South Asian Canadians are Canadians who were either born in or can trace their ancestry to the Indian subcontinent, which includes the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. The term South Asian Canadian is a subgroup of Asian Canadian and, according to Statistics Canada, can further be divided by nationality, such as Indian Canadian, Pakistani Canadian, and Bangladeshi Canadian. As of 2021, South Asians (7.1 percent) comprise the second largest pan-ethnic group in Canada after Europeans (69.8 percent). According to the 2021 Canadian census, 2,571,400 Canadians had South Asian geographical origins, constituting approximately 7.1 percent of the total population and 35.1 percent of the total Asian Canadian population. This makes them the largest visible minority group in Canada comprising 26.7 percent of the visible minority population, followed by Chinese and Black Canadians respectively. The largest South Asian Canadian communities are found in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, while metropolitan areas with large populations include Toronto (1,182,485), Vancouver (369,295), Calgary (153,200), Edmonton (123,340), and Montréal (121,260). Over half (60.3 percent) of South Asian Canadians live in two metropolitan areas as of 2021; Greater Toronto and Metro Vancouver. Terminology The term 'Asian' in Canadian English generally refers to people from East and Southeast Asia. This differs from the British English definition of Asian, which includes South Asia but excludes East and Southeast Asians terming them as Oriental or East Asian instead. Thus, the term South Asian has come into common usage referring to Asians hailing from the Indian subcontinent. This includes countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. It does not include nations such as Afghanistan and Myanmar, which have been considered South Asian in some other connotations of the term. Canadians from South Asia may also be identified by their country of origin such as Indian or Pakistani. They may also be identified by their specific cultural backgrounds, for example Punjabi or Tamil. The term "East Indian" was a historical term used widely in Canada to refer to people hailing from India as opposed to Aboriginal peoples who are also sometimes referred to as "Indian." This term has been made less common after the introduction of the general term "South Asian" in areas with significant Indian Canadian populations like Toronto. Brown and Desi are also terms used to refer to Canadians from South Asia. However, these