweden (1.70), England (1.65), etc.) than other industrialised regions'. In Quebec, a lowered rate of giving birth has been mostly observed in people in their 20s. From 30 years of age and onwards, the rate is either increasing or stable. This demonstrates a trend towards wanting to form a family later in life. As of 2020, the average lifespan is 82.3 years. Between 2010 and 2019, there were between 1000 and 1600 deaths every week, with deaths being at their highest levels in January and their lowest levels in July. In 2021, the region's life expectancy increased after a decline amid the pandemic, reaching 83 years.

Percentage surviving

The percentage surviving, is the percent of the population that would survive to certain age, if their life conditions in a given year, were extrapolated to their whole life. Data for 2019.

[[File:Percentage Surviving to Certain Ages in Quebec.png|thumb|Percentage surviving to certain ages in Quebec in 2019. Life expectancy in the province in that year was 82.84 years.

Population history

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Population

!Five-year % change

!Ten-year % change

!% Canada

|1822 ||427,465 ||n/a ||n/a ||n/a

|1831 ||553,134 ||n/a ||29.4 ||n/a

|1841 ||650,000 ||n/a ||17.5 ||60.07

|1851 ||892,061 ||n/a ||37.0 ||48.32

|1861 ||1,111,566 ||n/a ||24.9 ||44.42

|1871 ||1,191,516 ||n/a ||7.9 ||32.3

|1881 ||1,359,027 ||n/a ||14.1 ||31.4

|1891 ||1,488,535 ||n/a ||9.5 ||30.8

|1901 ||1,648,898 ||n/a ||10.8 ||30.7

|1911 ||2,005,776 ||n/a ||21.6 ||27.8

|1921 ||2,360,665 ||n/a ||17.8 ||26.9

|1931 ||2,874,255 ||n/a ||21.8 ||27.7

|1941 ||3,331,882 ||n/a ||15.9 ||29.0

|1951 ||4,055,681 ||n/a ||21.8 ||28.9

|1956 ||4,628,378 ||14.1 ||n/a ||28.8

|1961 ||5,259,211 ||13.6 ||29.7 ||28.8

|1966 ||5,780,845 ||9.9 ||24.9 ||28.8

|1971 ||6,027,765 ||4.3 ||14.6 ||27.9

|1976 ||6,234,445 ||3.4 ||7.8 ||27.1

|1981 ||6,438,403 ||3.3 ||6.8 ||26.4

|1986 ||6,532,460 ||1.5 ||4.8 ||25.8

|1991 ||6,895,963 ||5.6 ||7.1 ||25.2

|1996 ||7,138,795 ||3.5 ||9.3 ||24.5

|2001 ||7,237,479 ||1.4 ||5.0 ||23.8

|2006 ||7,546,131 ||4.3 ||5.7 ||23.4

|2011 ||7,903,001 ||4.7 ||9.2 ||23.1

|2012 ||8,085,900 ||n/a ||n/a ||23.3

|2013 ||8,155,500 ||n/a ||n/a ||23.2

|2014 ||8,214,500 ||n/a ||n/a ||23.1

|2015 ||8,259,500 ||n/a ||n/a ||23.0

|2016 ||8,326,100 ||5.3 ||16.6 ||23.0

|2017 ||8,398,200 ||3.8 ||n/a ||22.0

Source: Statistics Canada [https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/98-187-x/4151287-eng.htm#10][https://web.archive.org/web/20080501112831/http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo62f.htm][http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/popdwell/Table.cfm?T=101] [http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/demo02a-eng.htm]

% Province of Canada population

Ethnic origin

thumb|Largest ethnic origin in Quebec by census division besides Canadian, 2021 census

