# Demographics of New Brunswick

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and the only bilingual province in the country. The provincial Department of Finance estimates that the province's population in 2006 was 729,997 of which the majority is English-speaking but with a substantial French-speaking minority of mostly Acadian origin.
First Nations in New Brunswick include the Mi'kmaq and Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet). The first European settlers, the Acadians are descendants of French settlers and also some of the Indigenous peoples of Acadia, a French colony in modern-day Nova Scotia. The Acadians were expelled by the British in 1755 for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to King George II which drove several thousand Acadian residents into exile in North America, the UK and France during the French and Indian War. (Those American Acadians who wound up in Louisiana, and other parts of the American South, are referred to as Cajuns, although some Cajuns are not of Acadian origin.) In time, some Acadians returned to the Maritime provinces of Canada, mainly to New Brunswick, due to the British prohibiting them from resettling their lands and villages in what became Nova Scotia.
Many of the English-Canadian population of New Brunswick are descended from Loyalists who fled the American Revolution. This is commemorated in the province's motto, Spem reduxit ("hope was restored"). There is also a significant population with Irish ancestry, especially in Saint John and the Miramichi Valley. People of Scottish descent are scattered throughout the province, with high concentrations in the Miramichi and in Campbellton. A small population of Danish origin may be found in New Denmark in the northwest of the province.

## Population history

| Year | Population | Five Year % change | Ten Year % change | Rank Among Provinces |
| 1824 | 74,176 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1834 | 119,457 | n/a | 61.0 | n/a |
| 1841 | 156,162 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 1851 | 193,800 | n/a | 24.1 | n/a |
| 1861 | 252,047 | n/a | 30.0 | n/a |
| 1871 | 285,594 | n/a | 13.3 | 4 |
| 1881 | 321,233 | n/a | 12.5 | 4 |
| 1891 | 321,263 | n/a | 0.0 | 4 |
| 1901 | 331,120 | n/a | 3.1 | 4 |
| 1911 | 351,889 | n/a | 6.3 | 8 |
| 1921 | 387,876 | n/a | 10.2 | 8 |
| 1931 | 408,219 | n/a | 5.2 | 8 |
| 1941 | 457,401 | n/a | 12.0 | 8 |
| 1951 | 515,697 | n/a | 12.7 | 8 |
| 1956 | 554,616 | 7.5 | n/a | 8 |
| 1961 | 597,936 | 7.8 | 15.9 | 8 |
| 1966 | 616,788 | 3.2 | 11.2 | 8 |
| 1971 | 634,560 | 2.9 | 6.9 | 8 |
| 1976 | 677,250 | 6.7 | 9.8 | 8 |
| 1981 | 696,403 | 2.8 | 9.7 | 8 |
| 1986 | 709,445 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 8 |
| 1991 | 723,900 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 8 |
| 1996 | 738,133 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 8 |
| 2001 | 729,498 | -1.2 | 0.8 | 8 |
| 2006 | 729,997 | 0.1 | -1.1 | 8 |
| 2011 | 751,171 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 8 |
| 2016 | 747,101 | -0.5 | 2.3 | 8 |
| 2021 | 775,610 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 8 |
Source: Statistics Canada

## Population geography
### City Metropolitan Areas

| City | 2021 | 2016 | 2011 | 2006 | Land area (km$^2$) | Density (/km$^2$) |
| Greater Moncton | 157,717 | 144,810 | 138,644 | 126,424 | 2,562.47 | 61.5 |
| Greater Saint John | 130,613 | 126,202 | 127,761 | 122,389 | 3,505.66 | 37.3 |
| Greater Fredericton | 108,610 | 102,690 | 94,268 | 85,688 | 6,014.66 | 18.1 |
| Greater Bathurst | 31,387 | 31,110 | 33,484 | 34,106 | 2,100.05 | 14.9 |
| Greater Miramichi | 27,593 | 27,518 | 28,115 | 28,773 | 7,564.06 | 3.6 |
| Greater Edmundston | 21,144 | 21,955 | 21,903 | 22,471 | 1,582.36 | 14.0 |
| Greater Campbellton | 13,330 | 14,679 | 17,842 | 17,878 | 1,525.45 | 8.7 |

