STATE AND TERRITORY COMPOSITION OF COUNTRY OF BIRTH
Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) by country of birth at the state and territory level is only available for Census years, with the latest being 2016. Table 1.3 shows the composition by country of birth for each state and territory, for the top 15 countries ranked at the national level.
Western Australia recorded the highest proportion of the population born overseas at 35.0% (895,400 persons). Victoria recorded the second highest proportion with 30.7% of its residents born overseas (1,892,500 persons). Tasmania (13.1% or 67,900 persons) had the lowest proportion of the population that were overseas-born, well below the Australian level of 28.6% recorded in 2016 (6.9 million persons). The Northern Territory had the second-lowest proportion of overseas-born (22.6% or 55,400 persons), but had the largest percentage point increase in the proportion of residents that were born overseas, up from 18.9% in 2011.
In 2016, Western Australia had the highest proportion of residents that were born in England of any state or territory (8.4%), more than twice the Australian proportion of 4.1%. Western Australia also recorded the highest proportions of people born in South Africa (1.8%), Malaysia (1.3%) and Scotland (1.2%). Queensland had the highest proportion of the population that were born in New Zealand (4.5%).
New South Wales had a higher proportion of residents born in China (3.3%) and South Korea (0.8%) than any other state or territory. Victoria had the highest proportions of residents born in India (3.0%), Vietnam (1.5%), Italy (1.3%), Sri Lanka (1.0%) and Greece (0.9%). The Northern Territory had the highest proportion of people born in the Philippines (2.8%), while South Australia had the highest proportion of residents born in Germany (0.7%). The Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of people born in the United States of America (0.8%), ahead of the Northern Territory (0.7%).
1.3 ESTIMATED RESIDENT POPULATION, State and territory composition(a) - Top 15 countries of birth(b) - 30 June 2011 and 2016(c) |
|
 | | | NSW | Vic. | Qld | SA | WA | Tas. | NT | ACT | Aust.(d) |
| | | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 | '000 |
|
| 2011 | | | | | | | | | |
| Australia | 5 175.4 | 3 948.1 | 3 471.5 | 1 250.7 | 1 566.9 | 447.3 | 187.7 | 272.0 | 16 321.8 |
| Overseas-born | | | | | | | | | |
| | England | 248.6 | 184.6 | 194.8 | 108.4 | 213.4 | 20.9 | 6.4 | 13.8 | 991.0 |
| | New Zealand | 128.8 | 89.3 | 215.6 | 14.1 | 81.0 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 544.0 |
| | China(e) | 190.0 | 112.8 | 33.2 | 19.3 | 20.5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 8.0 | 387.4 |
| | India | 109.1 | 126.8 | 34.9 | 21.0 | 34.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 6.5 | 337.1 |
| | Vietnam | 80.6 | 76.2 | 18.3 | 13.4 | 14.6 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 207.6 |
| | Italy | 56.8 | 82.7 | 14.6 | 22.1 | 21.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 201.7 |
| | Philippines | 79.4 | 42.3 | 33.1 | 9.8 | 19.9 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 2.7 | 193.0 |
| | South Africa | 44.8 | 26.6 | 39.4 | 6.7 | 39.8 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 161.6 |
| | Scotland | 34.9 | 31.0 | 25.5 | 14.3 | 29.6 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 141.2 |
| | Malaysia | 31.4 | 45.7 | 14.8 | 8.0 | 29.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 134.1 |
| | Germany | 36.5 | 32.2 | 24.6 | 12.8 | 13.2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 125.7 |
| | Greece | 39.0 | 60.1 | 4.2 | 11.4 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 121.2 |
| | Sri Lanka | 27.5 | 50.4 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 6.3 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 99.7 |
| | USA | 31.4 | 19.4 | 18.4 | 4.6 | 10.4 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 90.1 |
| | Lebanon | 66.5 | 18.5 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 90.0 |
| | Total overseas-born | 2 043.1 | 1 589.8 | 1 005.3 | 388.9 | 786.5 | 64.2 | 43.6 | 96.0 | 6 018.2 |
| Total | 7 218.5 | 5 537.8 | 4 476.8 | 1 639.6 | 2 353.4 | 511.5 | 231.3 | 368.0 | 22 340.0 |
| 2016 | | | | | | | | | |
| Australia | 5 406.4 | 4 280.6 | 3 705.1 | 1 294.0 | 1 660.6 | 449.7 | 190.3 | 289.6 | 17 278.8 |
| Overseas-born | | | | | | | | | |
| | England | 250.7 | 192.7 | 200.4 | 103.7 | 213.9 | 20.5 | 6.7 | 13.3 | 1 002.1 |
| | New Zealand | 127.9 | 102.7 | 219.9 | 13.8 | 87.4 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 568.2 |
| | China(e) | 256.0 | 176.6 | 51.6 | 26.8 | 30.0 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 11.9 | 557.7 |
| | India | 153.8 | 182.8 | 53.1 | 29.0 | 53.4 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 10.9 | 489.4 |
| | Philippines | 94.1 | 56.0 | 43.1 | 13.3 | 33.4 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 252.7 |
| | Vietnam | 92.9 | 89.9 | 21.8 | 15.7 | 17.6 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 3.6 | 243.2 |
| | Italy | 56.0 | 79.1 | 14.8 | 20.2 | 22.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 195.8 |
| | South Africa | 47.7 | 30.3 | 44.7 | 7.1 | 45.5 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.1 | 180.5 |
| | Malaysia | 34.9 | 55.3 | 16.4 | 8.4 | 32.3 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 152.9 |
| | Scotland | 33.1 | 30.3 | 25.2 | 13.3 | 30.4 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 137.8 |
| | Sri Lanka | 32.6 | 63.2 | 11.1 | 4.2 | 8.9 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 124.5 |
| | Germany | 33.7 | 30.0 | 23.1 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 116.7 |
| | Greece | 36.0 | 57.0 | 4.0 | 10.1 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 113.4 |
| | Korea, South | 58.0 | 16.9 | 21.0 | 4.1 | 7.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 2.5 | 111.6 |
| | USA | 36.9 | 24.3 | 20.9 | 5.2 | 11.5 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 105.7 |
| | Total overseas-born | 2 326.4 | 1 892.5 | 1 140.0 | 418.8 | 895.4 | 67.9 | 55.4 | 113.5 | 6 912.1 |
| Total | 7 732.9 | 6 173.2 | 4 845.2 | 1 712.8 | 2 556.0 | 517.5 | 245.7 | 403.1 | 24 190.9 |
|
| - nil or rounded to zero (including null cells) |
| (a) Country of birth is available at the state and territory level in Census years only. |
| (b) The top 15 countries of birth are at the Australia level for 2011 and again for 2016. |
| (c) Estimates are final rebased for 2011 and 2016. |
| (d) Includes Other Territories. See paragraphs 69-70 of the Explanatory Notes. |
| (e) Excludes SARs and Taiwan. |
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