Iranian Canadians

Iranian Canadians or Persian Canadians are Canadians of Iranian origin. From the 2016 Canadian census, the main communities can be found in Southern Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. a total of 97,110 Iranians reside in the Greater Toronto Area, 46,255 in the Greater Vancouver Area, and 23,410 in the Greater Montreal Area, with the remainder spread out in the other major cities of Canada, based on the 2016 Canadian Census. These numbers represent the people who stated "Iranian" as their single or joint ethnic origin in the census survey.

Terminology Iranian-Canadian is used interchangeably with Persian-Canadian,Racial and Ethnic Relations in America, Carl Leon Bankston,"Therefore, Turkish and Iranian (Persian) Americans, who are Muslims but not ethnically Arabs, are often mistakenly..", Salem Press, 2000 partly due to the fact that, in the Western world, Iran was known as "Persia". On the Nowruz of 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi asked foreign delegates to use the term Iran, the endonym of the country used since the Sasanian Empire, in formal correspondence. Since then the use of the word "Iran" has become more common in the Western countries. This also changed the usage of the terms for Iranian nationality, and the common adjective for citizens of Iran changed from "Persian" to "Iranian". In 1959, the government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Shah Pahlavi's son, announced that both "Persia" and "Iran" could officially be used interchangeably.Yarshater, Ehsan Persia or Iran, Persian or Farsi , Iranian Studies, vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) However the issue is still debated today.Majd, Hooman, The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran, by Hooman Majd, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, September 23, 2008, , 9780385528429. p. 161

While the majority of Iranian-Canadians come from Persian backgrounds, there is a significant number of non-Persian Iranians such as Azeris and Kurds within the Iranian-Canadian community,Elizabeth Chacko, Contemporary ethnic geographies in America // Ines M. Miyares, Christopher A. Airriess (eds.), Rowman & Littlefield, 2007, pp. 325–326 leading some scholars to believe that the label "Iranian" is more inclusive, since the label "Persian" excludes non-Persian minorities. The Collins English Dictionary uses a variety of similar and overlapping definitions for the terms "Persian" and "Iranian".

Demography Population

Immigration

The first known Iranian immigrant to Canada was Hakob Melik Vartanian () of Miandoab who was naturalised in Montreal, QC on 2 October 1905.

In 2021, there were 213,160 individuals in Canada who had been born in Iran, of which 70,395 had immigrated to Canada since 2011.

Religion Among all Iranian-Canadians, 103,560 (49%) identified as Muslim. Among immigrants since 2011, about 39,860 (57%) identified as Muslim while most of the rest did not identify with any religion.

+ Iranian Canadian demography by religionReligious group20212001 Islam 123,045 59,700 Irreligion 120,250 11,630 Christianity 18,270 6,565 Judaism 1,235 455 Hinduism 240 95 Buddhism 220 60 Sikhism 150 105 Indigenous spirituality 35 Other () 17,350 9,610 Total IranianCanadian population 280,805 88,220

+ Iranian/Persian Canadian demography by Christian sectsReligious group20212001 Catholic 5,100 2,775 Orthodox 870 460 Protestant 3,040 1,765 Other Christian 9,260 1,565 Total Iranian/Persian Canadian christian population 18,270 6,565

+ Religious demography of Canadian immigrants born in IranPeriod of immigrationTotalIslamIrreligionChristianity Before 1980 2,320 505 915 350 1980 to 1990 16,670 4,915 7,010 1,755 1991 to 2000 41,215 16,120 20,440 1,990 2001 to 2010 52,340 26,000 22,135 1,560 2011 to 2015 44,740 24,985 17,020 1,265 2016 to 2021 25,655 14,875 8,765 1,500 Total 182,935 87,410 76,290 8,420

+ Iranian Canadian demography by religion and gender(2021 census)Religious groupMenWomen Islam 59,920 63,120 Irreligion 63,745 56,505 Christianity 8,950 9,325 Total 142,205 138,610

Geographical distribution Provinces & territories + Iranian Canadians by province and territory (2001−2021)Province/Territory20212016201120062001 Ontario 155,855 117,065 92,635 70,595 51,775 British Columbia 68,545 47,985 39,285 29,265 21,910 Quebec 34,010 25,530 17,825 12,370 9,535 Alberta 15,185 13,925 9,215 5,835 3,130 Manitoba 2,010 1,885 1,265 1,485 630 Saskatchewan 1,825 1,340 795 630 525 Nova Scotia 1,640 1,405 1,240 805 390 New Brunswick 845 670 445 380 185 Newfoundland and Labrador 535 215 180 60 35 Prince Edward Island 270 295 335 15 25 Northwest Territories 45 60 55 45 20 Nunavut 20 20 0 10 10 Yukon 20 15 20 10 45 Canada 280,805 210,405 163,290 121,505 88,220

British Columbia North Vancouver (District) North Vancouver (City) West Vancouver Burnaby Coquitlam

Ontario Richmond Hill Vaughan Markham Thornhill

Islamic republic politicians/sympathizers In 2022, Canada banned ten thousand IRGC seniors and officers from entry. Iranian celebrities and government former ministers and officials are often mentioned in the news residing or traveling in Canada as well.

