Photo: Buidhe · CC BY-SA 4.0More immigrants than 89% of Canadian towns: 46%
Across Canada’s towns, just over a third of residents said they have no religion; in West Vancouver, 52%. The town had about 47,929 residents in July 2025, by Statistics Canada’s estimate, and 17,690 households at the 2021 Census. Residents without Canadian citizenship: 15% of the total. Higher than in 87% of Canadian towns: 22% of households live in a building of five or more storeys.
What stands out about the people of West Vancouver
More immigrants than most towns
46% of residents are immigrants, against 16% across British Columbia’s towns and 17% across Canada’s towns. The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (63%) and in Europe (23%); 27% of them arrived from 2011 to 2021. Immigrants & newcomers ↓
Older than most towns
The middle resident of West Vancouver is 50.8; the typical median across Canadian towns is 42. 29% are 65 or over, against 19% across Canada’s towns. Ages ↓
Many graduates
62% of residents aged 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, more than in 95% of Canadian towns; 17% have a master’s. Qualifications ↓
Written from the data on this page: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census.
+4% since 2016, a pace below 51% of Canadian towns
The 2021 Census is the source of every figure here unless a date says otherwise. The census counts of 2016 and 2021, the estimate after them, and the change set beside other towns.
Change, 2016 to 2021
By July 2025, the estimate had risen a further 9%.
A median age of 50.8: West Vancouver is older than 87% of Canadian towns
Share of residents in each five-year band; the tick is the typical town.
Across Canada’s towns, 16% of residents are under 15; in West Vancouver, 14%. 29% of residents are 65 or over, more than in 89% of Canadian towns.
Median age of Canadian towns of 2,500+
■ West Vancouver, 50.8. The typical town is 42.
Broad ages · share of residents
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Bigger households than 58% of Canadian towns: 2.5 people each on average
Who shares a home: household types and sizes.
Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns
People per household
Canada’s towns.
Across West Vancouver, 8.8% of households are one-parent families. Where 27% of households are one person living alone across Canada’s towns, West Vancouver has 28%.
A lower share of common-law partners than 92% of Canadian towns, at 4.7%
Marital status of residents 15 and over, with common-law couples counted apart.
Marital status · residents 15 and over
Set against 46% across Canada’s towns, 56% of residents 15 and over are married in West Vancouver. The benchmark for common-law partners across Canada’s towns: 11%.
56% of households live in a single-detached house, fewer than in 61% of Canadian towns
Houses and apartments, owners and renters, older and newer homes. 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
The figure for renter households is 29% in West Vancouver and 25% across Canada’s towns. The benchmark for households in single-detached houses across Canada’s towns: 64%. Older homes outnumber new: 21% predate 1961, 20% date from 2001 or later.
Household income at the median: $104,000 a year
Census incomes cover 2020, when emergency benefits like CERB lifted many households’ totals. Household income before tax: the median, and households by income group.
Households by income · share of households
Household incomes run high in West Vancouver: half had more than $104,000, 21% above the median across Canada’s towns ($86,000). The median across British Columbia’s towns is $87,000. COVID-19 benefits were paid to 24% of residents with an income, where the typical town had 28%.
More residents who moved in within the year than 73% of Canadian towns: 14%
Immigrants by continent of birth and when they arrived, citizenship, and who moved in recently.
Immigrants, by continent of birth · share of all residents; the bar runs to 55%
When immigrants arrived · share of immigrants
Citizenship and moving · share of residents
The largest groups of immigrants were born in Asia (63%) and in Europe (23%). Elsewhere, 11% of residents lived at another address a year earlier across Canada’s towns. Most recent wave: 27% of immigrants arrived in 2011–2021 (Canada’s towns: 27%).
43% of residents belong to a visible minority, a share 80% of Canadian towns don’t reach
Residents’ own answers on visible minority, Indigenous identity and religion.
