idc-logo
svg rectangle color
AustraliaCommunity profile

In 2021, 38.6% of people in Greater Sydney 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 Sydney. 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 Sydney'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 Sydney - Total persons (Usual residence)20212006Change
BirthplaceNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2006 to 2021
Total overseas born2,021,08338.630.01,306,40031.723.7+714,683
Australia2,970,74056.865.02,486,91360.469.6+483,827
Not stated239,2864.65.0325,7997.96.6-86,513
Total Population5,231,109100.0100.04,119,112100.0100.0+1,111,997
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 Sydney - Overseas born (Usual residence)20212006Change
BirthplaceNumber%Victoria %Number%Victoria %2006 to 2021
China238,3164.62.6109,0972.61.1+129,219
India187,8103.64.052,9041.31.1+134,906
United Kingdom181,4763.53.3175,3644.34.1+6,112
Vietnam93,7781.81.462,1461.51.2+31,632
Philippines91,3391.71.151,9421.30.6+39,397
New Zealand85,4931.61.581,1562.01.3+4,337
Lebanon61,6201.20.354,3651.30.3+7,255
Nepal59,0551.10.32,9890.10.0+56,066
Iraq52,6041.00.420,1350.50.2+32,469
South Korea50,7021.00.232,1520.80.1+18,550
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 Sydney in 2021 compared to Victoria shows that there was a larger proportion of people born overseas.

Overall, 38.6% of the population was born overseas, compared with 30.0% for Victoria.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in Greater Sydney was China, where 4.6% of the population, or 238,316 people, were born.

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

  • A larger percentage of people born in China (4.6% compared to 2.6%)

Emerging groups

Between 2006 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 714683 or 54.7%.

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

  • India (+134,906 persons)
  • China (+129,219 persons)
  • Nepal (+56,066 persons)
  • Philippines (+39,397 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. Stats NZ Data and the copyright in the Stats NZ Data remains the property of the Statistics New Zealand.

The copyright in the way .id has modified, transformed or reconfigured the Stats NZ Data as published on this website remains the property of .id. Stats NZ Data can be accessed on the Statistics New Zealand website at www.stats.govt.nz. Unless otherwise specified, content that Stats NZ produce is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. For further information see https://www.stats.govt.nz/about-us/copyright/.