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High Gujarati Population in Toronto – 5 Amazing Reasons!

Are you curious about the high Gujarati population in Toronto? Well, you came to the right place!

Are you wondering how many people live in Toronto, Canada? People from all over the world love Canada. Toronto welcomes 43 million people as tourists each year.

The Caribana fest alone attracts one million people every year. The Eaton center has 52 million people visiting every year.

Why is it so? The answer is simple; Canada is a beautiful place, with people from diverse ethnicity known for their cheerful and polite behavior. As of 2019, around 22.1 million people visited Canada as tourists every year.

How Many People live in Toronto? : Population of Toronto 2020

As of 2020, the population of Toronto is estimated to be at 2,990,856 people. Why is the Toronto area population so high? Toronto is a melting pot of different cultures.

People from different communities have been staying here for generations. According to UNDP, Toronto ranks second in the world in terms of its foreign-born population. Let us look at some of these statistics in detail.

As of 2020, the annual growth rate of the population in Canada is 1.1%. The population density of Canada is 4 people per square kilometer.

On the other hand, the population density of Toronto alone is around 4000 people per square kilometer! The Greater Toronto Area population growth rate is pretty high.

In fact, Toronto has the highest growth rate of all cities in Canada. Between 2011 and 2016, the annual growth rate of Toronto was 0.86%. These population growth statistics are indeed alarming.

Canada’s immigration laws are very friendly, which allows people from all around the world to become a part of its land and culture.

Apart from attracting lots of immigrants, it also attracts tourists on a large scale because it’s a winter wonderland for them. Canada has diverse cities with multicultural orientations. Immigrants find it easy to blend into areas like diverse cities like Toronto and Richmond Hill.

Gujarati families, in particular, have made themselves quite at home in Canada. There are several networks of Gujarati residents in diverse cities like Toronto and Richmond Hill.

Gujarati population, in general, is present in different parts of the world. Gujarati families have settled in South Asia, Southeast Asia, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, central Asia, and the Middle East.

Here’s a fun fact, the community has its own networking website for Gujaratis in North America!

Gujarati Population Toronto 2020

But the Gujarati population of Toronto is somewhat surprising. Toronto is the largest city with a Gujarati population in Canada.

According to the 2011 census, more than 28,000 Gujaratis are present in Toronto. The population Toronto 2020 demographics say that 6% of Toronto’s population is Gujarati.

The Toronto region is not the only place where Gujarati residents have settled. The Gujarati community also has a presence in Richmond Hill.

But, the question remains unanswered, as what are the reasons for the high Gujarati population growth in Toronto? What is it about diverse cities like Toronto City and Richmond Hill that attract the Gujarati community? Let’s find out.

5 Reasons for the High Gujarati Population in Toronto!

Why is Toronto the largest city with a Gujarati population in Canada? Why is the Toronto area population of Gujarati people so high? Here are some possible reasons.

1. History and Relationship

There’s no war-like historical relationship between Gujarat and Toronto; it’s a non-violent and friendly one! This is most likely to be a reason for the significant Gujarati population growth in Toronto.

Around the 1950’s Canada opened its door for immigrants. At that time, Gujaratis were a visible minority community; but Gujaratis’ being an opportunist started visiting Toronto to explore business opportunities in the country.

Since then, lots of Gujarati culture has been introduced in Toronto, like Gujarati literature and language, Hindi and Gujarati Cinemas, Hindu and Jain temples, and food, of course.

Another worth mentioning fact is Gujarat is located on the Western side of the country, which has an ocean-facing side. Now, that means there are ports; and Gujarat has India’s one of the oldest ports named Lothal, which is believed to be around 4000 years old!

Where there are ports, trading, and business automatically become a major factor in that area. So, it can be said that businesses ran in the veins of the Gujarati population, as they were involved in business and seeking more opportunities for centuries.

For similar reasons, Gujarati families also settle in parts of England and United States. They have a strong network in North America.

And Toronto is a hub for business and finances so. It is a strong reason for the Gujarati population growth.

2. Patel Community

NAVRATRI CELEBRATION IN CANADA | GUJARATI IN CANADA | GARBA VLOG

There is a particular section of society in Gujarat that has the highest immigration rates in Toronto, and that is Patel Community!

Although Patel is just a by-product of the caste system that is followed in India, it is also believed that there are seven different types of Patels.

The Patel community is known for its business in the field of the hotel (or motels), and that makes them one of the wealthiest communities in the world.

Gujarat’s Patel community has given India lots of business tycoons, successful entrepreneurs, and political leaders as well.

They are also considered as one of the most adventurous communities in a matter of business expansion. Gujarati’s like living their lives king size, while taking big and bigger risks.

Because most of the Gujarati population has passed on this belief that, ‘owning a small shop in the street corner is better than working as a mid-level manager in someone else’s company.’

