Québec, July 24, 2025. – In 2021, in Québec, immigrants accounted for 27.3% of university graduates, while they made up 18.3% of people aged 25 to 64. This information comes from the third issue of a series on the study Les titulaires d’un grade universitaire au Québec : ce qu’en disent les données du Recensement de 2021 released today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec. This latest issue focuses on university graduates by immigrant status: non-immigrants, immigrants, and non-permanent residents.
In this third issue, we learn that :
- In 2021, among those aged 25 to 64, the proportion of university graduates was higher among immigrants (44.0%) and non-permanent residents (58.6%) than among non-immigrants (25.0%).
- From 2016 to 2021, in Québec, 61.7% of the increase in university graduates (+190,925) was due to the combined increase among immigrants (+72,340) and non-permanent residents (+45,480).
Concentration in the Montréal CMA
Whether they have a university degree or not, 84.4% of immigrants aged 25 to 64 live in the Montréal census metropolitan area (CMA). The concentration of non-permanent residents aged 25 to 64 in the Montréal CMA is slightly lower, at 77.8% overall and 80.3% among university graduates.
After the Montréal CMA, the Québec CMA has the second-highest concentration of immigrants (5.3%) and non-permanent residents (9.1%) with a university degree.
According to the Dictionary of the Census of Population, 2021:
· A non-immigrant is a Canadian citizen by birth.
· An immigrant is a person who is or who has been a landed immigrant or a permanent resident.
· A non-permanent resident is a person from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada and who has a work or study permit or who has claimed refugee status.
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.