Foreign-born population of Australia
In 2019, 30% of the Australian resident population, or 7,529,570 people, were born overseas.[1]
International comparison
Australia has one of the highest amounts of foreign-born residents in the world (both in total numbers, and per capita), as well as one of the highest immigration rates in the world.
Immigrants account for 30% of the population, a higher proportion than in any other nation with a population of over 10 million.[2][3]
In 2015, Australia had the 8th highest foreign-born population in the world, behind Canada but ahead of France (both countries had very close numbers to Australia). The United States was ranked 1st, with over 46 million foreign-born residents. The over 7 million immigrants in Australia constituted 3.1% of all immigrants in the world.
For foreign-born residents per capita, Australia was ranked the 11th highest sovereign country ahead of Lebanon and behind Jordan (both countries experienced a large influx of refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Syria). Vatican City was 1st, its population of 800 were 100% foreign-born. If dependent territories (e.g.: Guam, Macau, Channel Islands) were included, then Australia's rank fell to 27th.
From 2010 to 2015, Australia had the 14th highest net migration rate in the world. For 2015–2020, Australia's migration rate was projected to fall (statistics published in 2019), however the country's rank was expected to remain steady at 14th due to similar falls in other countries.
Population by country of birth (2019)
The following table shows Australia's population by country of birth as estimated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2019. It shows only countries or regions or birth with a population of over 100,000 residing in Australia.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2019)[4] | |
---|---|
Place of birth | Estimated resident population[upper-alpha 1] |
Total Australian-born | 17,836,000 |
Total foreign-born | 7,529,570 |
England[upper-alpha 2] | 986,460 |
Mainland China[upper-alpha 3] | 677,240 |
India | 660,350 |
New Zealand | 570,000 |
Philippines | 293,770 |
Vietnam | 262,910 |
South Africa | 193,860 |
Italy | 182,520 |
Malaysia | 175,920 |
Sri Lanka | 140,260 |
Scotland[upper-alpha 4] | 133,920 |
Nepal | 117,870 |
South Korea | 116,030 |
Germany | 112,420 |
Greece | 106,660 |
United States | 108,570 |
Hong Kong SAR[upper-alpha 5] | 101,290 |
- Only countries with 100,000 or more are listed here.
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics source lists England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately although they are all part of the United Kingdom. These should not be combined as they are not combined in the source.
- In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, Mainland China, Taiwan and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are listed separately.
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics source lists England and Scotland separately although they are both part of the United Kingdom. These should not be combined as they are not combined in the source.
- In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, Mainland China, Taiwan and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau are listed separately.
Population by country of birth (communities of over 30,000 people)
The following table shows Australia's population by country of birth during historical census years.
Place of birth | Status | Estimated resident population, 2016 census[5] |
Estimated resident population, 2011 census[5] |
Estimated resident population, 2006 census[2] |
Estimated resident population, 2001 census[2] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | Increasing | 15,614,834 | 15,017,846 | 14,072,946 | 13,629,685 |
England | Stagnant | 907,568 | 911,593 | 856,939 | 847,365 |
New Zealand | Increasing | 518,462 | 483,398 | 389,465 | 355,765 |
China | Increasing | 509,558 | 318,969 | 206,588 | 142,780 |
India | Increasing | 455,385 | 295,362 | 147,106 | 95,452 |
Philippines | Increasing | 232,391 | 171,233 | 120,540 | 103,942 |
Vietnam | Increasing | 219,351 | 185,039 | 159,850 | 154,831 |
Italy | Decreasing | 174,042 | 185,402 | 199,124 | 218,718 |
South Africa | Increasing | 162,450 | 145,683 | 104,132 | 79,425 |
Malaysia | Increasing | 138,363 | 116,196 | 92,335 | 78,858 |
Scotland | Decreasing | 119,416 | 133,432 | 130,206 | 137,252 |
Sri Lanka | Increasing | 109,850 | 86,412 | 62,256 | 53,461 |
Germany | Stagnant | 102,594 | 108,002 | 106,524 | 108,220 |
South Korea | Increasing | 98,775 | 74,538 | 52,763 | 38,900 |
Greece | Decreasing | 93,740 | 99,938 | 109,990 | 116,431 |
Hong Kong | Increasing | 86,886 | 74,955 | 71,803 | 67,122 |
United States | Increasing | 86,126 | 77,009 | 61,721 | 53,694 |
