22 November 2018
PDF version [378KB]
Joanne Simon-Davies, Chris McGann
Statistics and Mapping Section
Introduction
Australia’s first population Census was conducted by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in 1911. [1]
Prior to this, each colony had been responsible for its own census collection.
The census held during the first year of Federation in 1901, was collected by
each state separately. When planning for the 1901 Census, it was clear that
Federation was forthcoming, and a uniform census schedule was developed.
Regardless of who conducted the census, the question “In which country was
the person born” has been asked since the commencement of the census in Australian
colonies during the 1800s.
ABS currently uses the Standard Australian Classification of
Countries, 2016 (SACC) to categorise the country of birth list. According to
the ABS[2],
country names within the SACC reflect country titles recognised by the
Australian Government. The ABS monitors changes in the official recognition of
country titles by the Australian Government and updates the SACC as necessary
to ensure the classification remains current. At times, there may be a delay in
changing a name, especially if there is instability in a region or if the new
country is yet to be recognised internationally. The SACC adopts a broad
definition of 'country' that includes the following national entities:
-
sovereign nation states (for example, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines)
-
administrative subdivisions within some sovereign states (for
example, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are devolved
administrations of the United Kingdom)
-
external territories and dependencies (for example, the Falkland
Islands – a British overseas territory). These categories are discrete
geographic areas with varying degrees of political and economic autonomy. In
general, they are physically isolated from the country to which they are
dependent
-
regions under disputed ownership or control (for example, Western
Sahara region of North Africa, West Bank).
When examining the results of the question of where someone
was born, it is easy to see the consequences of political upheaval in many
parts of the world. For example, a person born in Ceylon in 1933 would record
Sri Lanka today, or those born in British India in the 1920s, would now record
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan or Myanmar (Burma)[3]
as their country of birth. In more recent years, the breakup of Yugoslavia in
2001 resulted in five successor states including Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia and Montenegro.
Due to the various changes to country structures over time, there
have been many forms of the country classification. In this statistical
snapshot, there has been no attempt to change names to match current country
name. The names used at the time of a particular Census are listed, for
example, Ceylon and British India, even though they no longer officially exist.
The data
Figure 1 shows the proportion of Australia’s population born
overseas, at each Census since 1901. Between 1901 and 1947 there was a steady
decline in overseas born, from 22.6 per cent to 9.8 per cent—1947 was the only Census
at which the overseas born proportion has been below 10 per cent. As expected,
the largest component of overseas born was from the United Kingdom and Ireland,
accounting for around 80 per cent of overseas born in 1901, then falling to
around 70 per cent by 1947.
Since 1947, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to
Australia.[4]
Despite the post-war migration boom with immigration from a broader range of
countries, the United Kingdom continued to be the largest source of migrants,
with the majority of people arriving under post-war assisted passage schemes being
from the United Kingdom.
Post-war migration agreements were also in place for several
other countries including Malta, The Netherlands, Italy, West Germany, Turkey
and the former Yugoslavia.[5]
By 1954, Italy was the second largest source of overseas born, and this
continued until the 1980s when New Zealand moved into second place. With
increased migration from Asia, fewer than one in five overseas born are now
