Volunteering in Canada's Racialized Communities: New Insights from Statistics Canada (2023)

Statistics Canada has just released new data from the 2023 Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating (SGVP)[1] that provides a deeper look at volunteering among racialized Canadians. This release builds on earlier survey results and, for the first time, offers detailed national data on how racialized population contribute their time, skills, and expertise to communities across Canada.

These findings are particularly relevant for Halton Region, where the population has become significantly more diverse over the past two decades. The share of Halton residents who identify as racialized increased from 9% in 2001 to 30% in 2021, representing approximately 209,000 people. As this segment of the population continues to grow, understanding volunteering patterns of the racialized population is essential for building inclusive, resilient, and community driven volunteer systems at the local level.

While this new Statistics Canada release reports data only at the national level not by province or territory or region, it provides valuable insights into who volunteers, how volunteering happens, and the types of contributions being made. These national patterns offer an important reference point for Halton’s nonprofit and community organizations as they seek to engage an increasingly diverse population and recognize both formal and informal forms of volunteering.

In 2023, the overall volunteering rate for racialized Canadian volunteers was 70%, slightly lower than their non-racialized, non-indigenous Canadians (74%), the data show important variation within the racialized populations (Figure 1). Racialized volunteers contributed an annual average of 145 hours compared to 173 hours for the overall population (aged 15 and over).

This pattern holds across major racialized groups. For example, South Asian Canadians had an overall volunteering rate of 72%, with substantially higher participation among those born in Canada compared with immigrants (82% vs 69%). A similar pattern appears among other racialized groups, reflecting differences in access, networks, time availability, and familiarity with Canadian volunteer systems.

Across different population groups, volunteering rates among Canadian-born racialized Canadians were equal to or higher than those for the overall Canadian-born non-racialized, non-Indigenous population (74%).[2] 

Formal Volunteering

Overall, 29% of racialized people volunteered formally: 36% of Canadian-born racialized people and 27% of racialized immigrants.

Volunteering through organizations and groups is often structured and can involve a one-time commitment, such as helping at an event, or an ongoing commitment, such as regularly stocking shelves at a food bank—both of which are considered formal volunteering[3]

Formal volunteering among racialized population in 2023 was highest in religion (25%) and social services (24%), highlighting the importance of community and service -oriented sectors. Education and research (15%) and sports and recreation (12%) also attracted notable participation. In contract, sectors with the lower volunteering rates often involved higher time commitments per volunteer: business and professional associations, arts and culture, and law and advocacy had relatively few volunteers in high average annual hours (around 65-75 hours). Overall, racialized volunteers tend to be more numerous in community focused sectors, while more specialized or institutional sectors rely on fewer volunteers contributing more hours.

In 2023, the types of formal volunteering activities differed somewhat between racialized and non-racialized, non-Indigenous populations (Figure 2). Racialized volunteers were more likely to engage in organizing events (43% vs 38%) and teaching or mentoring (34% vs 26%), as well as counselling or providing advice (23% vs 19%), highlighting a stronger emphasis on people focused and community support roles.

In contrast, non-racialized, non-Indigenous volunteers were more likely to participate in fund raising (34% vs 30%) and to sit on committee or boards (32% vs 20%), suggesting greater representation in governance and fundraising roles.

Among the top five barriers to formal volunteering, time-related constraints were the most common barriers for both racialized and non-racialized, non-Indigenous populations, though they were more pronounced among racialized individuals (76% vs 66%). Access and outreach-related barriers were also more prevalent among racialized populations: half reported that no one asked them to volunteer, and 41% did not know how to get more involved-nearly double the share among non-racialized respondents. Additionally, a sizable proportion of racialized individuals felt they were not asked to contribute in a meaningful way (37% vs 28%).

Informal volunteering

Informal volunteering includes everyday acts such as helping a neighbour, support family members, providing care, or sharing skills. These activities are often not captured in traditional volunteer counts, yet they form the backbone of community support.

Overall, 64% of racialized individuals informally volunteered, though rates were higher among those born in Canada (73%) and racialized immigrants (62%).

Figure 3 shows that racialized Canadians are highly engaged in a wide range of informal helping activities. Housework or home maintenance was the most frequent activity for both groups. Racialized individuals were somewhat more likely to help with shopping or driving to stores or appointment. Non-racialized individuals were more involved in health related or personal care activities.

Why these findings matter

This release marks an important milestone: it is the first time Statistics Canada has published detailed national data on volunteering by racialized population groups using the SGVP.

The findings reinforce several key messages:

·       Volunteering in Canada is diverse and takes many forms

·       Informal volunteering is a major and essential contribution, especially within racialized communities.

·       Canadian-born racialized individuals show particularly high levels of engagement

Differences in volunteering patterns reflect broader social factors such as immigration experiences, access to information and community networks

Although this data is not available at the provincial or regional level, it provides a valuable national benchmark. Communities, nonprofits, and policy makers can use these insights to:

·       better recognize informal volunteering,

·       design mor inclusive volunteering opportunities,

·       reduce access and information barriers to newcomers, and

·       build bridges between informal helps and formal organizations.

As Canada’s population continues to grow more diverse, understanding who volunteers, how they volunteer, and what support they provide becomes increasingly important. This new Statistics Canada release deepens our understanding and challenges us to broaden how we define and valve volunteering.

Recognizing and supporting the full range of volunteer contributions, formal and informal, will be key to building strong, inclusive, and resilient communities across Canada.

 Endnotes

[1] Statistics Canada, Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating 2023, https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/survey/household/4430

[2] Ibid

[3] Statistics Canada, The diverse volunteering contributions of racialized Canadians, Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participating, 2023.

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2025001/article/00013-eng.htm