{| class="wikitable" align="left"

|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

!Ethnic origin

!Population

!Percent

|Canadien/Canadian

|4,474,115

|60.1%

|French

|2,151,655

|28.8%

|Irish

|406,085

|5.5%

|Italian

|299,655

|4.0%

|English

|245,155

|3.3%

|First Nations

|219,815

|3.0%

|Scottish

|202,515

|2.7%

|Québécois

| 140,075

|1.9%

|German

|131,795

|1.8%

|Chinese

|91,900

|1.24%

|Haitian

|91,435

|1.23%

|Spanish

|72,090

|0.97%

|Jewish

|71,380

|0.96%

|Greek

|65,985

|0.89%

|Polish

|62,800

|0.84%

|Lebanese

|60,950

|0.83%

|Portuguese

|57,445

|0.77%

|Belgian

|43,275

|0.58%

|East Indian

|41,600

|0.56%

|Romanian

|40,320

|0.54%

|Russian

|40,155

|0.54%

|Moroccan

|36,700

|0.49%

|American (USA)

|36,695

|0.49%

|Métis

|36,280

|0.49%

|Vietnamese

|33,815

|0.45%

|Acadian

|32,950

|0.44%

|Ukrainian

|31,955

|0.43%

|African (Black)

|30,170

|0.41%

|Filipino

|25,680

|0.35%

|Algerian

|25,150

|0.34%

|British Isles

|23,445

|0.32%

|Armenian

|23,230

|0.31%

|Dutch

|23,015

|0.31%

|Hungarian

|22,585

|0.30%

|Swiss

|20,280

|0.27%

|Egyptian

|17,950

|0.24%

|Salvadoran

|15,770

|0.21%

|Syrian

|14,925

|0.20%

{| class="wikitable" align="left"

|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

!Ethnic origin

!Population

!Percent

|Colombian

|14,845

|0.20%

|Mexican

|14,215

|0.19%

|Berbers

|13,415

|0.18%

|Inuit

|12,915

|0.17%

|Iranian

|12,370

|0.17%

|Peruvian

|12,335

|0.17%

|Jamaican

|11,935

|0.16%

|Pakistani

|11,710

|0.16%

|Chilean

|11,585

|0.16%

|Turk

|11,385

|0.15%

|Austrian

|11,295

|0.15%

|Sri Lankan

|10,750

|0.14%

|Congolese

|10,190

|0.14%

|Cambodian

|10,175

|0.14%

|Welsh

|9,815

|0.13%

|Black

|9,520

|0.13%

|Tunisian

|7,870

|0.11%

|Bulgarian

|6,955

|0.09%

|Guatemalan

|6,880

|0.09%

|Laotian

|6,425

|0.09%

|Norwegian

|6,350

|0.09%

|Bangladeshi

|6,095

|0.08%

|Yugoslav

|6,090

|0.08%

|Swedish

|5,975

|0.08%

|Afghan

|5,855

|0.08%

|Lithuanians

|5,665

|0.08%

|Korean

|5,555

|0.07%

|Czech

|5,540

|0.07%

|West Indian

|5,420

|0.07%

|Barbadian

|5,340

|0.07%

|Croatian

|5,330

|0.07%

|Latin/Central/South American

|5,270

|0.07%

|European

|5,130

|0.07%

|Danish

|5,130

|0.07%

|Palestinian

|4,940

|0.07%

|Trinidadian/Tobagonian

|4,810

|0.06%

|Japanese

|4,560

|0.06%

|Slovak

|4,560

|0.06%

Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (7,435,905) and may total more than 100 percent due to dual responses. Only groups with 0.06 percent or more of respondents are shown.

Ethnicity according to the older more general system of classification is shown below:

{| class="wikitable" align="left"

|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

!Origins

!2001

|North American

|4,989,230

|70.02%

|French

|2,123,185

|29.80%

|British Isles

|547,790

|7.69%

|Southern European

|409,095

|5.74%

|Aboriginal

|159,900

|2.24%

|Western European

|153,750

|2.16%

|Arab

|135,750

|1.91%

|East and Southeast Asian

|132,280

|1.86%

{| class="wikitable" align="left"

|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

!Origins

!2001

|Eastern European

|130,410

|1.83%

|Caribbean

|108,475

|1.52%

|Other European

|86,450

|1.21%

|Latin, Central and South American

|65,150

|0.91%

|South Asian

|62,585

|0.88%

|African

|48,715

|0.68%

|West Asian

|40,960

|0.57%

|Northern European

|15,295

|0.21%

Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (7,125,580) and may total more than 100% due to dual responses Only groups of more than 0.02% are shown

Future projections

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Panethnic origin projections in Quebec (2031–2041)