### Cities and towns

| Town | Population (2011) | Population ranking | Land area (km$^2$) | Area ranking | Density (/km$^2$) | Density ranking |
| Bathurst | 12,275 | 9 | 91.86 | 6 | 133.6 | 24 |
| Beresford | 4,351 | 20 | 19.20 | 17 | 226.6 | 18 |
| Bouctouche | 2,423 | 26 | 18.34 | 19 | 132.1 | 25 |
| Campbellton | 7,385 | 12 | 18.66 | 18 | 395.7 | 9 |
| Caraquet | 4,169 | 23 | 68.26 | 8 | 61.1 | 35 |
| Dalhousie | 3,512 | 24 | 14.51 | 23 | 242.1 | 17 |
| Dieppe | 23,310 | 4 | 54.11 | 11 | 430.8 | 6 |
| Edmundston | 16,032 | 8 | 107.00 | 5 | 149.8 | 23 |
| Florenceville-Bristol | 1,639 | 29 | 15.61 | 22 | 105.0 | 29 |
| Fredericton | 56,224 | 3 | 131.67 | 4 | 427.0 | 7 |
| Grand Bay–Westfield | 5,117 | 17 | 59.86 | 9 | 85.5 | 33 |
| Grand Falls | 5,706 | 14 | 18.05 | 20 | 315.9 | 13 |
| Hampton | 4,292 | 22 | 21.00 | 16 | 204.3 | 21 |
| Hartland | 947 | 35 | 9.63 | 30 | 98.4 | 31 |
| Lamèque | 1,432 | 31 | 12.45 | 28 | 115.1 | 27 |
| Miramichi | 17,811 | 7 | 179.93 | 2 | 99.0 | 30 |
| McAdam | 1,404 | 32 | 14.47 | 24 | 97.02 | 32 |
| Moncton | 69,074 | 2 | 141.17 | 3 | 489.3 | 2 |
| Nackawic | 1,049 | 34 | 8.40 | 32 | 124.9 | 26 |
| Oromocto | 8,932 | 11 | 22.37 | 15 | 399.2 | 8 |
| Quispamsis | 17,886 | 6 | 57.06 | 10 | 313.5 | 14 |
| Richibucto | 1,286 | 33 | 11.83 | 27 | 108.7 | 28 |
| Riverview | 19,128 | 5 | 33.88 | 13 | 564.6 | 1 |
| Rothesay | 11,947 | 10 | 34.77 | 12 | 343.6 | 12 |
| Sackville | 5,558 | 15 | 74.32 | 7 | 74.8 | 34 |
| Saint Andrews | 1,889 | 28 | 8.35 | 33 | 226.2 | 19 |
| Saint John | 70,063 | 1 | 315.82 | 1 | 221.8 | 20 |
| Saint-Léonard | 1,343 | 32 | 5.20 | 34 | 258.3 | 16 |
| Saint-Quentin | 2,095 | 27 | 4.30 | 35 | 486.7 | 3 |
| Shediac | 6,053 | 13 | 12.50 | 26 | 484.4 | 4 |
| Shippagan | 2,603 | 25 | 9.94 | 29 | 261.9 | 15 |
| St. George | 1,543 | 30 | 16.13 | 21 | 95.6 | 32 |
| St. Stephen | 4,817 | 19 | 13.45 | 24 | 358.0 | 11 |
| Sussex | 4,312 | 21 | 9.03 | 31 | 477.4 | 5 |
| Tracadie–Sheila | 4,933 | 18 | 24.65 | 14 | 200.1 | 22 |
| Woodstock | 5,254 | 16 | 13.41 | 25 | 391.7 | 10 |

## Ethnic origin

The information in the following table contains data from the 2021 Candidan census conducted by Statistics Canada.
Of the 233,000 New Brunswickers whose mother tongue is French, the great majority are Acadians. Most have indicated their ethnic origin as French and not as Acadian, so that the number of Acadians shown is much smaller.
| Ethnic origin | 2021 population | Percent |
| Canadian | 174,910 | 23.0% |
| Irish | 155,915 | 20.5% |
| English | 137,145 | 18.1% |
| Scottish | 134,350 | 17.7% |
| French, n.o.s.(not otherwise specified) | 118,205 | 15.3% |
| Acadian | 108,375 | 14.3% |
| German | 33,200 | 4.4% |
| New Brunswicker | 22,365 | 2.9% |
| French Canadian | 18,650 | 2.5% |
| British, n.o.s. | 16,630 | 2.2% |
| Dutch | 13,310 | 1.8% |
| First Nations | 13,550 | 1.8% |
| Mi'kmaq, n.o.s. | 12,655 | 1.7% |
| European, n.o.s. | 11,565 | 1.5% |
| Welsh | 11,500 | 1.5% |
| Métis | 9,445 | 1.2% |
| Italian | 8,255 | 1.1% |
| American | 7,185 | 0.9% |
| North American Indigenous | 5,675 | 0.7% |
| Québécois | 5,415 | 0.7% |
| Indian | 5,655 | 0.7% |
| Filipino | 4,960 | 0.6% |
| Chinese | 4,600 | 0.6% |
| Ukrainian | 4,600 | 0.6% |
| Danish | 4,170 | 0.5% |

