The number of visible minorities with a university degree in Greater Victoria is growing, outpacing provincial and national averages.
Data recently released by Statistics Canada shows 33.6 per cent of visible minorities in the Victoria census metropolitan area had a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the 2021 census. This is an increase from the 29.2 per cent recorded by the area in the 2016 census, and above the 2021 census figures for B.C. (28.5 per cent) and Canada (26.7 per cent). It is also above the 32.1 per cent of Victoria residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher who are not a visible minority.
A further breakdown shows 58.7 per cent of residents, who listed West Asian as their origin, have a bachelor’s degree or higher. This is followed by Korean (48.3 per cent), South Asian (47), Arab (47), Latin American (44.7), Filipino (42.1), Chinese (41.5), Japanese (36.4), Black (33.1) and Southeast Asian (28.9).
The number of visible minorities with no certificate or diploma in Victoria was recorded as 10.4 per cent in the 2021 census, compared with 10.1 per cent who are not a visible minority. A total of 27.8 per cent of visible minorities listed a high school diploma or equivalent as the highest level of education, compared to 28.4 per cent of those not a visible minority.
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