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

  • Total Aboriginal Population: 3,385, comprising Mi’kmaq and Inuit communities.

  • 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).

  • English: Spoken by 86.9% of the population.

  • French: Spoken by 3.0% of the population.

  • Bilingual (English & French): Spoken by 12.3% of the population.

  • Aboriginal Languages: Mi’kmaq and Inuktitut.

  • Non-official Languages: Spoken by 6.0% of the population:

    • Mandarin

    • Italian

    • German

    • Polish

    • Spanish

    • Dutch

    • Ukrainian

    • Russian

    • Punjabi

    • Hindi

    • Nepali

    • Sinhala

    • Tamil

    • Korean

    • Parsi

    • Portuguese

    • Cantonese

    • Urdu

Top Non-Official Languages:

  1. Mandarin
  2. Punjabi
  3. Tagalog (Pilipino)

Religion

Most people in PEI are Christians (67.6%), including: 

  • Roman Catholic: 34.4%

  • United Church: 9.7%

  • Presbyterian: 4.3%

  • Anglican: 3.3%

Other Religions:

  • Secular: 28.5%

  • Islam: 1.1%

  • Hindu: 0.8%

  • Sikh: 0.8%

  • Spiritual Traditions: 0.5%

  • Buddhism: 0.5%

  • Jewish: 0.1%

  • 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

Published date: 
February 5, 2025
Public Service Commission

General Inquiries

Public Service Commission
105 Rochford Street
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

Phone: 902-368-4080
Fax: 902-368-4383

dhashem@gov.pe.ca