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AustraliaCommunity profile

Greater Capital Cities

Birthplace

In 2021, 34.4% of people in Greater Capital Cities were born overseas, compared with 30.0% in Victoria.

Country of Birth data identifies where people were born and is indicative of the level of cultural diversity in Greater Capital Cities. 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, Greater Capital Cities'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
Greater Capital Cities - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
BirthplaceNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2006 to 2021
Total overseas born5,692,91034.430.03,528,42028.023.7+2,164,490
Australia10,134,65161.265.08,176,46864.969.6+1,958,183
Not stated738,3874.55.0889,8397.16.6-151,452
Total Population16,565,948100.0100.012,594,727100.0100.0+3,971,221
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2006 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Greater Capital Cities - Overseas born (Usual residence)20212006Change
BirthplaceNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2006 to 2021
United Kingdom768,5334.63.3729,7335.84.1+38,800
India591,1513.64.0132,7891.11.1+458,362
China505,4233.12.6191,7591.51.1+313,664
New Zealand354,3232.11.5258,9922.11.3+95,331
Vietnam240,5281.51.4152,9291.21.2+87,599
Philippines228,2611.41.199,0200.80.6+129,241
Malaysia145,4810.91.082,3540.70.6+63,127
South Africa141,0670.90.582,7730.70.4+58,294
Italy136,4560.81.0166,5841.31.7-30,128
Sri Lanka118,2100.71.056,9290.50.6+61,281
Show all (128 entries)

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the country of birth of the population in Greater Capital Cities in 2021 compared to Victoria shows that there was a larger proportion of people born overseas.

Overall, 34.4% of the population was born overseas, compared with 30.0% for Victoria.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in Greater Capital Cities was India, where 3.6% of the population, or 591,151 people, were born.

The major difference between the countries of birth of the population in Greater Capital Cities and Victoria was:

  • A larger percentage of people born in United Kingdom (4.6% compared to 3.3%)

Emerging groups

Between 2006 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 2164490 or 61.3%.

The largest changes in birthplace countries of the population in this area between 2006 and 2021 were for those born in:

  • India (+458,362 persons)
  • China (+313,664 persons)
  • Philippines (+129,241 persons)
  • Nepal (+97,756 persons)

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