In other words, they believe in self-sufficiency and gaining knowledge through practical working.

And as this community has a tremendous presence in the city of Toronto, it acts as an inspiration for other Gujarati’s to take a step further to either join their relative’s business in Canada or to set up one for themselves. That is why Toronto is the largest city that is home to the Gujarati community.

Trust is one of the most critical factors in business, and nobody can be more reliable in business than your own family and relatives.

Large networks of relatives help them adjust to life in different countries like the United States and Canada. They have managed to connect with each other quite well in North America.

3. Adventurous and Opportunists

Gujarati population in Toronto is high also because of the few qualities that only Gujarati possesses. They are firm believers in creating, taking risks, and living their passion.

In an entrepreneurial way, Gujarat has produced the highest number of business people and entrepreneurs.

They enjoy an adventurous journey from every aspect of business and life. They are willing to take the risk in a matter of their businesses, may it be expansion or keeping up with trends or taking it to another level by expanding internationally.

Apart from being opportunists, Gujarati people are known for having a business mindset, and their negotiation skills are always on par. They have a fun culture, and not to forget about their famous dance form ‘Garba.’ You can say that Garba is a happy dance of Gujaratis.

Gujaratis are lively people to be around. They have this quality of making and taking jokes on themselves, but also serious when it comes to business.

Gujarati’s are well known for their cuisine. Running an Indian Restaurant with Gujarati cuisine as its specialty in Toronto, keeping in mind the high Gujarati population, is not a flop business idea at all.

As Gujarat has ports in the Arabian Sea, it allowed them to explore the land of opportunities, and hence, they found Toronto, the British Empire, and lots of other places in the world. As a result the Gujarati community is spread far and wide across Europe, Canada and the United States.

4. Business is a Matter of Pride!

As already mentioned above, for the Gujarati population running own small business is a matter of pride and self-respect, then working as an employee for someone else.

May it be a Gujarati or any Indian; it is a matter of pride when they take their domestic business to an international level. And of course, it should be!

Another reason for the high Gujarati population in Toronto is trust and connection between the Gujarati community. Because people are more likely to trust their children or relatives in running a business because they are well aware of the qualities of the person, and with that come lots of other advantages.

Apart from all the above points, Gujarat has some huge and famous names associated with it, as it is known for producing some of the world’s greatest leaders in diverse fields, like Mahatma Gandhi, Dhiru Bhai Ambani, and Jamsetji Tata.

They were well known Indian business tycoons. Even India’s current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is from Gujarat, India.

5. Toronto is Love

Now coming to the question of why Toronto?

Toronto is a multicultural and one of the biggest and most popular cities in Canada, even more than its capital Ottawa.

The locality and environment are as safe as the crime rate, and ill-doings are very less. Apart from a few minor factors, it is an economical city and is primarily known as the center of excellence in tech-hub, business, and finance industries.

Students from the Indian subcontinent, if they want to study abroad, their first choice is always Canada because it is a foreign land. Still, more people are likely to be Indian, as it is also known as mini-Punjab.

Toronto city has more opportunities for everyone, may it be a job seeker or a student, even more than any metropolitan city of India, being another primary reason why Indians and primarily east Indians are more inclined towards going to Canada.

There are also few neighborhoods in Toronto where the Gujarati population is largely located, making it appears like a mini-Gujarat, with their lively festivals, dance, and food.

In India, Canada is mainly famous because many Punjabi reside there, also because they have a solid reason for their immigration to Canada, and that is the Partition that took place in 1947.

Conclusion

Gujaratis started settling in Toronto just because of their curious nature, of being business-oriented, and the cultural trend took them to places.

The weather is cold, but it’s good weather for those who have faced scorching heat of Gujarat, it’s a winter wonderland!

Toronto is ranked among 5 top cities in the world that have a good lifestyle. Not to forget, Toronto is also known for its people, who are polite and friendly. The diversity and friendliness wins your heart.

So, why won’t it attract more Gujarati population? It obviously will!

Anyways, Gujarati people have a good heart. They are jolly. It is a fact that the population of Punjabis is higher than that of Gujaratis, but they are not much behind if it’s a race.

All these reasons are enough to get a whole viewpoint of why the Gujarati population is rising. And there’s no negative aspect to that because Gujaratis are very friendly and jolly people. If you are in Canada, try to make a Gujarati friend to understand my point.

Several positive points make Toronto a pleasant place visits or to reside, but there are many challenges the Gujarat population faces when they come to Toronto, Canada. You can check some out here!

This was an article on Toronto, the largest city with a Gujarati population. If you have something to add, please, feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Last Updated on by riyaspeaks

Author

  1. This is excellent. As a newcomer to Toronto, I appreciate this info. But, I would like to meet some Gujaratis, virtually of course. And, I will appreciate any info about Gujarati organizations or clubs I can contact. Thanks you.
    Navin Parekh

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