Saudi Canadians Explained

Group:	Saudi Canadians سعوديون كنديون
Total:	7,955
Total Year:	2011 Canada Census
Total Ref:	^[1]
Popplace:	Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Calgary
Langs:	Arabic (one of the dialects of Saudi Arabia), English and French
Rels:	Islam

Saudi Canadians (ar|{{Script|Arab|سُعُودِيُّونْ كَنَدِيُّونْ) are Canadians of Saudi descent or Saudis who have Canadian citizenship. According to the 2011 Census there were 7,955 Canadians who claimed Saudi ancestry.^[2]

Demography

Population

According to the 2011 Census there were 7,955 Canadians who claimed Saudi ancestry.^[3]

Until August 2018, there were over 16,000 Saudi students on government scholarships in Canada.^[4] There were more than 15,000 Saudi students in Canada in 2007, including 800 resident physicians and specialists who provided care to the Canadian population.^[5] In 2015, Saudi Arabian students represented 3% of total foreign students in Canada.^[6] Official figures provided by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada (SACB) indicated that in 2014 there were 16,000 Saudi scholarship students in Canada and 1,000 medical trainees.^[4]

Language

Most Saudi Canadians speak Arabic, English or French.

Religion

Religious group! colspan="2"

2021^[7]
Islam	3,125
Irreligion	595
Christianity	180
Hinduism	15
Other	20
Total Saudi Canadian population	3,935

Notable people

• Ensaf Haidar, Raif Badawi's wife and children were granted political asylum by the Government of Canada in 2013 and currently reside in Sherbrooke, Quebec.^[8] Haidar and her three children with Badawi became Canadian citizens on Canada Day, 2018. On the same day, Haidar called for the niqab to be banned.^[9]

See also

• Canada–Saudi Arabia relations
• Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Ottawa
• Arab Canadians
• Saudi Americans
• Saudi Australians
• Arab diaspora

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables . Statistics Canada . Statistics Canada . 11 February 2014.
2. Web site: 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables . Statistics Canada . Statistics Canada . 11 February 2014.
3. Web site: 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables . Statistics Canada . Statistics Canada . 11 February 2014.
4. Web site: Fast Facts. Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau in Canada. 9 August 2018.
5. Web site: CANADA-SAUDI ARABIA RELATIONS. 9 May 2007. Canadian Government. https://web.archive.org/web/20080621232706/http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/middle_east/saudi_arabia_relations-en.asp. 21 June 2008. dead. 4 April 2009.
6. News: Brexit, Trump election drive university students to Canada, but will they stay here? CBC News. CBC. 6 August 2018. en-US.
7. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2023-05-10 . Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts . 2024-09-22 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
8. Web site: About Raif Badawi. RaifBadawi.org. 14 March 2015.
9. News: Kalvapalle . Rahul . Wife of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi calls for burqa ban in Ontario . 4 April 2020 . Global News . 1 July 2018 . en.