! rowspan="2" |Panethnic group

! colspan="2" |2031

! colspan="2" |2036

! colspan="2" |2041

!Population (human biology)|

| European

| 6,913,000

| 6,805,000

| 6,677,000

| African

| 620,000

| 722,000

| 829,000

| Middle Eastern

| 498,000

| 588,000

| 683,000

| Indigenous

| 283,000

| 305,000

| 325,000

| East Asian

| 225,000

| 255,000

| 284,000

| Latin American

| 212,000

| 238,000

| 265,000

| South Asian

| 169,000

| 189,000

| 207,000

| Southeast Asian

| 155,000

| 170,000

| 185,000

| Other/multiracial

| 66,000

| 77,000

| 90,000

! Projected Quebec population

! 9,141,000

! 9,349,000

! 9,545,000

|- class="sortbottom"

Visible minorities and Indigenous peoples

The 2021 census counted a total Indigenous population of 205,010 (2.5%) including 116,550 First Nations (1.4%), 61,010 Métis (0.7%), and 15,800 Inuit (0.2%). The Indigenous population tends to be undercounted, as some Indian bands regularly refuse to participate in Canadian censuses for political reasons regarding the question of Indigenous sovereignty. In 2016, the Mohawk reserves of Kahnawake and Doncaster 17 along with the Indian settlement of Kanesatake and Lac-Rapide, a reserve of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, were not counted.{Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (7,435,905)}

Approximately 16% of the population of Quebec belongs to a visible minority group, as of the 2021 Canadian census. This is a lower percentage than that of British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba but higher than that of the remaining five provinces. Most visible minorities in Quebec live in or near Montreal.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Visible minority and Indigenous population (2011 Canadian census, 2016 Canadian census, & 2021 Canadian census)

! colspan="2" | Population group !! Population (2011) !! % (2011) !! Population (2016) !! % (2016) !! Population (2021) !! % (2021)

| colspan="2" | European || 6,740,370 || || 6,750,200 || || 6,762,735 ||

| rowspan="12" | Visible minority group Source:

|| South Asian || 83,320 || || 90,335 || || 127,990 ||

| Chinese || 82,845 || || 99,505 || || 115,240 ||

| Black || 243,625 || || 319,230 || || 422,405 ||

| Filipino || 31,495 || || 34,910 || || 44,885 ||

| Latin American || 116,380 || || 133,920 || || 172,925 ||

| Arab || 166,260 || || 213,740 || || 280,075 ||

| Southeast Asian || 65,855 || || 62,820 || || 70,455 ||

| West Asian || 23,445 || || 32,405 || || 43,985 ||

| Korean || 6,665 || || 8,055 || || 10,360 ||

| Japanese || 4,025 || || 4,570 || || 5,305 ||

| Visible minority, n.i.e. || 8,895 || || 9,840 || || 12,150 ||

| Multiple visible minority || 17,420 || || 23,045 || || 34,960 ||

| colspan="2" | Total visible minority population|| 850,235 || || 1,032,365 || || 1,340,735 ||

| rowspan="5" | Indigenous group Source:

|| First Nations (North American Indian) || 82,425 || || 92,655 || || 116,550 ||

| Métis || 40,960 || || 69,365 || || 61,010 ||

| Inuk (Inuit) || 12,570 || || 13,940 || || 15,800 ||

| Indigenous responses || 4,415 || || 4,170 || || 8,515 ||

| Multiple Indigenous responses || 1,545 || || 2,760 || || 3,135 ||

| colspan="2" | Total Indigenous population || 141,915 || || 182,885 || || 205,010 ||

| colspan="2" | Total number of responses || 7,732,520 || 100% || 7,965,450 || 100% || 8,308,480 || 100%

| colspan="2" | Total population || 7,732,520 || 100% || 8,164,361 || 100% || 8,501,833 || 100%

thumb|Map of indigenous communities in Quebec, this includes [[Indian reserve|reserves, settlements and northern villages.

]]

The indigenous peoples of Quebec have inhabited the region for several millennia. Each community possesses its own social structure, culture and territorial entity. In 2016, the indigenous population of Quebec numbered 182,885 people. However, because federal law only recognized children of indigenous fathers until the 1980s, the actual number may be higher.

