Official Language Knowledge Statistics for Alberta and Major Cities

Government of Alberta data describes knowledge of English and French for the province and its Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Areas. Statistics are derived from the 2011 Census, measuring the population's ability to converse in English only, French only, both, or neither. The dataset was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze the proportion of the population that can conduct a conversation in English only versus French only for Alberta and its CMAs.
• Compare bilingualism rates (ability to speak both English and French) between the Calgary and Edmonton metropolitan areas.
• Calculate the percentage of the population reporting knowledge of neither official language within the specified geographies.
• Map the geographic distribution of official language knowledge across the province and its major urban centers.

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative 2011 National Census of Canada.
• Provides comparative statistics for two major metropolitan areas (Calgary and Edmonton CMAs) alongside provincial totals.
• Published under the open OGL-CA-2.0 license for reuse.

Limitations

• Data is based on the 2011 Census and is over a decade old, not reflecting recent demographic shifts.
• Specific row counts, sample sizes, and granular breakdowns (e.g., by age, gender) are not provided in the description.

Provenance

Source

Government of Alberta | Gouvernement de l'Alberta

Collection Method

Derived from the 2011 Census of Canada.

Time Range

2011

Freshness

Last metadata update recorded in 2026, but underlying data is from 2011.

Geography

Alberta, Canada, and the Census Metropolitan Areas of Calgary and Edmonton.