Lebanon | Stagnant | 78,649 | 76,450 | 74,849 | 71,349 |
Ireland | Increasing | 74,891 | 67,318 | 50,256 | 50,235 |
Indonesia | Increasing | 73,218 | 63,159 | 50,974 | 47,158 |
Netherlands | Decreasing | 70,172 | 76,046 | 78,924 | 83,324 |
Iraq | Increasing | 67,353 | 48,169 | 32,520 | 24,832 |
Thailand | Increasing | 66,228 | 45,464 | 30,554 | 23,600 |
Pakistan | Increasing | 61,918 | 30,221 | 16,993 | |
Fiji | Increasing | 61,472 | 56,978 | 48,142 | 44,261 |
Iran | Increasing | 58,112 | 34,454 | 22,549 | |
Singapore | Increasing | 54,934 | 48,647 | 39,972 | 33,485 |
Nepal | Increasing | 54,757 | 24,635 | 4,566 | |
Taiwan | Increasing | 46,822 | 28,627 | 24,370 | |
Afghanistan | Increasing | 46,799 | 28,598 | 16,751 | |
Poland | Decreasing | 45,370 | 48,677 | 52,254 | 58,110 |
Croatia | Decreasing | 43,687 | 48,828 | 50,996 | 51,909 |
Canada | Increasing | 43,053 | 38,871 | 31,614 | 27,289 |
Japan | Increasing | 42,420 | 35,377 | 30,778 | |
Bangladesh | Increasing | 42,420 | 27,808 | 16,096 | |
Egypt | Increasing | 39,776 | 36,532 | 33,496 | |
North Macedonia | Decreasing | 38,986 | 40,222 | 40,656 | 43,527 |
Malta | Decreasing | 37,609 | 41,274 | 43,700 | 46,998 |
Zimbabwe | Increasing | 34,789 | 30,251 | 20,155 | |
Cambodia | Increasing | 33,152 | 28,329 | 24,528 | |
Myanmar | Increasing | 32,656 | 21,760 | 12,378 | |
Turkey | Stagnant | 32,183 | 32,844 | 30,490 | 29,821 |
France | Increasing | 31,120 | 24,675 | 19,186 | 17,268 |
Foreign-born population by state/territory
As per the 2016 Census, while 6 out of every 10 migrants live in Victoria or New South Wales, there had been a noticeable increase in the number of migrants that settled down Western Australia and Queensland.
In 2016, among all the capital cities in Australia, Sydney – at 1,773,496 – had the highest overseas-born population. Melbourne, on the other hand, had 1,520,253 overseas-born individuals living in the city as per the 2016 Census. Perth, with 702,545 in 2016, came in at the third spot on the list of cities with the highest number of overseas-born population.2
According to the 2016 Census, among all the Australian states and territories, Western Australia had the largest population of overseas-born individuals.
See also
References
- "Table 5.1 Estimated resident population, by country of birth(a), Australia, as at 30 June, 1996 to 2019(b)(c)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- "Details - Main Features". Abs.gov.au. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
- United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, (2015). 'International Migration' in International migrant stock 2015. Accessed from International migrant stock 2015: maps on 24 May 2017
- "Table 5.1 Estimated resident population, by country of birth(a), Australia, as at 30 June, 1996 to 2019(b)(c)". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- "Australian Community Profile 2016". Abs.gov.au. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
Sources
- Commonwealth of Australia. Migration Act 1958
Further reading
- Betts, Katharine. Ideology and Immigration: Australia 1976 to 1987 (1997)
- Burnley, I.H. The Impact of Immigration in Australia: A Demographic Approach (2001)
- Foster, William, et al. Immigration and Australia: Myths and Realities (1998)
- Jupp, James. From White Australia to Woomera: The Story of Australian Immigration (2007) excerpt and text search
- Jupp, James. The English in Australia (2004) excerpt and text search
- Jupp, James. The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, its People and their Origins (2002)
- Markus, Andrew, James Jupp and Peter McDonald, eds. Australia's Immigration Revolution (2010) excerpt and text search
- O'Farrell, Patrick. The Irish in Australia: 1798 to the Present Day (3rd ed. Cork University Press, 2001)
- Wells, Andrew, and Theresa Martinez, eds. Australia's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook (ABC-CLIO, 2004)
External links
- Department of Immigration and Border Protection of Australia
- Costello hope for skilled migrant intake
- NSW training Chinese workers
- Chinese Museum - Museum of Chinese immigration to Australia in Melbourne
- Origins: Immigrant Communities in Victoria – Immigration Museum, Victoria, Australia
- NSW Migration Heritage Centre, Australia
- Office of The Migration Agents Registration Authority (OMARA)
- Australian State of Queensland skilled and business migration information site
- Australian State of Victoria official site for skilled and business migrants
- Culture Victoria – Stories about migration to Australia
- Migration Alliance - Peak Society for Australian Migrants and Migration Agents (Not-for-profit incorporated association)
- Jupp, James (2008). "Immigration". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 4 October 2015. (Immigration in Sydney) [CC-By-SA]