Crown Land: Indicators and Statistics - Ministry of Forests

First Nations are an important part of BC’s population,
and their rights and title play an important role in
provincial land and resource management, policy
and decision-making. Census data provides insight
on citizens declaring aboriginal identity. In 2006,
approximately 4.8% of the total BC population was
estimated to be of aboriginal identity, comprised of
over 200 unique First Nation groups.
Figure 6 Percentage of Population with Aboriginal Identity, 2006
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census; and BC Stats census data
Figure 6 illustrates the proportion of the population in
the eight sub-regions that self-identified as aboriginal
in the 2006 Census. The sub-region with the largest
ratio of aboriginal population to the total population
is the Skeena at 27%, while the South Coast reported
the smallest ratio, at 2%.
It is also useful to look at the total distribution of the aboriginal population across the province (Figure 7). The
highest percentage of aboriginal people live in the South Coast, accounting for 32% of the total aboriginal
population, followed by the West Coast, with 22%. At the other end of the spectrum, the Peace and Cariboo
sub-regions each only have 4% of the total aboriginal population in BC.
Ministry of
Forests, Lands and
Natural Resource Operations
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