According to the 2016 Census, the majority of the population living in Simcoe Muskoka spoke English most often at home (96% or 512,590). Only 0.9% (or 4,840) of Simcoe Muskoka residents spoke French most often at home, while 3.3% (or 17,410) reported speaking only a non-official language at home. The proportion of the population that spoke English most often in the home was higher in Simcoe Muskoka (96% or 512,590) compared to Ontario (83.5% or 11,112,785).
The following table displays the top five non-official languages spoken in the home, in Simcoe Muskoka versus Ontario. Overall, Simcoe Muskoka had more European languages selected in comparison to Ontario, where Asian and Southeast Asian languages were most common.
Top 5 Non-Official Languages Spoken in the Home* i
Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario, 2016
| Simcoe Muskoka, % (population) | Ontario, % (population) |
| Spanish, 9% (1,645) | Mandarin, 12% (220,535) |
| Portuguese, 9% (1,635) | Cantonese, 10% (198,745) |
| Russian, 8% (1,465) | Punjabi, 7% (132,135) |
| Italian, 7% (1,255) | Spanish, 6% (104,820) |
| Polish, 7% (1,215) | Arabic, 5% (94,195) |
| Data Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.
* Data is based on “Single Responses” only from the “Most Often” Census question and excludes English and French.
iProportion of the population that speaks solely a non-official language most often at home. |
Among Simcoe Muskoka municipalities, less than 1% of the populations most often spoke French at home with the exception of Essa (4.8%), Tiny (4.3%), Penetanguishene (2.2%), and Barrie (1.1%). In Bradford West Gwillimbury, 14.2% of the population most often spoke only a non-official language at home. Of this percentage, 21% most often spoke Portuguese, 9% Russian, and 9% Spanish. Among all other municipalities in Simcoe Muskoka, less than 5% most often spoke only a non-official language at home.