People in Greater Melbourne who were born in Italy

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 2GMEL by 3104
People 63,334
Male 31,132
Female 32,202
Australian citizen 73.4%
Not an Australian citizen 24.4%
Families 30,336
Couples with children 10,016
Couples without children 16,203
One parent families 3,764
Other families 351
All private dwellings 43,348
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,517
Median weekly rent paid $355

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 31,132 49.2 738,906 48.6 1,322,366 49.3 2,199,597 49.0
Female 32,202 50.8 781,344 51.4 1,361,718 50.7 2,285,616 51.0

In the 2016 Census, there were 63,334 people in Greater Melbourne who were born in Italy. Of these 49.2% were male and 50.8% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Country of birth of person (BPLP)

Age
People
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 492 0.8 88,035 5.8 692,777 25.8 819,696 18.3
15-24 years 825 1.3 167,349 11.0 402,435 15.0 602,383 13.4
25-34 years 2,478 3.9 309,454 20.4 372,554 13.9 730,345 16.3
35-44 years 1,737 2.7 253,778 16.7 346,115 12.9 639,084 14.2
45-54 years 4,578 7.2 217,347 14.3 333,204 12.4 587,317 13.1
55-64 years 10,631 16.8 192,089 12.6 252,873 9.4 476,902 10.6
65 years and over 42,593 67.3 292,188 19.2 284,125 10.6 629,487 14.0
Median age 70 -- 42 -- 31 -- 36 --

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Greater Melbourne, 0.8% were aged 0 - 14 years and 67.3% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Greater Melbourne who were born in Italy was 70 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 38,759 61.7 839,703 58.6 823,702 41.4 1,772,724 48.4
Separated 1,496 2.4 41,002 2.9 54,783 2.8 103,965 2.8
Divorced 4,362 6.9 99,050 6.9 151,886 7.6 272,040 7.4
Widowed 12,743 20.3 82,571 5.8 75,727 3.8 173,566 4.7
Never married 5,486 8.7 369,877 25.8 885,214 44.5 1,343,230 36.6

Of people in Greater Melbourne aged 15 years and over who were born in Italy, 61.7% were married, 2.4% were separated, and 6.9% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 44 0.1 6,054 0.4 66,580 2.5 73,041 1.6
Primary 277 0.4 46,500 3.1 304,964 11.4 353,773 7.9
Secondary 316 0.5 54,284 3.6 217,839 8.1 274,054 6.1
University or tertiary institution 454 0.7 128,037 8.4 157,455 5.9 287,125 6.4
Technical or further education 450 0.7 36,191 2.4 43,917 1.6 80,863 1.8
Other 438 0.7 29,682 2.0 19,687 0.7 49,898 1.1
Institution attended, type not stated 1,943 3.1 28,212 1.9 45,235 1.7 289,156 6.4
Not attending an educational institution 59,418 93.8 1,191,295 78.4 1,828,402 68.1 3,077,303 68.6

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Greater Melbourne, 6.2% were attending an educational institution. There were 0.4% in primary school, 0.5% in secondary school and 1.4% in a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational institution attendee status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 4,254 6.8 476,627 33.3 522,582 26.2 1,006,208 27.5
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 3,052 4.9 141,683 9.9 201,226 10.1 347,014 9.5
Certificate level IV 560 0.9 26,268 1.8 69,557 3.5 96,787 2.6
Certificate level III 6,755 10.8 110,128 7.7 256,226 12.9 373,322 10.2
Year 12 4,794 7.6 266,361 18.6 356,086 17.9 630,941 17.2
Year 11 2,710 4.3 51,591 3.6 148,662 7.5 203,582 5.6
Year 10 4,441 7.1 76,855 5.4 166,118 8.3 248,009 6.8
Certificate level II 37 0.1 837 0.1 1,123 0.1 1,999 0.1
Certificate level I 17 0.0 222 0.0 161 0.0 387 0.0
Year 9 or below 25,613 40.8 144,621 10.1 141,989 7.1 294,678 8.0
No educational attainment 4,120 6.6 37,248 2.6 4,987 0.3 43,515 1.2
Not stated 5,358 8.5 61,306 4.3 75,305 3.8 331,859 9.1