from the United Kingdom although it is still the largest source. China, India
and the Philippines are curently the other top five countries after the United
Kingdom and New Zealand.
Top ten countries of birth for each Census are shown in the
tables following the graph.
Figure 1: Proportion of Australia’s population born
overseas, 1901 to 2016
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, selected census
publications
Top
10 countries of birth for the overseas-born population since 1901
| |
1901 Census |
|
|
1911 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (a) |
495 504 |
58.1 |
|
1. United Kingdom (e) |
454 268 |
60.4 |
| 2. Ireland (b) |
184 085 |
21.6 |
|
2. Ireland (b) |
139 434 |
18.5 |
| 3. Germany |
38 352 |
4.5 |
|
3. Germany |
32 990 |
4.4 |
| 4. China |
29 907 |
3.5 |
|
4. New Zealand |
31 868 |
4.2 |
| 5. New Zealand |
25 788 |
3.0 |
|
5. China |
20 775 |
2.8 |
| 6. Sweden & Norway |
9 863 |
1.2 |
|
6. Italy |
6 719 |
0.9 |
| 7. South Sea Is. (c) |
9 128 |
1.1 |
|
7. British India |
6 644 |
0.9 |
| 8. British India |
7 637 |
0.9 |
|
8. United States of America |
6 642 |
0.9 |
| 9. United States of America |
7 448 |
0.9 |
|
9. Denmark |
5 663 |
0.8 |
| 10. Denmark |
6 281 |
0.7 |
|
10. Sweden |
5 586 |
0.7 |
| Top ten total |
810 113 |
95.5 |
|
Top ten total |
710 589 |
94.4 |
| Other |
47 463 |
4.5 |
|
Other |
42 038 |
5.6 |
| Total overseas born |
852 373 |
100 |
|
Total overseas born |
752 627 |
100.0 |
| Total population (d) |
3 788 123 |
|
|
Total population (d) (f) |
4 455 005 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
22.6 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
16.9 |
| |
1921 Census |
|
|
1933 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (e) |
571 354 |
68.1 |
|
1. United Kingdom (e) |
636 312 |
70.6 |
| 2. Ireland (b) |
105 033 |
12.5 |
|
2. Ireland (b) |
78 652 |
8.7 |
| 3. New Zealand |
38 611 |
4.6 |
|
3. New Zealand |
45 963 |
5.1 |
| 4. Germany |
22 396 |
2.7 |
|
4. Italy |
26 756 |
3.0 |
| 5. China |
15 224 |
1.8 |
|
5. Germany |
16 842 |
1.9 |
| 6. Italy |
8 135 |
1.0 |
|
6. China |
8 579 |
0.9 |
| 7. British India |
6 918 |
0.8 |
|
7. Greece |
8 337 |
0.9 |
| 8. United States of America |
6 604 |
0.8 |
|
8. British India |
6 774 |
0.7 |
| 9. Denmark |
6 002 |
0.7 |
|
9. South Africa |
6 179 |
0.7 |
| 10. South Africa |
5 408 |
0.6 |
|
10. United States of America |
6 066 |
0.7 |
| Top ten total |
785 685 |
93.6 |
|
Top ten total |
840 460 |
93.3 |
| Other |
53 894 |
6.4 |
|
Other |
60 762 |
6.7 |
| Total overseas born |
839 579 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
901 222 |
100.0 |
| Total population (d) (f) |
5 435 734 |
|
|
Total population (d) |
6 629 839 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
15.4 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
13.6 |
| |
1947 Census |
|
|
1954 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (e) |
498 097 |
66.9 |
|
1. United Kingdom (g) |
616 532 |
47.9 |
| 2. Ireland (b) |
44 813 |
6.0 |
|
2. Italy |
119 897 |
9.3 |
| 3. New Zealand |
43 610 |
5.9 |
|
3. Germany |
65 422 |
5.1 |
| 4. Italy |
33 632 |
4.5 |
|
4. Poland |
56 594 |
4.4 |
| 5. Germany |
14 567 |
2.0 |
|
5. Netherlands |
52 035 |
4.0 |
| 6. Greece |
12 291 |
1.7 |
|
6. Ireland (b) |
47 673 |
3.7 |
| 7. British India & Ceylon |
8 160 |
1.1 |
|
7. New Zealand |
43 350 |
3.4 |
| 8. Poland |
6 573 |
0.9 |
|
8. Greece |
25 862 |
2.0 |
| 9. China |
6 404 |
0.9 |
|
9. Yugoslavia |
22 856 |
1.8 |
| 10. United States of America |
6 232 |
0.8 |
|
10. Malta |
19 988 |
1.6 |
| Top ten total |
674 379 |
90.7 |
|
Top ten total |
1 070 209 |
83.2 |
| Other |
68 831 |
9.3 |
|
Other |
215 589 |
16.8 |
| Total overseas born |
743 210 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
1 285 789 |
100.0 |
| Total population (d) |
7 579 358 |
|
|
Total population (d) |
8 986 530 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
9.8 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
14.3 |
| |
1961 Census |
|
|
1966 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (g) |
705 187 |
39.7 |
|
1. United Kingdom (g) |
908 664 |
40.1 |
| 2. Italy |
228 296 |
12.8 |
|
2. Italy |
267 325 |
12.5 |
| 3. Germany |
109 315 |
6.1 |
|
3. Greece |
140 089 |
6.6 |
| 4. Netherlands |