## Visible minorities and Indigenous peoples

Visible minority and Indigenous population (2021 Canadian census) :
| Population group | Population group | Population | % |
| European | European | 681,695 | 89.8% |
| Visible minority group | South Asian | 8,630 | 1.1% |
| Visible minority group | Chinese | 4,085 | 0.5% |
| Visible minority group | Black | 12,155 | 1.6% |
| Visible minority group | Filipino | 5,190 | 0.7% |
| Visible minority group | Arab | 5,060 | 0.7% |
| Visible minority group | Latin American | 2,450 | 0.3% |
| Visible minority group | Southeast Asian | 1,890 | 0.2% |
| Visible minority group | West Asian | 915 | 0.1% |
| Visible minority group | Korean | 1,655 | 0.2% |
| Visible minority group | Japanese | 250 | 0.0% |
| Visible minority group | Visible minority, n.i.e. | 550 | 0.1% |
| Visible minority group | Multiple visible minorities | 1,375 | 0.2% |
| Total visible minority population | Total visible minority population | 44,205 | 5.8% |
| Indigenous group | First Nations (North American Indian) | 20,960 | 2.8% |
| Indigenous group | Métis | 10,170 | 1.3% |
| Indigenous group | Inuk (Inuit) | 685 | 0.1% |
| Indigenous group | Multiple Indigenous responses | 485 | 0.1% |
| Indigenous group | Indigenous responses n.i.e. | 995 | 0.1% |
| Total Indigenous population | Total Indigenous population | 33,295 | 4.4% |
| Total population | Total population | 759,195 | 100.0% |

## Languages

Compared to other provinces, New Brunswick has a relatively even split of English and French-speakers.
As a comparison, the minority language communities of Ontario and Quebec (Franco-Ontarians and English-speaking Quebecers respectively) make up less than 10% of those provinces' populations. With both official language communities so strongly represented, New Brunswick is home to English and French-language hospitals, media, schools and universities. The province also has a high proportion of people that speak both languages, with 246,000 people, or 33.2% of the population speaking English and French (though Francophones make up two-thirds of those who are bilingual).
Language policy is a perennial issue in New Brunswick politics and society. Recurring debates have arisen in regards to duality (the system of parallel English and French-speaking public services), interpretation of the provincial bilingualism policy and specifics of implementation. The extent of the provincial policy on bilingualism means that a new row is never far off in the New Brunswick news cycle. Francophones advocate for full funding of French-language public services and fair representation in public sector employment, while Anglophones fear that the system of duality is financially inefficient, its extent is not worthwhile and that the provincial government's targets for bilingualism in public employment are hurting their chances to work for the government, as Anglophones are less likely than Francophones to be proficient enough in both official languages to use them in employment.
The province's bilingual status is enshrined in federal and provincial law. The Canadian Constitution makes specific mention of New Brunswick's bilingual status and defines the spirit of implementation as one based on community and individual rights (in contrast with the constitutional protections for the other provinces that is limited to individuals). The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has a number of New Brunswick specific articles and makes specific mention of New Brunswick in each section relating to language. Of particular interest is Article 16.1, which declares that New Brunswick's Anglophone and Francophone communities have equal rights and privileges, including community-specific cultural and educational institutions, Article 18.1, declaring bilingual publication of the Canadian Parliament's works and laws and Article 18.2, specifying that the New Brunswick Legislature will publish its works in English and French. Article 16.1's distinction of linguistic community is important in that it recognizes not only the rights of individuals to use their language, but also demands that the two official language communities have their specific institutions upheld.
In 2012, New Brunswick Francophones scored lower on the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies than their Anglophone counterparts.

### Knowledge of languages

Knowledge of official languages of Canada in New Brunswick (2016) :
| Language | Language | Percent | Percent |
| English only | English only | 57.15% | 57.15% |
| French only | French only | 8.58% | 8.58% |
| English and French | English and French | 33.95% | 33.95% |
| Neither English nor French | Neither English nor French | 0.32% | 0.32% |
The question on knowledge of languages allows for multiple responses. The following figures are from the 2021 Canadian Census, and lists languages that were selected by at least 0.5 percent of respondents.
Knowledge of languages in New Brunswick :
| Language | 2021 | 2021 |
| Language | Pop. | % |
| English | 698,025 | 91.94% |
| French | 317,825 | 41.86% |
| Spanish | 7,580 | 1% |
| Arabic | 6,090 | 0.8% |
| Tagalog | 4,225 | 0.56% |