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Greater Melbourne, 7.6% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 11.6% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 4.9% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Year of arrival Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 302 0.5 2,014 0.1 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 2,180 3.4 17,391 1.1 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 24,739 39.1 84,946 5.6 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 22,584 35.7 140,296 9.2 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 3,680 5.8 118,643 7.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 1,236 2.0 181,111 11.9 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 783 1.2 180,171 11.9 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 509 0.8 139,040 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 912 1.4 249,780 16.4 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 3,346 5.3 356,641 23.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 2,684,080 -- -- --

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, 5.3% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 1.4% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 46,471 73.4 882,758 58.1 2,629,244 98.0 3,568,816 79.6
Not an Australian citizen 15,471 24.4 613,262 40.3 20,506 0.8 638,201 14.2

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, 73.4% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 28,287 73.8 670,684 77.7 172,894 17.6 848,357 45.8
Spouse or partner born in Australia 9,395 24.5 172,892 20.0 786,331 80.1 962,432 51.9

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy and had a spouse or partner, 73.8% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 24.5% had a spouse or partner born in Australia.

Note: Total does not include those spouses or partners who did not state their country of birth.

View the data quality statements for: Country of birth of person (BPLP) Relationship in household (RLHP) Family/household reference person indicator (RPIP)

Religious affiliation, top responses
Results may include 'nfd' for 'not further defined'
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Catholic 55,786 88.1 329,088 21.6 703,050 26.2 1,050,312 23.4
No Religion, so described 3,629 5.7 380,049 25.0 996,574 37.1 1,391,233 31.0
Christian, nfd 429 0.7 50,099 3.3 64,480 2.4 116,344 2.6
Jehovah's Witnesses 424 0.7 4,321 0.3 5,735 0.2 10,254 0.2
Pentecostal 280 0.4 20,468 1.3 21,581 0.8 42,540 0.9

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses to the religion question were Catholic 88.1%, No Religion, so described 5.7%, Christian, nfd 0.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.7% and Pentecostal 0.4%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 10,603 16.7 461,859 30.4 2,284,754 85.1 2,781,188 62.0
Speaks other language and speaks English:  null  null  null  null  null  null  null  null
Very well or well 39,130 61.8 844,460 55.5 334,475 12.5 1,198,085 26.7
Not well or not at all 12,779 20.2 202,613 13.3 44,050 1.6 251,543 5.6

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, 16.7% spoke English only at home. A further 61.8% spoke another language but also spoke English very well or well.

View the data quality statement for Proficiency in spoken English/language (ENGLP)

Employment

Employment
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 9,767 55.0 491,360 58.0 809,894 58.1 1,315,635 58.0
Worked part-time 6,164 34.7 246,309 29.1 441,068 31.6 695,178 30.6
Away from work 1,039 5.8 37,195 4.4 64,836 4.6 104,679 4.6
Unemployed 793 4.5 72,462 8.6 79,210 5.7 153,625 6.8
Not in the labour force 43,507 69.2 569,448 39.8 581,610 29.2 1,179,140 32.2

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy and who were in the labour force, 55.0% worked full-time, 34.7% worked part-time and 4.5% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Employment - hours worked
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 1,902 11.2 75,578 9.8 169,383 12.9 247,403 11.7
16-24 hours per week 2,242 13.2 87,489 11.3 129,431 9.8 219,460 10.4
25-34 hours per week 2,021 11.9 83,237 10.7 142,250 10.8 228,318 10.8
35-39 hours per week 3,325 19.6 176,184 22.7 225,279 17.1 406,480 19.2
40 hours or more per week 6,444 38.0 315,172 40.7 584,617 44.4 909,156 43.0

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy and who were employed, 38.0% worked 40 hours or more per week and 19.6% worked 35-39 hours per week.