102 083 |
5.7 |
|
4. Germany |
108 709 |
5.1 |
| 5. Greece |
77 333 |
4.3 |
|
5. Netherlands |
99 549 |
4.7 |
| 6. Poland |
60 049 |
3.4 |
|
6. Yugoslavia |
71 277 |
3.3 |
| 7. Ireland (b) |
50 215 |
2.8 |
|
7. Poland |
61 641 |
2.9 |
| 8. Yugoslavia |
49 776 |
2.8 |
|
8. Ireland (b) |
55 175 |
2.6 |
| 9. New Zealand |
47 011 |
2.6 |
|
9. Malta |
55 104 |
2.6 |
| 10. Malta |
39 337 |
2.2 |
|
10. New Zealand |
52 104 |
2.4 |
| Top ten total |
1 468 602 |
82.6 |
|
Top ten total |
1 764 462 |
82.8 |
| Other |
309 739 |
17.4 |
|
Other |
366 029 |
17.2 |
| Total overseas born |
1 778 341 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
2 130 491 |
100.0 |
| Total population (d) |
10 508 186 |
|
|
Total population |
11 550 462 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
16.9 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
18.4 |
| |
1971 Census |
|
|
1976 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (g) |
1 017 981 |
40.0 |
|
1. United Kingdom (g) |
1 044 418 |
38.8 |
| 2. Italy |
288 252 |
11.3 |
|
2. Italy |
279 470 |
10.4 |
| 3. Greece |
158 969 |
6.2 |
|
3. Greece |
152 352 |
5.7 |
| 4. Yugoslavia |
128 211 |
5.0 |
|
4. Yugoslavia |
143 102 |
5.3 |
| 5. Germany (h) |
110 028 |
4.3 |
|
5. Germany (h) |
106 854 |
4.0 |
| 6. Netherlands |
98 633 |
3.9 |
|
6. Netherlands |
91 548 |
3.4 |
| 7. New Zealand |
74 050 |
2.9 |
|
7. New Zealand |
83 929 |
3.1 |
| 8. Ireland (b) |
63 292 |
2.5 |
|
8. Ireland (b) |
66 954 |
2.5 |
| 9. Poland |
59 471 |
2.3 |
|
9. Poland |
55 912 |
2.1 |
| 10. Malta |
53 471 |
2.1 |
|
10. Malta |
55 822 |
2.1 |
| Top ten total |
2 052 358 |
80.6 |
|
Top ten total |
2 080 631 |
77.4 |
| Other |
493 577 |
19.4 |
|
Other |
608 524 |
22.6 |
| Total overseas born |
2 545 935 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
2 689 155 |
100.0 |
| Total population |
12 719 506 |
|
|
Total population (f) |
13 514 947 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
20.0 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
19.9 |
| |
1981 Census |
|
|
1986 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 075 754 |
36.5 |
|
1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 072 049 |
33.5 |
| 2. Italy |
274 965 |
9.3 |
|
2. Italy |
260 983 |
8.6 |
| 3. New Zealand |
160 746 |
5.4 |
|
3. New Zealand |
199 905 |
6.3 |
| 4. Yugoslavia |
148 563 |
5.0 |
|
4. Yugoslavia |
149 282 |
4.7 |
| 5. Greece |
145 840 |
4.9 |
|
5. Greece |
136 887 |
4.3 |
| 6. Germany (h) |
109 262 |
3.7 |
|
6. Germany (h) |
113 466 |
3.6 |
| 7. Netherlands |
95 101 |
3.2 |
|
7. Netherlands |
94 404 |
3.0 |
| 8. Poland |
58 951 |
2.0 |
|
8. Viet Nam |
82 705 |
2.6 |
| 9. Malta |
56 787 |
1.9 |
|
9. Poland |
66 922 |
2.1 |
| 10. Lebanon |
49 392 |
1.7 |
|
10. Malta |
56 123 |
1.8 |
| Top ten total |
2 175 361 |
73.7 |
|
Top ten total |
2 232 726 |
69.9 |
| Other |
775 496 |
26.3 |
|
Other |
963 052 |
30.1 |
| Total overseas born |
2 950 857 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
3 195 778 |
100.0 |
| Total population (f) |
14 516 896 |
|
|
Total population (f) |
15 542 567 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
20.3 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
20.6 |
| |
1991 Census |
|
|
1996 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 107 358 |
30.0 |
|
1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 072 562 |
27.5 |
| 2. New Zealand |
264 126 |
7.2 |
|
2. New Zealand |
291 388 |
7.5 |
| 3. Italy |
253 417 |
6.9 |
|
3. Italy |
238 246 |
6.1 |
| 4. Yugoslavia |
160 624 |
4.4 |
|
4. Viet Nam |
151 053 |
3.9 |
| 5. Greece |
135 883 |
3.7 |
|
5. Greece |
126 520 |
3.2 |
| 6. Viet Nam |
121 811 |
3.3 |
|
6. China (j) |
111 009 |
2.8 |
| 7. Germany |
111 950 |
3.0 |
|
7. Germany |
110 331 |
2.8 |
| 8. Netherlands |
94 671 |
2.6 |
|
8. Philippines |
92 949 |
2.4 |
| 9. China (j) |
77 882 |
2.1 |
|
9. Netherlands |
87 898 |
2.2 |
| 10. Philippines |
73 007 |
2.0 |
|
10. India |
77 551 |
2.0 |
| Top ten total |
2 400 729 |
65.1 |
|
Top ten total |
2 359 507 |
60.5 |
| Other |
1 286 039 |
34.9 |
|
Other |
1 542 143 |
39.5 |
| Total overseas born |
3 686 768 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
3 901 650 |
100.0 |
| Total population (f) (k) |
16 771 803 |
|
|
Total population (f) (k) |
