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Sunshine Coast CouncilCommunity profile
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In 2021, 20.7% of people in Sunshine Coast were born overseas, compared with 26.7% in South East Queensland.

Country of Birth data identifies where people were born and is indicative of the level of cultural diversity in Sunshine Coast. 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, Sunshine Coast'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
Sunshine Coast - Total persons (Usual residence)20212016Change
BirthplaceNumber%South East Queensland %Number%South East Queensland %2016 to 2021
Total overseas born70,74020.726.757,46019.525.7+13,280
Australia254,47874.368.5218,10874.167.8+36,370
Not stated17,3065.14.818,7966.46.5-1,490
Total Population342,524100.0100.0294,364100.0100.0+48,160
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
Sunshine Coast - Overseas born (Usual residence)20212016Change
BirthplaceNumber%South East Queensland %Number%South East Queensland %2016 to 2021
United Kingdom23,4356.85.020,5067.05.3+2,929
New Zealand14,5634.34.913,3474.55.2+1,216
South Africa4,1571.21.12,8651.01.0+1,292
India2,3320.71.71,2970.41.3+1,035
Germany1,9380.60.41,8160.60.5+122
United States of America1,8610.50.41,4260.50.4+435
Philippines1,5780.51.01,1590.40.8+419
Canada1,3990.40.31,0350.40.3+364
Netherlands1,3040.40.31,2780.40.3+26
Ireland8890.30.37220.20.3+167
Show all (108 entries)

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.

Dominant groups

Analysis of the country of birth of the population in Sunshine Coast in 2021 compared to South East Queensland shows that there was a smaller proportion of people born overseas.

Overall, 20.7% of the population was born overseas, compared with 26.7% for South East Queensland.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in Sunshine Coast was India, where 0.7% of the population, or 2,332 people, were born.

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

  • A larger percentage of people born in United Kingdom (6.8% compared to 5.0%)
  • A smaller percentage of people born in China (0.2% compared to 1.4%)
  • A smaller percentage of people born in India (0.7% compared to 1.7%)

Emerging groups

Between 2016 and 2021, the number of people born overseas increased by 13280 or 23.1%.

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

  • United Kingdom (+2,929 persons)
  • South Africa (+1,292 persons)
  • New Zealand (+1,216 persons)
  • India (+1,035 persons)

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