View the data quality statement for Hours worked (HRSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Technicians and Trades Workers 3,157 18.6 92,059 11.9 170,977 13.0 266,855 12.6
Managers 2,496 14.7 96,328 12.4 180,742 13.7 279,601 13.2
Professionals 2,415 14.2 200,195 25.8 324,236 24.6 528,261 25.0
Clerical and Administrative Workers 2,149 12.7 94,154 12.2 195,958 14.9 293,226 13.9
Labourers 1,958 11.5 81,945 10.6 85,691 6.5 170,451 8.1

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses for occupation were Technicians and Trades Workers 18.6%, Managers 14.7%, Professionals 14.2%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.7% and Labourers 11.5%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 1,192 7.0 31,162 4.0 25,229 1.9 56,874 2.7
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 368 2.2 30,863 4.0 47,571 3.6 79,180 3.7
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 302 1.8 14,662 1.9 32,423 2.5 47,532 2.2
Aged Care Residential Services 302 1.8 20,371 2.6 15,336 1.2 36,254 1.7
Hairdressing and Beauty Services 278 1.6 6,465 0.8 10,194 0.8 16,954 0.8

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 7.0%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.2%, Supermarket and Grocery Stores 1.8%, Aged Care Residential Services 1.8% and Hairdressing and Beauty Services 1.6%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 416 -- 568 -- 750 -- 673 --
Family 1,211 -- 1,659 -- 2,084 -- 1,826 --
Household 948 -- 1,501 -- 1,742 -- 1,542 --

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy, the personal weekly median income was $416. Family median weekly income was $1,211 and Household median weekly income was $948.

Median personal weekly income for persons aged 15 years and over born in the selected country. Excludes those who did not state an income.

Family for the selected country of birth is determined by the reference person and/or their spouse/partner's response to country of birth. Median family income excludes families where at least one family member aged 15 years and over did not state an income.

Household for the selected country of birth is determined by the response of any household member (enumerated in the dwelling) to country of birth. Median household income excludes households where at least one member aged 15 years and over did not state an income.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total family income (FINF) Total household income (HIND)

Travel to work
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 11,342 66.9 472,059 60.9 871,853 66.3 1,360,705 64.3
Bus or train 1,006 5.9 95,644 12.3 100,929 7.7 198,432 9.4
Other 2,317 13.7 114,295 14.8 148,471 11.3 265,178 12.5

In Greater Melbourne 66.9% of employed people who were born in Italy travelled to work on census day by car, while 5.9% travelled by bus or train.

View the data quality statement for Method of travel to work (MTWP)
Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 37,935 60.4 946,807 66.1 1,523,581 76.5 2,500,489 68.2
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 10,168 16.2 414,440 28.9 581,551 29.2 1,009,000 27.5
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 9,013 14.3 154,722 10.8 251,503 12.6 413,611 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 4,105 6.5 213,351 14.9 425,535 21.4 645,439 17.6

In Greater Melbourne 60.4% of people who were born in Italy did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 16.2% cared for a child or children in the two weeks before the census.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Unpaid domestic work, number of hours
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 9,803 15.6 309,069 21.6 577,595 29.0 896,253 24.5
5 to 14 hours per week 13,674 21.8 354,321 24.7 563,609 28.3 928,683 25.3
15 to 29 hours per week 7,902 12.6 156,447 10.9 222,560 11.2 383,944 10.5
30 hours or more per week 6,555 10.4 126,973 8.9 159,812 8.0 291,605 8.0

In Greater Melbourne of people who were born in Italy and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 21.8% worked 5 to 14 hours, 12.6% worked 15 to 29 hours and 10.4% worked 30 hours or more.

View the data quality statement for Unpaid domestic work, number of hours (DOMP)

Families

family composition | employment status of couple families

Family composition

For information on how migrant families are classified, see the User guide for QuickStats

Family composition Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 16,203 53.4 222,393 36.1 172,184 32.6 400,693 34.5
Couple family with children 10,016 33.0 310,537 50.5 246,060 46.6 563,155 48.5
One parent family 3,764 12.4 72,148 11.7 97,698 18.5 174,769 15.0
Other family 351 1.2 10,437 1.7 12,134 2.3 23,028 2.0
Families with a child under 5 775 2.6 114,731 18.6 93,757 17.8 208,494 17.9
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 2,805 9.2 238,546 38.8 220,599 41.8 459,144 39.5

These statistics are for families in Greater Melbourne. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Italy. Of these families, 33.0% were couple families with children, 53.4% were couple families without children and 12.4% were one parent families.

Note: Totals for families with a child under 5 and for families with a child aged 0-15 years does not include those families where the reference person and/or their spouse/partner did not state their country of birth.

