Powered by .id (informed decisions) for Australia
.id community is an evidence base for over 250 local government areas in Australia and New Zealand, helping you make informed decisions.
LEARN MORE ABOUT .idIn 2021, 28.8% of people in Australian Capital Territory were born overseas, compared with 35.7% in Greater Melbourne.
Country of Birth data identifies where people were born and is indicative of the level of cultural diversity in Australian Capital Territory. 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, Australian Capital Territory'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 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory - Total persons (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Birthplace | Number | % | Greater Melbourne % | Number | % | Greater Melbourne % | 2001 to 2021 |
| Total overseas born | 130,537 | 28.8 | 35.7 | 66,730 | 21.6 | 28.2 | +63,807 |
| Australia | 306,517 | 67.5 | 59.9 | 228,255 | 73.8 | 66.1 | +78,262 |
| Not stated | 16,826 | 3.7 | 4.4 | 14,271 | 4.6 | 5.7 | +2,555 |
| Total Population | 453,880 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 309,256 | 100.0 | 100.0 | +144,624 |
| Birthplace - Ranked by size | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory - Overseas born (Usual residence) | 2021 | 2001 | Change | ||||
| Birthplace | Number | % | Greater Melbourne % | Number | % | Greater Melbourne % | 2001 to 2021 |
| India | 17,188 | 3.8 | 4.9 | 1,814 | 0.6 | 0.9 | +15,374 |
| United Kingdom | 15,997 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 17,179 | 5.6 | 4.8 | -1,182 |
| China | 12,141 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2,029 | 0.7 | 1.0 | +10,112 |
| Nepal | 5,686 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 58 | 0.0 | 0.0 | +5,628 |
| New Zealand | 5,096 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 3,936 | 1.3 | 1.4 | +1,160 |
| Philippines | 5,051 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1,400 | 0.5 | 0.6 | +3,651 |
| Vietnam | 4,077 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 2,198 | 0.7 | 1.6 | +1,879 |
| United States of America | 3,369 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1,877 | 0.6 | 0.3 | +1,492 |
| Sri Lanka | 3,306 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1,405 | 0.5 | 0.8 | +1,901 |
| Pakistan | 2,906 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 315 | 0.1 | 0.1 | +2,591 |
Show all (127 entries)
Dominant groups
Analysis of the country of birth of the population in Australian Capital Territory in 2021 compared to Greater Melbourne shows that there was a smaller proportion of people born overseas.
Overall, 28.8% of the population was born overseas, compared with 35.7% for Greater Melbourne.
The largest non-English speaking country of birth in Australian Capital Territory was India, where 3.8% of the population, or 17,188 people, were born.
The major difference between the countries of birth of the population in Australian Capital Territory and Greater Melbourne was:
- A smaller percentage of people born in India (3.8% compared to 4.9%)
Emerging groups
Between 2001 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 63807 or 95.6%.
The largest changes in birthplace countries of the population in this area between 2001 and 2021 were for those born in:
- India (+15,374 persons)
- China (+10,112 persons)
- Nepal (+5,628 persons)
- Philippines (+3,651 persons)
DISCLAIMER: While all due care has been taken to ensure that the content of this website is accurate and current, there may be errors or omissions in it and no legal responsibility is accepted for the information and opinions in this website.
Please view our Privacy Policy, Terms of use and Legal notices.
ABS Data and the copyright in the ABS Data remains the property of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the ABS Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. ABS Data can be accessed from the Australian Bureau of Statistics at www.abs.gov.au. ABS data can be used under license - terms published on ABS website. intermediary.management@abs.gov.au if you have any queries or wish to distribute any ABS data.