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Cairns Regional CouncilCommunity profile

In 2021, 22.3% of people in Cairns were born overseas, compared with 18.4% in Regional QLD.

Country of Birth data identifies where people were born and is indicative of the level of cultural diversity in Cairns. 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, Cairns'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
Cairns - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
BirthplaceNumber%Regional QLD %Number%Regional QLD %2016 to 2021
Total overseas born37,27222.318.433,61221.417.3+3,660
Australia115,27369.174.4108,00968.874.3+7,264
Not stated14,3928.67.315,2719.78.4-879
Total Population166,937100.0100.0156,892100.0100.0+10,045
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing 2016 and 2021. Compiled and presented by .id (informed decisions).
Please refer to specific data notes for more information
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Cairns - Overseas born (Usual residence)20212016Change
BirthplaceNumber%Regional QLD %Number%Regional QLD %2016 to 2021
United Kingdom7,6734.64.37,2384.64.4+435
New Zealand4,7152.83.74,8003.13.9-85
Papua New Guinea2,3611.40.32,2941.50.3+67
Philippines2,1321.30.91,8061.20.8+326
India1,8541.10.81,3740.90.6+480
Japan1,6341.00.31,6671.10.3-33
Germany1,1120.70.41,0240.70.5+88
China8750.50.57890.50.4+86
South Africa8490.50.97180.50.7+131
Thailand8260.50.26310.40.2+195
Show all (109 entries)

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the country of birth of the population in Cairns in 2021 compared to Regional QLD shows that there was a larger proportion of people born overseas.

Overall, 22.3% of the population was born overseas, compared with 18.4% for Regional QLD.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in Cairns was Papua New Guinea, where 1.4% of the population, or 2,361 people, were born.

The major difference between the countries of birth of the population in Cairns and Regional QLD was:

  • A larger percentage of people born in Papua New Guinea (1.4% compared to 0.3%)

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 3660 or 10.9%.

The largest changes in birthplace countries of the population in this area between 2016 and 2021 were for those born in:

  • India (+480 persons)
  • United Kingdom (+435 persons)
  • Philippines (+326 persons)
  • Thailand (+195 persons)

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