View the data quality statement for Family composition (FMCF)

Employment status of couple families

Employment status of couple families
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 2,488 9.5 110,161 20.7 99,420 23.8 211,039 21.9
Both employed, worked part-time 937 3.6 22,269 4.2 15,667 3.7 38,293 4.0
One employed full-time, one part-time 3,304 12.6 98,916 18.6 117,564 28.1 218,082 22.6
One employed full-time, other not working 2,747 10.5 97,504 18.3 61,103 14.6 160,094 16.6
One employed part-time, other not working 1,961 7.5 37,202 7.0 20,636 4.9 58,500 6.1
Both not working 12,744 48.6 116,751 21.9 55,534 13.3 176,901 18.4
Other (includes away from work) 861 3.3 24,751 4.6 23,777 5.7 49,288 5.1
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 1,173 4.5 25,370 4.8 24,541 5.9 51,648 5.4

These statistics are for families in Greater Melbourne. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Italy. Of these families, 9.5% of families had both parents working full-time, 12.6% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 48.6% of families stated that both parents were not working.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status of parents / partners in families (LFSF)

Dwellings

dwelling structure | mortgage & rent | household composition

Dwelling structure

For information on how migrant households are classified, see the User guide for QuickStats

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 35,770 82.5 519,796 66.0 836,192 71.8 1,067,637 67.8
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 4,693 10.8 131,437 16.7 189,884 16.3 264,404 16.8
Flat or apartment 2,675 6.2 130,726 16.6 131,811 11.3 231,297 14.7
Other dwelling 121 0.3 2,901 0.4 4,332 0.4 6,400 0.4

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Melbourne. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 82.5% were a separate house, 6.2% were a flat or apartment, and 10.8% were a semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Number of bedrooms
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 88 0.2 3,935 0.5 3,179 0.3 6,732 0.4
1 bedroom 1,069 2.5 45,891 5.8 49,225 4.2 90,018 5.7
2 bedrooms 5,420 12.5 155,219 19.7 213,998 18.4 319,669 20.3
3 bedrooms 22,846 52.7 325,106 41.3 502,420 43.1 662,460 42.1
4 or more bedrooms 12,772 29.5 239,609 30.4 376,179 32.3 459,373 29.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 1,161 2.7 17,598 2.2 20,217 1.7 36,215 2.3

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Melbourne. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 12.5% had two bedrooms, 52.7% had three bedrooms and 29.5% had four or more bedrooms.

View the data quality statement for Number of bedrooms in a private dwelling (BEDD)

Mortgage & rent

Mortgage and rent
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 29,981 69.1 235,287 29.9 343,317 29.5 479,374 30.4
Owned with a mortgage 6,909 15.9 269,052 34.2 475,545 40.8 567,574 36.0
Rented 4,708 10.9 257,241 32.7 313,426 26.9 472,462 30.0
Other tenure type 228 0.5 5,105 0.6 8,952 0.8 12,777 0.8
Tenure type not stated 1,534 3.5 20,674 2.6 23,983 2.1 42,294 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,517 -- 1,870 -- 1,800 -- 1,800 --
Median weekly rent paid 355 -- 351 -- 351 -- 350 --

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Melbourne. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 69.1% were owned outright, 15.9% were owned with a mortgage and 10.9% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,517 and the median weekly rent paid was $355.

Median monthly mortgage repayment relates only to occupied private dwellings that are owned with a mortgage (including those being purchased under a rent/buy scheme). It excludes 'visitor only' and 'other non-classifiable' households and dwellings that did not state a monthly repayment value.

Median weekly rent paid relates to occupied private dwellings being rented (including rent-free accommodation). It excludes 'visitor only' and 'other non-classifiable' households and dwellings that did not state a weekly payment value.

View the data quality statements for: Tenure type (TEND) Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED)

Household composition

Household composition Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 30,514 70.4 584,453 74.2 866,756 74.4 1,098,635 69.8
Multiple family households 1,045 2.4 24,611 3.1 26,083 2.2 30,920 2.0
Single (or lone) person households 10,761 24.8 132,615 16.8 224,392 19.3 366,005 23.2
Group households 1,044 2.4 45,676 5.8 47,995 4.1 78,913 5.0

All occupants of a private dwelling complete one census form and are counted as a household. 'Born in Italy' includes households in Greater Melbourne where at least one person was born in Italy. Of those households, 70.4% were one family households and 24.8% were lone person households.

View the data quality statement for Household composition (HHCD)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.