Photo: Zacharycmango · CC BY-SA 4.050% of residents are immigrants, more than in 92% of Canadian towns
By its share of households in single-detached houses (19%), Burnaby is below 90% of Canadian towns. Residents with no religion account for 48%. With a median age of 40.4, Burnaby is younger than just over three fifths of Canadian towns. Statistics Canada puts the city’s population at 299,682 for July 2025.
What stands out about the people of Burnaby
More immigrants than most towns
Immigrants make up 50% of residents; the medians are 16% across British Columbia’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (75%) and in Europe (13%), and 26% arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
A mix of backgrounds
68% of residents belong to a visible minority, more than in 93% of Canadian towns; 50% are immigrants. Identity & religion ↓
A city of high-rises
Buildings of five storeys or more hold 29% of households, more than in 91% of Canadian towns, and 42% of homes are condos. Homes ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
Since 2016, Burnaby has grown +7%, faster than 68% of Canadian towns
All figures are the 2021 Census’s unless another date is shown. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
The July 2025 estimate adds another 20%. Medians for comparison: +4% across Canada’s towns; +6% across British Columbia’s towns.
13% of residents are under 15, fewer than in 80% of Canadian towns
Age bands of five years, the town’s bars against the typical town’s ticks.
More residents are 30–34 than any other five-year age: nearly one in ten residents, 1.4 times the share across Canada’s towns. Across Burnaby, just over one in ten residents are aged 15 to 24. Among British Columbia’s towns, Qualicum Beach has the highest share aged 65 or over, at 56%.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
About an even split.
One-person households: 29%, a higher share than 59% of Canadian towns
Household types, then household sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
The average household has 2.4 people, against 2.4 across Canada’s towns. Locally, 8% of households are one-parent families. Elsewhere, 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns.
Burnaby ranks below 78% of Canadian towns on common-law partners: 7.2%
Residents 15 and over by marital status; the census counts common-law couples separately.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Nearly a third of adults have never married and don’t live common-law (typical: 27%). Set beside that, just over one in ten residents 15 and over live common-law across Canada’s towns.
Households in buildings of five or more storeys make up 29% in Burnaby, more than in 91% of Canadian towns
Occupied homes by type, by owners and renters, and by when they were built. Prices, rents and shelter costs are on Cost of living.
Type of home
Owners and renters · share of households
When homes were built · share of homes
36% of homes were built in 2001 or later, more than the 11% built before 1961. On renter households, Burnaby sits higher than nearly three quarters of Canadian towns: 40%.
The median household brings in $83,000 a year
Census incomes are for 2020, the year before the census, when CERB and other pandemic benefits topped up many households. Total household income: the median household, and the spread from low to high.
Households by income · share of households
Half of Burnaby’s households had a total income above $83,000 and half below, close to the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). Across British Columbia’s towns the median is $87,000. Pandemic payments such as CERB reached 29% of income recipients here, against 28% in the typical town.
A higher share of residents without Canadian citizenship than 92% of Canadian towns, at 20%
Immigrants, newcomers and movers.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 60%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (75%) and in Europe (13%). Compared with other places, residents who moved in within the year are common here: 15%, more than in just over four fifths of Canadian towns. Across Canada’s towns, 5.8% of residents are not Canadian citizens. 26% of immigrants arrived from 2011 to 2021 (typical: 27%), and non-permanent residents make up a further 6.8% of residents.
Burnaby: 68% of residents belong to a visible minority, above 93% of Canadian towns
Visible minority and Indigenous identity, then religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Other faiths: Muslim (5.6%), Buddhist (3.7%), Hindu (3.1%) and Sikh (2.8%). 1.7% of residents have an Indigenous identity, fewer than in 68% of Canadian towns. The usual figure: 15% of residents belong to a visible minority across Canada’s towns.
Beyond English and French: 61% grew up with another language
Knowledge of the two official languages, first languages, and the language of home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
At 0.6%, residents whose mother tongue is French sit close to the figure across Canada’s towns. On bilingual residents, Burnaby sits lower than just over three quarters of Canadian towns: 4.9%.
A larger share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 81% of Canadian towns: 47%
Highest certificate, diploma or degree of residents aged 25 to 64.
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
At the other end, 5.8% hold no certificate, diploma or degree, against a typical 9.5%. As a yardstick, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
In work on census day: 58% of adults
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s labour rates, in brief. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
Employment here, 58%, matches the middle of Canada’s towns (58%) within a couple of points.
From a median age of 34 in Burnaby Mountain to 46 in Deer Lake
The city’s 18 neighbourhoods, youngest first; each links its own page.
Deer Lake is the oldest area, with 22% aged 65 or over; Burnaby Mountain the youngest (median age 34). Immigrants are most common in Metrotown (61% of residents).
Burnaby is younger than 5 of its 6 nearest neighbours
The closest towns, coloured by how old their residents are.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnaby | 299,682 | — | 40.4 | 18% | 50% |
| Deer Lake | 8,417 | 0.6 km | 45.8 | 22% | 45% |
| Buckingham Heights | 8,794 | 2.0 km | 41.7 | 18% | 52% |
| Garden Village | 6,492 | 2.4 km | 42.9 | 19% | 52% |
| Holdom | 7,976 | 2.5 km | 42.1 | 19% | 47% |
| Metrotown | 36,594 | 2.5 km | 38 | 17% | 61% |
| Bainbridge | 3,015 | 2.5 km | 43.3 | 21% | 41% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. These are self-reported answers: Indigenous identity, immigrant status, religion. The census’s “visible minority” comes from the Employment Equity Act (non-white in colour or race, Indigenous peoples aside), and the page sets each beside other towns without labelling any.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. A figure here is set beside two middles, the median across British Columbia’s places of 2,500 people or more and the median across all Canadian towns that size; reserves and entire cities are excluded from both.
- What these tables don’t give. Not in the Census Profile: unpaid care, cars, internet access, and how each age group has changed since 2016. We also chart no ethnic origins besides visible minority and Indigenous identity.
Questions about Burnaby’s residents
What is the average age in Burnaby?
A median age of 40.4. Children under 15 make up 13%, and people 65 and over 18%.
Is Burnaby bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 4.9% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 89% speak only English and 0% only French; 0.6% grew up with French.
How diverse is Burnaby?
50% of residents are immigrants (Canada’s towns: 17%); 68% belong to a visible minority and 1.7% have an Indigenous identity.
What religion are people in Burnaby?
35% are Christian and 48% have no religion; 16% follow another religion.
Is Burnaby good for families?
Under 15: 13% (Canada’s towns: 16%). Couple families: 47% of households. One-parent families: 8%. Schools near Burnaby are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in Burnaby?
The median household in Burnaby took in $83,000 in 2020, against $86,000 across Canada’s towns.
What is the population of Burnaby?
Burnaby had about 299,682 residents in July 2025, Statistics Canada estimates; the 2021 Census counted 249,125, 7% more than 2016.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population · Statistics Canada, population estimates for 1 July 2025 (table 17-10-0155). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).