### Mother tongue

New Brunswick's official languages are shown in bold. Figures shown are for the number of single-language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses. During the 19th century Gaelic was also spoken in Campbellton and Dalhousie. The language died out as a natively-spoken language in the early 20th century.
The 2011 Canadian census showed a population of 751,171. Of the 731,855 single responses to the census question concerning mother tongue, the most commonly reported languages were:
| Ranking | Language | Population | Percentage |
| 1. | English | 479,930 | 65.58% |
| 2. | French | 233,530 | 31.90% |
| 3. | Mi'kmaq | 2,115 | 0.29% |
| 4. | Korean | 1,810 | 0.25% |
| 5. | German | 1,805 | 0.25% |
| 6. | Arabic | 1,325 | 0.18% |
| 7. | Spanish | 1,135 | 0.16% |
| 8. | Dutch | 925 | 0.13% |
| 9. | Tagalog | 585 | 0.08% |
| 10. | Persian | 450 | 0.06% |
| 11. | Italian | 440 | 0.06% |
| 12. | Romanian | 420 | 0.06% |
| 13. | Mandarin | 405 | 0.06% |
| 14. | Russian | 355 | 0.05% |
| 15. | Vietnamese | 285 | 0.04% |
| 16. | Polish | 255 | 0.03% |
| 17. | Hindi | 250 | 0.03% |
| 18. | Cantonese | 225 | 0.03% |
| 19. | Portuguese | 220 | 0.03% |
| 20. | Urdu | 205 | 0.03% |
| 21. | Bengali | 180 | 0.02% |
| 22. | Hungarian | 155 | 0.02% |
| 23. | Danish | 145 | 0.02% |
| 24. | Greek | 140 | 0.02% |
| 25. | Swahili | 140 | 0.02% |
| 26. | Serbian | 120 | 0.02% |
Note: "n.i.e.": not included elsewhere
There were also 45 single-language responses for Gujarati; 135 for Niger-Congo languages n.i.e.; 70 for Creole; 95 for Non-verbal languages (Sign languages); 115 for Japanese; 30 for Indo-Iranian languages n.i.e.; 5 for Somali; 20 for Sinhala (Sinhalese); and 40 for Malayalam. New Brunswick's official languages are shown in bold. (Figures shown are for the number of single language responses and the percentage of total single-language responses.)

## Religion

Religious groups in New Brunswick (1981−2021) :
| Religious group | 2021 | 2021 | 2011 | 2011 | 2001 | 2001 | 1991 | 1991 | 1981 | 1981 |
| Religious group | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Christianity | 512,645 | 67.52% | 616,910 | 83.84% | 657,865 | 91.41% | 674,780 | 94.18% | 667,610 | 96.84% |
| Irreligion | 225,125 | 29.65% | 111,435 | 15.14% | 57,665 | 8.01% | 38,740 | 5.41% | 19,685 | 2.86% |
| Islam | 9,190 | 1.21% | 2,640 | 0.36% | 1,270 | 0.18% | 255 | 0.04% | 315 | 0.05% |
| Hinduism | 3,340 | 0.44% | 820 | 0.11% | 470 | 0.07% | 610 | 0.09% | 475 | 0.07% |
| Sikhism | 1,780 | 0.23% | 20 | 0% | 90 | 0.01% | 45 | 0.01% | 50 | 0.01% |
| Buddhism | 1,120 | 0.15% | 975 | 0.13% | 550 | 0.08% | 365 | 0.05% | 240 | 0.03% |
| Indigenous spirituality | 1,005 | 0.13% | 525 | 0.07% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Judaism | 1,000 | 0.13% | 620 | 0.08% | 670 | 0.09% | 880 | 0.12% | 845 | 0.12% |
| Other | 3,990 | 0.53% | 1,895 | 0.26% | 1,120 | 0.16% | 830 | 0.12% | 160 | 0.02% |
| Total responses | 759,195 | 97.88% | 735,835 | 97.96% | 719,710 | 98.66% | 716,495 | 98.98% | 689,370 | 98.99% |
| Total population | 775,610 | 100% | 751,171 | 100% | 729,498 | 100% | 723,900 | 100% | 696,403 | 100% |

