Diversity Events and Facts for PEI

Prince Edward Island enjoys a mix of different ethnicities, cultural groups, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities from all over the world. The provincial government's Public Service Commission values this diversity, because it is a source of strength, vitality and prosperity.
Popular cultural diversity festivals in PEI:
- Lennox Island Pow Wow festivals
- DiverseCity multicultural street festivals
- Chinese New Year
- Buddhist Vesak day
- Deepawali Indian festival
- Lebanese New Year
- Eid Muslim festival
- Nepalese Vijay Dashami Festival
- Pride PEI
Our Diverse Population
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Total Aboriginal Population: 3,385, comprising Mi’kmaq and Inuit communities.
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Transgender & Nonbinary Population: 420 (0.33% of PEI's population).
Visible Minorities:
- East Asian Origins: 2,090, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Mongolian, and Taiwanese.
- Southeast Asian Origins: 1,670, with the majority from the Philippines (1,010), as well as Indonesians, Burmese, Singaporeans, Thais, and Vietnamese.
- South Asian Origins: 1,155, with the majority from Bharat (India) (840), along with Punjabi, Nepali, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi communities.
- Middle East: 960
- African: 625
- Latin American: 370
- Caribbean: 285
To learn more about visible minorities and Designated Diversity Groups visit: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/public-service-commissi...
Languages Spoken in PEI
Majority of the population in PEI speak English or French as their first language (English is the official language).
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English: Spoken by 86.9% of the population.
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French: Spoken by 3.0% of the population.
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Bilingual (English & French): Spoken by 12.3% of the population.
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Aboriginal Languages: Mi’kmaq and Inuktitut.
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Non-official Languages: Spoken by 6.0% of the population:
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Mandarin
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Italian
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German
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Polish
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Spanish
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Dutch
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Ukrainian
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Russian
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Punjabi
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Hindi
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Nepali
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Sinhala
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Tamil
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Korean
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Parsi
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Portuguese
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Cantonese
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Urdu
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Top Non-Official Languages:
- Mandarin
- Punjabi
- Tagalog (Pilipino)
Religion
Most people in PEI are Christians (67.6%), including:
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Roman Catholic: 34.4%
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United Church: 9.7%
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Presbyterian: 4.3%
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Anglican: 3.3%
Other Religions:
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Secular: 28.5%
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Islam: 1.1%
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Hindu: 0.8%
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Sikh: 0.8%
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Spiritual Traditions: 0.5%
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Buddhism: 0.5%
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Jewish: 0.1%
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Traditional Indigenous Spirituality: 0.05%
Source – Statistics Canada 2021
Disability Facts
According to Statistics Canada, in 2022 the total number of people with a disability in PEI is 39,550. From 2017 to 2022, the disability rate rose by 4.7% in Canada. The Common Disabilities are:
- Children: Learning disabilities (69.3%), chronic conditions including asthma, severe allergies, ADHD, and Autism (66.6%)
- Youth (age 15-24): Mental health related disabilities (73.6%)
- Adults (age 25-64): Pain related disabilities (59.4%64.1%)
- Seniors (age 65+): Pain related disabilities (68%), mobility (62.4%)
CSD also found that women are more likely to have disabilities across all ages.
Source – Statistics Canada 2022