During the 2025–2026 Iranian protests and the ensuing massacres and diaspora protests, it was reported on 4 February 2026 that human rights advocates in Canada urged the RCMP to investigate the IRGC officials living in Canada who are linked to the repression of protesters and crimes against humanity. The Canadian Senate held a hearing on 10 February and discussed Islamic Republic agents and affiliates living freely in Canada.

Notable Canadians of Iranian descent

Academia

Payam Akhavan, pioneer in international criminal law and leading human rights advocate; McGill University Kaveh Farrokh, historian Ramin Jahanbegloo, philosopher and university professor Ali Khademhosseini, Associate Professor of Medicine; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology Shahrzad Mojab, Professor of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education; University of Toronto Reza Zadeh, computer scientist; Stanford University

Art and literature Anahita Akhavan, painter Hossein Amanat, architect, urban designer Reza Baraheni, novelist, poet, critic, and political activist Marjan Farsad, animator, illustrator, singer, and songwriter Ila Firouzabadi, artist and screenwriter Hollay Ghadery, writer Jian Ghomeshi, member of Moxy Früvous; former host of CBC's play; former host of Q on CBC Radio 1 Siamak Hariri, architect Nazanine Hozar, writer Ramin Karimloo, West End performer, playing the lead role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and the sequel Love Never Dies Mostafa Keshvari, director and writer Navid Khonsari, video game, film and graphic novel creator, writer, director and producer Fariborz Lachini, music composer , painter, photographer and husband of ex-Olympic biathlete Myriam Bédard, convicted and sentenced in June 2007 for stealing paintings from the late painter Ghitta Caiserman Sanaz Mazinani, photographer and curator Sirak Melkonian, painter Kaveh Nabatian, musician and filmmaker Marina Nemat, author Roza Nozari, writer and artist Ghazal Omid, nonfiction political writer, nonfiction children's book writer, speaker, NGO executive Fariborz Sahba, architect Bardia Sinaee, poet Parviz Tanavoli, sculptor and painter

Beauty pageants Nazanin Afshin-Jam, Miss Canada 2003, first runner-up of Miss World 2003, actress, singer-songwriter, human rights activist; wife of former Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay Ramona Amiri, Miss World Canada 2005, semifinalist of Miss World 2005 Samantha Tajik, Miss Universe Canada 2008

Business

Shahin Assayesh, publisher Ghermezian family, billionaire shopping mall developers Karim Hakimi, founder of Hakim Optical Hassan Khosrowshahi, founder of Future Shop Michael Latifi, founder of Sofina Foods Ltd and owner of Nidala (BVI) Limited which holds a share in the McLaren Group. Sam Mizrahi, real estate developer Shahrzad Rafati, founder of BroadbandTV Corp

Crime Omid Tahvili, kingpin and international fugitive

Entertainment Izad Etemadi, actor, playwright and comedian Alireza Kazemipour, screenwriter Shervin Kermani, film director Alireza Khatami, filmmaker Pirouz Nemati, actor and screenwriter (Universal Language) Mehdi Sadaghdar, YouTube personality, electrical engineer Ava Maria Safai, film director Mani Soleymanlou, actor and playwright

Journalism

Various Persian-language media (including TV and newspapers) are active in Canada, including Shahrvand and Salam Toronto, which cover local events as well.

Maziar Bahari, journalist Farid Haerinejad, CBC former producer, documentary maker, and editor-in-chief of Radio Zamaneh Shaya Goldoust, journalist, podcaster, radio host Zahra Kazemi, photojournalist Nikahang Kowsar, cartoonist Touka Neyestani, cartoonist

Politicians Ali Ehsassi, Federal Liberal MP for Willowdale, lawyer Goldie Ghamari, Progressive Conservative Former Ontario Provincial MP for Carleton Majid Jowhari, Federal Liberal MP for Richmond Hill, engineer Amir Khadir, Québec solidaire Former MNA for Mercier, microbiologist Reza Moridi, Ontario Liberal Former MPP for Richmond Hill, physicist, engineer

Sport Nicholas Latifi, Formula One driver for Williams Grand Prix Engineering Khashayar Farzam, Powerlifter and Physician

Technology Behdad Esfahbod, programmer and creator of the HarfBuzz text shaping engine

Iranian Canadians

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