More topics

Audience diversity

Last updated on January 26, 2024

On this page

Diversity of disability

Anyone can have a disability, and a disability can occur at any point in a person’s life. However, disabilities are more common among adults 65 years of age and older.

  • 20.5% of British Columbians between the ages of 15 and 64 live with a disability
  • 70% of people with disabilities report more than one disability
  • 41.7% of British Columbians over the age of 65 live with a disability
  • In 2018, nearly 913,000 British Columbians were aged 65 years or older and over 115,000 British Columbians were aged 85 years or older
  • By 2031, almost 1 in 4 people in B.C. (more than 1.3 million people) will be over the age of 65

Sources

Cultural diversity

  • We live and work on the territories of more than 200 distinct Nations across the province. Each with their own unique cultures, traditions and history
  • There are approximately 200,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in B.C.
  • We welcome nearly 40,000 new immigrants to the province every year
  • Almost 30% of British Columbians immigrated to B.C. from another country
  • Residents of B.C. trace their origins to more than 200 countries or regions

Languages in B.C.

  • There are 34 First Nations languages with seven distinct, unrelated language families in B.C. There are over 93 dialects within these languages
  • More than 50% of Canada's First Nations Languages are in B.C.
  • After English, the most common languages spoken at home are Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, German, Tagalog, French, Korean, Spanish and Farsi
  • In 2016, around 1 in 3 British Columbians spoke a language other than English or French as their first language

Literacy levels 

Literacy is measured across six levels. People with Level 1 or below are considered to have very low literacy skills, while Level 3 is considered the minimum required for coping with everyday life. Of British Columbians aged between 16 and 65 years:

  • 45.9% are reading at a Level 2 or below
  • 38.7% at Level 3
  • 15.4% at Level 4 to 5 (the highest level)

Use the plain language to create content that people can read and understand.

Sources