Vancouver’s population in 2005 was estimated to be 602,231; and the entire metropolitan area is 2,186,965. With the increasing popularity of the area, some predict that by 2020, the population of the metropolitan area will be 2.6 million.
Vancouver's population density of the city itself is third highest of any metropolitan centre in North America, after New York City and San Francisco. Density on the downtown peninsula is 49 people per acre. This is primarily because the city planners in the late 1950s and 1960s deliberately encouraged the development of high-rise condominium towers in the West End downtown neighborhood, which has resulted in a compact, pedestrian/transit/bike friendly urban core.
Most of the Vancouverite population speaks English as either a first or second language. However, the city is a mix of many multicultural groups and because the city is multicultural, it's also multilingual on an unofficial level. Its people speak many different languages and many follow the traditions of their native lands, sometimes moderating them with Canadian culture. The most common mother tongue languages spoken are:
- English
- Chinese
- Punjabi
- German
- Italian
- French
- Tagalog (Filipino)
- Spanish
More than half of Vancouver's school-age children have been raised speaking a language other than English.
