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AustraliaCommunity profile

South East Queensland

Birthplace

In 2021, 26.7% of people in South East Queensland were born overseas, compared with 12.4% in Regional VIC.

Country of Birth data identifies where people were born and is indicative of the level of cultural diversity in South East Queensland. The mix of Country of Birth groups is also indicative of historical settlement patterns, as source countries for Australia's immigration program have varied significantly over time.

To get a more complete picture of cultural and ethnic characteristics, South East Queensland's Country of Birth data should be viewed together with Ancestry, Language Spoken at Home and Religion.

Please note: Due to changes in ABS rules around perturbation and additivity of data to protect the confidentiality of individuals, counts of individual birthplace groups and totals derived from them may differ slightly from those published by the ABS. For more information see notes on data confidentiality.

Q:

Derived from the Census question:

'In which country was the person born?'

Birthplace - Summary
South East Queensland - Total persons (Usual residence)20212001Change
BirthplaceNumber%Regional VIC %Number%Regional VIC %2001 to 2021
Total overseas born959,06326.712.4486,35620.49.8+472,707
Australia2,454,89468.581.01,785,54174.785.2+669,353
Not stated171,6844.86.6117,6074.95.1+54,077
Total Population3,585,641100.0100.02,389,504100.0100.0+1,196,137
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2001 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Birthplace - Ranked by size
South East Queensland - Overseas born (Usual residence)20212001Change
BirthplaceNumber%Regional VIC %Number%Regional VIC %2001 to 2021
United Kingdom180,2505.03.2140,4965.93.7+39,754
New Zealand174,0444.91.0105,1894.40.7+68,855
India61,4711.71.06,0930.30.1+55,378
China51,7681.40.38,1110.30.1+43,657
South Africa40,5141.10.312,2320.50.1+28,282
Philippines35,5151.00.610,9720.50.2+24,543
Vietnam22,2210.60.211,1810.50.1+11,040
South Korea17,5450.50.03,7510.20.0+13,794
United States of America16,0900.40.27,6210.30.1+8,469
Taiwan15,1410.40.18,2660.30.0+6,875
Show all (127 entries)

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the country of birth of the population in South East Queensland in 2021 compared to Regional VIC shows that there was a larger proportion of people born overseas.

Overall, 26.7% of the population was born overseas, compared with 12.4% for Regional VIC.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in South East Queensland was India, where 1.7% of the population, or 61,471 people, were born.

The major differences between the countries of birth of the population in South East Queensland and Regional VIC were:

  • A larger percentage of people born in New Zealand (4.9% compared to 1.0%)
  • A larger percentage of people born in United Kingdom (5.0% compared to 3.2%)
  • A larger percentage of people born in China (1.4% compared to 0.3%)

Emerging groups

Between 2001 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 472707 or 97.2%.

The largest changes in birthplace countries of the population in this area between 2001 and 2021 were for those born in:

  • New Zealand (+68,855 persons)
  • India (+55,378 persons)
  • China (+43,657 persons)
  • United Kingdom (+39,754 persons)

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