All the ethnicities living primarily south of the 55th parallel are collectively referred to in Quebec as "Amerindians", "Indians", "First Nations" or, obsolete, "Redskins". The ten First Nations ethnic groups in Quebec are linked to two linguistic groups. The Algonquian family is made up of eight ethnic groups: the Abenaki, the Algonquin, the Atikamekw, the Cree, the Wolastoqiyik, the Mi'kmaq, the Innu and the Naskapi. These last two formed, until 1978, a single ethnic group: the Innu. The Iroquoian family is made up of the Wendat and the Mohawks. Only the Mohawks were part of the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee), along with five other Indigenous groups from New York State and Ontario. The eleventh indigenous ethnic group in Quebec, the Inuit (or, obsolete, the Eskimos), belong to the Inuit–Aleut family. The Inuit live mainly in Nunavik, Nord-du-Québec (Nouveau Quebec) and make up the majority of the population living north of the 55th parallel.

Of these indigenous peoples, so-called "nomadic" tribes exist, specifically the tribes of Algonquian cultures (e.g.: the Algonquins, the Cree and the Innu), as well as more "sedentary" ones, specifically the tribes of Iroquoian traditions (e.g.: the Iroquois and the Wendat). The more sedentary groups are the ones who developed more complex forms of social organization. Traditionally, nomadic tribes follow the migration of herds of animals that serve as prey, such as bison, moose or seals. The way of life of the Algonquian and Inuit tribes is dictated by the obligations of hunting and fishing. The traditions of the Iroquoian tribes, producers of the Three Sisters (corn, beans and squash), are instead developed around a matriarchal structure derived from the "long cabin" called a longhouse which houses within it several families under the authority of one dean.

Relations with Québécois

left|thumb|An Inuit [[inuksuk at the in front of the Parliament of Quebec.]]

Although they represent today approximately 3% of the Quebec population, the indigenous peoples of Quebec have contributed a lot to Quebec society thanks to their ideals of respect for flora, fauna, nature and the environment as well as thanks to their values of hospitality, generosity and sharing. Economically, through the fur trade and the development of relationships with settlers, including coureurs des bois, merchants, cartographers and Jesuit fathers. In addition to contributing to , indigenous peoples also contributed through their more advanced knowledge than settlers in the following areas: holistic medicine, the functioning of human biology, remedies for several diseases, curing scurvy at settlers' arrival (its thought this was done with a cure made from fir, white cedar or anneda), winter clothing (tanning), architecture that insulates against the cold, means of faster transport on snow (snowshoes and dogsled) and on water (canoes, kayaks and rabaskas), l'acériculture (the process of making maple syrup), sports (lacrosse and ice fishing), moose and caribou hunting, trapping, the territory and its components, watersheds and their watercourses and natural resources.

When Europeans arrived in America in the 16th century, the Algonquian-speaking peoples and the St. Lawrence Iroquoians made allies with the French colonists for the purpose of trade. The first connection was made with the arrival of Jacques Cartier when he set foot in Gaspé and met Donnacona, chief of the village of Stadacona (Stadaconé, today, the city of Quebec), in 1534. Moreover, the legend of the Kingdom of Saguenay prompted King Francis I to finance new trips to the New World.

Rights of indigenous people

thumb|[[Nemiscau: the village in Nord-du-Québec home to the Grand Council of the Crees.]]

In the Royal Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III, the indigenous peoples were stated to have an indisputable right to their lands. However, quickly following the proclamation and after the peace treaties with New France and France concluded, the British Crown decided to institute territorial treaties which allowed British authorities to proceed with the total extinction of the land titles of the Indigenous groups.

Entirely under federal tutelage and direction, indigenous rights were enunciated in the Indian Act and adopted at the end of the 19th century. This act confines First Nations within the Indian reserves created for them. The Indian Act is still in effect today.

In 1975, the Cree, Inuit and the Quebec government agreed to an agreement called the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement that would extended Indigenous rights beyond Indian reserves, and to over two-thirds of Quebec's territory. Because this extension was enacted without the participation of the federal government, the extended Indigenous rights only exist in Quebec. In 1978, the Naskapis joined the agreement when the Northeastern Quebec Agreement was signed. As a result, these three ethnic groups were able to break away from their subjugation to the Indian Act.

In recent times, discussions have been underway for several years with the Innu of the Côte-Nord and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean for the potential creation of a similar autonomy in two new distinct territories that would be called Innu Assi and Nitassinan. Moreover, in January 2010, an agreement between Quebec City and the Innu granted the Mashteuiatsh Band Council the ability to plan out development in the entire Ashuapmushuan Wildlife Reserve, which is located on the Nitassinan of the community of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh.

