Data from the 1991 census placed the population of the new Surrey Central electoral district at 112,682 people. That figure was used to estimate that there were 82,322 electors during the 1997 election, about 14% higher than the average federal electoral district in British Columbia. For the 2000 election, the population estimate was adjusted using data from the 1996 census to 149,468 people (97,421 electors), making it the most populous electoral district in Canada. The 2001 census provided a more complete profile of the electoral district, showing it to have 179,165 people. The largest ethnic minority was South Asian at 28% of the population and 39% reported a mother tongue that was neither English or French. The two largest religious groups were Protestant at 25% and Sikh at 22%.