## Migration
### Immigration

New Brunswick immigration$^{:464–465}$$^{:425}$$^{:239}$$^{:108}$ :
| Year | Immigrant percentage | Immigrant population | Total population |
| 1851 | 20.9% | 40,432 | 193,800 |
| 1861 | 20.9% | 52,602 | 252,047 |
| 1881 | 9.7% | 31,068 | 321,233 |
| 1891 | 6.8% | 22,006 | 321,263 |
| 1901 | 5.4% | 17,942 | 331,120 |
| 1911 | 5.2% | 18,313 | 351,889 |
| 1921 | 5.5% | 21,458 | 387,876 |
| 1931 | 6% | 24,401 | 408,219 |
| 1941 | 4.5% | 20,592 | 457,401 |
| 1951 | 3.9% | 19,875 | 515,697 |
| 1961 | 3.9% | 23,283 | 597,936 |
| 1971 | 3.7% | 23,735 | 634,560 |
The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 44,125 persons or 5.8 percent of the total population of New Brunswick.
Immigrants in New Brunswick by country of birth :
| Country of birth | 2021 | 2021 | 2016 | 2016 | 2011 | 2011 | 2006 | 2006 | 2001 | 2001 |
| Country of birth | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| United States | 6,480 | 14.7% | 7,615 | 22.5% | 8,225 | 28.9% | 8,655 | 32.8% | 7,960 | 35.4% |
| United Kingdom | 4,915 | 11.1% | 4,605 | 13.6% | 5,260 | 18.5% | 5,210 | 19.7% | 5,300 | 23.6% |
| Philippines | 3,780 | 8.6% | 1,340 | 4% | 705 | 2.5% | 350 | 1.3% | 210 | 0.9% |
| India | 2,265 | 5.1% | 820 | 2.4% | 800 | 2.8% | 595 | 2.3% | 390 | 1.7% |
| China | 2,125 | 4.8% | 2,215 | 6.6% | 1,050 | 3.7% | 925 | 3.5% | 490 | 2.2% |
| Syria | 1,890 | 4.3% | 1,225 | 3.6% | 20 | 0.1% | 20 | 0.1% | 35 | 0.2% |
| Germany | 1,395 | 3.2% | 1,620 | 4.8% | 1,650 | 5.8% | 1,770 | 6.7% | 1,570 | 7% |
| South Korea | 1,180 | 2.7% | 1,495 | 4.4% | 1,620 | 5.7% | 370 | 1.4% | 25 | 0.1% |
| France | 1,070 | 2.4% | 760 | 2.2% | 410 | 1.4% | 320 | 1.2% | 225 | 1% |
| Nigeria | 980 | 2.2% | 115 | 0.3% | 40 | 0.1% | 30 | 0.1% | 50 | 0.2% |
| Total immigrants | 44,125 | 5.8% | 33,810 | 4.6% | 28,465 | 3.9% | 26,400 | 3.7% | 22,470 | 3.1% |
| Total responses | 759,195 | 97.9% | 730,710 | 97.8% | 735,835 | 98% | 719,650 | 98.6% | 719,710 | 98.7% |
| Total population | 775,610 | 100% | 747,101 | 100% | 751,171 | 100% | 729,997 | 100% | 729,498 | 100% |

### Recent immigration

The 2021 Canadian census counted a total of 16,040 people who immigrated to New Brunswick between 2016 and 2021.
Recent immigrants to New Brunswick by country of birth (2016 to 2021) :
| Country of birth | Population | % recent immigrants |
| Philippines | 2,325 | 14.5% |
| Syria | 1,700 | 10.6% |
| India | 1,365 | 8.5% |
| China | 975 | 6.1% |
| Nigeria | 905 | 5.6% |
| United States | 605 | 3.8% |
| Ukraine | 475 | 3% |
| Egypt | 445 | 2.8% |
| France | 390 | 2.4% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 370 | 2.3% |
| Total | 16,040 | 100% |

### Interprovincial migration

New Brunswick has typically experienced less emigration than its size and economic situation would suggest, probably because of the low rate of emigration of its francophone population.
Interprovincial migration in New Brunswick :
| | In-migrants | Out-migrants | Net migration |
| 2008–09 | 11,268 | 11,505 | −237 |
| 2009–10 | 10,883 | 10,312 | 571 |
| 2010–11 | 10,167 | 10,325 | −158 |
| 2011–12 | 10,044 | 11,850 | −1,806 |
| 2012–13 | 8,517 | 11,807 | −3,290 |
| 2013–14 | 9,055 | 12,572 | −3,517 |
| 2014–15 | 9,184 | 11,974 | −2,790 |
| 2015–16 | 10,248 | 11,361 | −1,113 |
| 2016–17 | 10,136 | 9,702 | 434 |
| 2017–18 | 10,709 | 10,228 | 481 |
| 2018–19 | 11,945 | 11,339 | 606 |
Source: Statistics Canada