17 752 829 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
22.0 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
22.0 |
| |
2001 Census |
|
|
2006 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 036 242 |
25.5 |
|
1. United Kingdom (i) |
1 038 162 |
23.6 |
| 2. New Zealand |
355 765 |
8.8 |
|
2. New Zealand |
389 463 |
8.8 |
| 3. Italy |
218 718 |
5.4 |
|
3. China (j) |
206 591 |
4.7 |
| 4. Viet Nam |
154 830 |
3.8 |
|
4. Italy |
199 123 |
4.5 |
| 5. China (j) |
142 781 |
3.5 |
|
5. Viet Nam |
159 849 |
3.6 |
| 6. Greece |
116 430 |
2.9 |
|
6. India |
147 106 |
3.3 |
| 7. Germany |
108 219 |
2.7 |
|
7. Philippines |
120 538 |
2.7 |
| 8. Philippines |
103 942 |
2.6 |
|
8. Greece |
109 988 |
2.5 |
| 9. India |
95 455 |
2.3 |
|
9. Germany |
106 524 |
2.4 |
| 10. Netherlands |
83 324 |
2.1 |
|
10. South Africa |
104 128 |
2.4 |
| Top ten total |
2 415 706 |
59.4 |
|
Top ten total |
2 581 472 |
58.6 |
| Other |
1 648 248 |
40.6 |
|
Other |
1 823 946 |
41.4 |
| Total overseas born |
4 063 954 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
4 405418 |
22.2 |
| Total population (f) (k) |
18 769 228 |
|
|
Total population (k) |
19 855 288 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
21.7 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
22.2 |
| |
2011 Census |
|
|
2016 Census |
| Birthplace |
No. |
% |
|
Birthplace |
No. |
% |
| 1. United Kingdom (l) |
1 101 081 |
20.8 |
|
1. United Kingdom (l) |
1 087 756 |
17.7 |
| 2. New Zealand |
483 398 |
9.1 |
|
2. New Zealand |
518 462 |
8.4 |
| 3. China (j) |
318 969 |
6.0 |
|
3. China (j) |
509 558 |
8.3 |
| 4. India |
295 362 |
5.6 |
|
4. India |
455 385 |
7.4 |
| 5. Italy |
185 402 |
3.5 |
|
5. Philippines |
232 391 |
3.8 |
| 6. Viet Nam |
185 039 |
3.5 |
|
6. Viet Nam |
219 351 |
3.6 |
| 7. Philippines |
171 233 |
3.2 |
|
7. Italy |
174 042 |
2.8 |
| 8. South Africa |
145 683 |
2.8 |
|
8. South Africa |
162 450 |
2.6 |
| 9. Malaysia |
116 196 |
2.2 |
|
9. Malaysia |
138 363 |
2.2 |
| 10. Germany |
108 002 |
2.0 |
|
10. Sri Lanka |
109 850 |
1.8 |
| Top ten total |
3 110 365 |
58.9 |
|
Top ten total |
3 607 608 |
58.7 |
| Other |
2 173 978 |
41.1 |
|
Other |
2 542 443 |
41.3 |
| Total overseas born |
5 284 343 |
100.0 |
|
Total overseas born |
6 150 051 |
100.0 |
| Total population (k) |
21 507 719 |
|
|
Total population f) (k) |
23 401 891 |
|
| % of Australian born overseas |
24.6 |
|
% of Australian born overseas |
26.3 |
(a) Includes England, Wales, Scotland and Other
European British Pos. (Isle of Man, Channel Is., Cyprus, Gibraltar and Malta).
(b) Includes Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and
Ireland (undefined).
(c) South Sea Is. (so described).
(d) Excludes full-blood Indigenous persons.
(e) Includes England, Wales, Scotland, Isle of Man,
Channel Is. and Other European British Possessions.
(f) Includes birthplace not stated.
(g) Includes England, Wales and Scotland.
(h) Includes German Democratic Republic and German
Federal Republic.
(i) Includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Is.
(j) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of China and
Taiwan.
(k) Excludes overseas visitors.
(l) Includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern
Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Is., Jersey and Guernsey.
Sources:
ABS, Australian Historical Population Statistics,
cat no. 3105.0.65.001, 2004, 2014.
ABS, Census of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1911,
1921, 1933, 1947, 1954.
ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 1966,
1971, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016.
[1]. The census was
called the Census of the Commonwealth of Australia from 1911 until 1961. From
1966, it has been known as the Census of Population and Housing.
[2]. Australian
Bureau of Statistics, Standard
Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016 (cat no. 1269.0).
[3]. Myanmar (Burma)
became an independent state in 1937 and would not have been included in the
British India in the 1947 Census.
[4]. Department of
Home Affairs, Fact
sheet – Key facts about immigration.
[5]. Department of
Home Affairs, Fact
Sheet – More than 65 Years of Post-War Migration.
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