A few political institutions have also been created over time:

The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador
The Grand Council of the Crees
The Makivik Corporation

Indigenous lands

The following table shows the traditional territories of the First Nations and Inuit peoples who live in Quebec, including the basins of the St. Lawrence Valley and James Bay, as well as on the Labrador peninsula.

thumb|upright=1.2|Map of the traditional territory and co-territorial area of the [[Abenakis, which overlaps between Quebec and Massachusetts.]]

{| class="wikitable"

|+Traditional territories of the different Indigenous peoples of Quebec

! scope="col" |Groups

! scope="col" |Sub-groups

! scope="col" |Name of territory

! scope="col" |Territorial division

! scope="col" |Other names for territory

|Ojibwe

|Anishinaabewaki

|Osogonek

|Anishinaabe Ahiki

|Algonquins

|Osogonek

|Attikameks

|Kitaskino

|Nehirowisi Aski / Nitaskinan

|Iroquois confederation

|Haudenosauneega

|Kanienkeh

|Aquanishuonigy

|Mohawks

|Kanienkeh

|Wabanaki confederation

|Wabanaki

|***

|Abenaki

|Ndakinna

|N'dakina

|Wolastoqiyik

|Wolastokuk

|Mi'kmaq

|Mi'kma'ki

|Migmagi

|Cree

|Eeyou Istchee

|Wendat

|Wendake

|Innu (Montagnais)

|Nitassinan

|Innu Assi

|Inuit

|Inuit Nunangat

|Nunavik

|Nunavimmiutitut

|Nunavik

|Naskapis

|Nutshimiu-Aschiiy

|Nuchimiiyu - chhiiy

Acadians

thumb|Boats docked in the Magdalen Islands are sometimes decorated with [[Acadian flags.]]

thumb|Percentage of Acadians in Quebec by census division, 2021 census

The subject of Acadians in Quebec is an important one as more than a million people in Quebec are of Acadian ascent, with roughly 4.8 million possessing one or multiple Acadian ancestors in their genealogy tree. Furthermore, more than a million people wear a patronym of Acadian origin. All of this is because a large number of Acadians had fled Acadia to take refuge in Quebec during the Great Upheaval.

Quebec houses an Acadian community spread out across several regions. Nowadays, Acadians mainly live on the Magdalen Islands and in Gaspesia, but about thirty other communities are present elsewhere in Quebec, mostly in the Côte-Nord and Centre-du-Québec regions. An Acadian community in Quebec can be called a "Cadie" or "Petite Cadie", and some cities and villages use the demonym "Cadien".

The Festival Acadien des Îles-de-la-Madeleine is a festival which occurs every year in memory of the founders of the first villages on the Magdalen Islands. The festival is held in Havre Aubert for about two weeks. There, Québécois and Acadians from all corners of Quebec and other neighbouring lands mingle to celebrate Acadian culture. The town of Bonaventure, in Gaspesia, also houses the Musé Acadien du Québec which features permanent exhibitions on Acadians in Quebec, like Une Acadie québécoise and Secrets d'Acadiens, les coulisses de la rue Grand-Pré. In 2002, on National Acadian Day, the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec unveiled a monument to Acadians entitled "Towards the Light". The monument symbolizes and explains the predominant role that the Acadians and their descendants played in the history of Quebec. The Premier of Quebec, Bernard Landry, declared at this unveiling that:

Languages

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Quebec differs from other Canadian provinces in that French is the only official and preponderant language, while English predominates in the rest of Canada. French is the common language, understood and spoken by 94.46% of the population. Quebec is the only Canadian province whose population is mainly Francophone; 6,102,210 people (78.1% of the population) recorded it as their sole native language in the 2011 Census, and 6,249,085 (80.0%) recorded that they spoke it most often at home. Knowledge of French is widespread even among those who do not speak it natively; in 2011, about 94.4% of the total population reported being able to speak French, alone or in combination with other languages. In contrast, in the rest of Canada, in 2006, only about 10.2 percent (2,430,990) of the population had a knowledge of both of the country's official languages.

Knowledge of languages

The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses, and first appeared on the 1991 Canadian census.