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The demographics of Quebec constitutes a complex and sensitive issue, especially as it relates to the National Question of Canada.
Quebec is the only province in Canada to feature a francophone (French-speaking) majority, and where anglophones (English-speakers) constitute an officially recognized minority group.
Francophones currently constitute approximately 81% of the overall population, though they have had a low birthrate. While this birthrate has increased in recent years, especially in the city of Québec and various regions of Quebec, in Montreal it remains low. If such trends continue, researchers predict that the low birthrate amongst francophones and the lack of adoption of the French language and assimilation into the francophone culture by allophone (those whose primary language is neither English nor French) immigrants will cause the French-speaking population on the island of Montreal to dive below the 50 percent mark in the coming decades, but not the Montreal metropolitan census area as a whole.[1]
A previous decline in the francophone birth rate, and perceived weakening position of the French language in Montreal, led to the passing of the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101) by the provincial government in order to protect the status of the French language as well as to increase the francophone population in the future. The use of French throughout Quebec has been strengthened, on top of this, immigrants from Francophone countries (such as Mali, Algeria, Cameroon) continue to increase the francophone population in Quebec and Canada.[2]
Quebec is also home to "one of the world's most valuable founder populations", the Quebec Founder Population.[3] 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; though this influx was large, a high proportion of the immigrants either died or returned to France, leaving a founder population of approximately 2,600 people.[3][4] About seven million Canadians (along with several million French Americans in the United States) are descendants of these original 2,600 colonists.[3]
Source: Statistics Canada [1][2]
Age structure:
Source : Statistics Canada[5]
Quebec's fertility rate is now higher than the Canadian average. At 1.74 children per woman in 2008,[6] it is above the Canada-wide rate of 1.59, and has increased for five consecutive years, reaching its highest level since 1976.[6] However, it is still below the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. This contrasts with its fertility rates before 1960, which were among the highest of any industrialized society. For example, between 1951 and 1961, the population grew nearly 30% with minimal immigration, a natural growth rate matched today only by some African countries.
Although Quebec is home to only 23.9% of the population of Canada, the number of international adoptions in Quebec is the highest of all provinces of Canada. In 2001, 42% of international adoptions in Canada were carried out in Quebec.
Population growth rate: 0.7% (2006)
Birth rate: 9.9% (2005)
Synthetic fertility index: 1.61 (2006)
Death rate: 7.4% (2003)
Net migration rate: 4.1% (2003)
Infant mortality rate: 0.46% (2004)
Stillbirth rate: 3.8% -- 3.5% notwithstanding requested abortions (2002)
Life expectancy: In 2002, life expectancy was 76.3 years for males and 81.9 years for females.
Urbanisation: In 2001, 80.4% of Quebecers lived in urban areas.
Literacy: International Adult Literacy Survey 47% Prose, 42% Document, 40% Quantitative (1996) Note: This is not the official literacy rate, and should not be used in comparisons with rates calculated using different procedures.
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.[10]
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[11]
The 2006 census counted a total aboriginal population of 108,425 (1.5%) including 65,085 North American Indians (0.9%), 27,985 Métis (0.4%), and 10,950 Inuit (0.15%). It should be noted however, that there is a significant undercount, as many of the biggest Indian bands regularly refuse to participate in Canadian censuses for political reasons regarding the question of aboriginal sovereignty. In particular, the largest Mohawk Iroquois reserves (Kahnawake, Akwesasne and Kanesatake) were not counted.’’{Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (7,435,905)}’’[12]
Quebec is unique among the provinces in its overwhelmingly Roman Catholic population. This is a legacy of colonial times when only Roman Catholics were permitted to settle in New France.
Percentages are calculated as a proportion of the total number of respondents (7,125,580 in 2001). Only groups of more than 0.01% are shown. [14]
Ontario, Quebec City, Quebec, Ottawa, Aboriginal peoples in Canada
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Canada, Alaska, Nunavut, Greenland, Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Spanish language, Canada, France, Italian language, English language
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