Visible minority and Indigenous identity · all residents
Religion · all residents
Among other religions: Muslim (8.9%). For visible minority residents, the comparison across Canada’s towns is 15%. Fewer Indigenous residents than in just over four fifths of Canadian towns: 1%.
Bilingual residents make up 11% in West Vancouver, more than in 62% of Canadian towns
English, French and the other languages people grew up with or speak at home.
Can hold a conversation in · share of all residents
Mother tongue · share of all residents
Residents whose mother tongue is French make up 1%, close to the figure across Canada’s towns. At home, 25% mostly speak another language; 3.7% speak neither English nor French. The comparison figure for bilingual residents is 7.5% across Canada’s towns.
A higher share of degree holders aged 25 to 64 than 95% of Canadian towns, at 62%
The highest diploma or degree of adults of working age (25 to 64).
Highest qualification · residents 25 to 64
No certificate, diploma or degree is held by 2%; in the typical town the share is 9.5%. Typically, 27% of residents 25 to 64 hold a bachelor’s degree or higher across Canada’s towns.
An employment rate of 47%
The census was taken in May 2021, during the pandemic, so these rates show a labour market still recovering. The census’s work rates at a glance. Jobs, industries and the commute are on Work & commute.
At 47%, fewer residents are in work than the typical 58% across Canada’s towns, and 29% are 65 or over.
The 2nd oldest of 41 towns of 41,910 to 55,572 people
Similar-sized towns by median age; each dot is a town.
The youngest is Whalley (34.9) and the oldest Shawinigan (54.4). Nearest to West Vancouver in age: Boucherville (48), Vernon (49.2) and Shawinigan (54.4).
West Vancouver is older than every town around it
Places nearby, shaded by median age, each linked to its page.
| Town | People | Away | Median age | 65+ | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Vancouver | 47,929 | — | 50.8 | 29% | 46% |
| Capilano 5 | 3,376 | 4.0 km | 45.6 | 22% | 37% |
| West End | 30,785 | 6.9 km | 39.9 | 17% | 37% |
| Coal Harbour | 10,407 | 7.1 km | 40.9 | 18% | 55% |
| Davie Village | 16,833 | 7.5 km | 38.4 | 15% | 37% |
| North Vancouver | 66,624 | 8.2 km | 42 | 18% | 38% |
| Granville Entertainment District | 19,125 | 8.3 km | 36.3 | 10% | 41% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- The census’s own words. “Visible minority” is the census’s term from the Employment Equity Act: people, other than Indigenous peoples, who are non-white in colour or race. Indigenous identity, immigrant status and religion are as residents answered. The page compares them with other towns and never labels a town by them.
- Against British Columbia’s towns and Canada’s towns. For each measure we take the median of British Columbia’s towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500 or more, then the median of all Canadian towns. Neither counts whole cities or reserves, and every percentile is a Canadian one.
- 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 West Vancouver’s residents
What is the average age in West Vancouver?
50.8 is the median age, older than 87% of Canadian towns. Under 15: 14%. 65 and over: 29%.
Is West Vancouver bilingual?
Both official languages are spoken by 11% of residents, against a typical 7.5% across Canada’s towns. 86% speak only English and 0% only French; 1% grew up with French.
How diverse is West Vancouver?
Immigrants make up 46% of residents, against 17% across Canada’s towns. 43% are members of a visible minority, and 1% are First Nations, Métis or Inuit.
What religion are people in West Vancouver?
Christian: 34%. No religion: 52%. Another religion: 14%.
Is West Vancouver good for families?
Across Canada’s towns, a typical 16% of residents are under 15; here, 14%. 54% of households are couple families and 8.8% one-parent families. Schools near West Vancouver are on its Schools page.
What is the median income in West Vancouver?
$104,000 before tax, in 2020: the middle household’s income in West Vancouver (Canada’s towns: $86,000).
What is the population of West Vancouver?
Statistics Canada estimates 47,929 residents for July 2025; the 2021 Census counted 44,122 in West Vancouver, 4% 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).