The Ottawa–Gatineau metro area straddles the Ontario and Quebec provinces. Home to over a dozen Mosques along with over a dozen Jewish Synagogues.

Total Population: 1,323,783

(An increase of 5.49 % in the past 5 years.)

Census Data

• Foreign Born - 235,300
• Language Spoken at Home - 588,390

Quick Facts

• Foreign born residents make up over 23 percent of Ottawa's population.


• On the Ontario side, Arabic, Chinese, Mandarin, and Spanish are the leading immigrant (foreign born) home languages. On the Quebec side, Arabic followed by Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese, Mandarin.


• Notable Arab people groups include Arab, Lebanese (26,615), Arab, Egyptian (5,440), Arab, Iraqi (3,910), Arab, Palestinian (3,315), Arab, Syrian (3,125), Arab, Moroccan (2,955).


• Over 9,000 Somali call the metro their home.


• Ethnic Enclaves - (1) Little Italy located in Centretown West, is Ottawa's Italian community, and (2) Chinatown located along Somerset Street in downtown Ottawa, which is also home to a vibrant Vietnamese community.


• Hindu Temple of Ottawa-Carleton is a large Hindu temple in the Gloucester section and home of nine shrines: Ganesha, Kartikeya, Krishna with Radha, Shiva, Lakshmi with Narayana, Rama with Sita and Lakshmana with Hanuman, Durga, Hanuman, and Nataraja.