People in Australia who were born in Poland

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 0 by 3307
People 45,365
Male 19,458
Female 25,907
Australian citizen 85.4%
Not an Australian citizen 12.4%
Families 22,299
Couples with children 8,985
Couples without children 10,538
One parent families 2,593
Other families 181
All private dwellings 32,130
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,800
Median weekly rent paid $350

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 19,458 42.9 2,997,173 48.6 7,735,362 49.5 11,546,638 49.3
Female 25,907 57.1 3,166,493 51.4 7,880,175 50.5 11,855,248 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 45,365 people in Australia who were born in Poland. Of these 42.9% were male and 57.1% were female.

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

Age
People
Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 509 1.1 366,872 6.0 3,777,875 24.2 4,364,607 18.7
15-24 years 817 1.8 612,643 9.9 2,197,847 14.1 2,988,390 12.8
25-34 years 4,475 9.9 1,130,884 18.3 1,994,601 12.8 3,368,449 14.4
35-44 years 7,756 17.1 1,021,528 16.6 1,911,355 12.2 3,144,935 13.4
45-54 years 4,837 10.7 961,980 15.6 1,920,340 12.3 3,105,007 13.3
55-64 years 10,475 23.1 840,595 13.6 1,704,198 10.9 2,753,734 11.8
65 years and over 16,504 36.4 1,229,161 19.9 2,109,310 13.5 3,676,765 15.7
Median age 59 -- 44 -- 34 -- 38 --

Of the population born in Poland who usually live in Australia, 1.1% were aged 0 - 14 years and 36.4% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Australia who were born in Poland was 59 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 24,392 54.4 3,362,174 58.0 5,158,710 43.6 9,148,218 48.1
Separated 1,989 4.4 178,867 3.1 376,863 3.2 608,059 3.2
Divorced 5,726 12.8 464,766 8.0 1,021,844 8.6 1,626,890 8.5
Widowed 6,238 13.9 326,987 5.6 560,940 4.7 985,204 5.2
Never married 6,510 14.5 1,463,996 25.3 4,719,302 39.9 6,668,910 35.0

Of people in Australia aged 15 years and over who were born in Poland, 54.4% were married, 4.4% were separated, and 12.8% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 33 0.1 21,982 0.4 323,754 2.1 347,621 1.5
Primary 283 0.6 197,196 3.2 1,717,830 11.0 1,926,880 8.2
Secondary 357 0.8 224,770 3.6 1,211,676 7.8 1,446,506 6.2
University or tertiary institution 1,146 2.5 440,789 7.2 713,008 4.6 1,160,630 5.0
Technical or further education 691 1.5 152,909 2.5 267,689 1.7 424,870 1.8
Other 518 1.1 97,890 1.6 98,429 0.6 198,383 0.8
Institution attended, type not stated 976 2.2 117,292 1.9 329,449 2.1 1,707,023 7.3
Not attending an educational institution 41,365 91.2 4,910,840 79.7 10,953,685 70.1 16,189,980 69.2

Of the population born in Poland who usually live in Australia, 8.8% were attending an educational institution. There were 0.6% in primary school, 0.8% in secondary school and 4.0% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 14,283 31.8 1,830,410 31.6 2,320,141 19.6 4,181,406 22.0
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 5,686 12.7 587,176 10.1 1,079,954 9.1 1,687,893 8.9
Certificate level IV 852 1.9 120,064 2.1 425,836 3.6 551,767 2.9
Certificate level III 5,777 12.9 565,803 9.8 1,831,323 15.5 2,442,203 12.8
Year 12 6,788 15.1 1,051,623 18.1 1,902,337 16.1 2,994,097 15.7
Year 11 878 2.0 200,856 3.5 724,761 6.1 941,531 4.9
Year 10 1,911 4.3 418,929 7.2 1,588,715 13.4 2,054,331 10.8
Certificate level II 9 0.0 3,313 0.1 9,848 0.1 13,454 0.1
Certificate level I 0 0.0 863 0.0 1,266 0.0 2,176 0.0
Year 9 or below 3,324 7.4 458,176 7.9 1,027,299 8.7 1,529,897 8.0
No educational attainment 378 0.8 114,870 2.0 26,748 0.2 145,844 0.8
Not stated 3,123 7.0 264,618 4.6 570,419 4.8 1,974,794 10.4

Of the population born in Poland who usually live in Australia, 15.1% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 14.8% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 12.7% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 233 0.5 9,289 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 3,965 8.7 84,378 1.4 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 2,852 6.3 321,721 5.2 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 3,383 7.5 590,106 9.6 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 3,881 8.6 541,319 8.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 16,419 36.2 768,312 12.5 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 5,284 11.6 766,940 12.4 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 2,132 4.7 559,084 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 2,503 5.5 985,332 16.0 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 3,353 7.4 1,324,426 21.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 15,615,531 -- -- --

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, 7.4% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 5.5% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 38,738 85.4 3,652,290 59.3 15,304,785 98.0 19,278,834 82.4
Not an Australian citizen 5,640 12.4 2,402,591 39.0 86,884 0.6 2,507,458 10.7

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, 85.4% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 19,180 72.3 2,533,692 72.3 874,386 14.5 3,432,017 35.9
Spouse or partner born in Australia 6,389 24.1 874,386 25.0 4,975,104 82.7 5,872,893 61.4

In Australia of people who were born in Poland and had a spouse or partner, 72.3% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 24.1% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Catholic 31,974 70.5 1,306,565 21.2 3,895,007 24.9 5,291,834 22.6
No Religion, so described 6,413 14.1 1,647,084 26.7 5,197,438 33.3 6,933,708 29.6
Judaism 1,622 3.6 42,050 0.7 47,883 0.3 91,022 0.4
Christian, nfd 648 1.4 211,734 3.4 391,430 2.5 612,371 2.6
Seventh-day Adventist 536 1.2 22,962 0.4 38,653 0.2 62,945 0.3

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, the most common responses to the religion question were Catholic 70.5%, No Religion, so described 14.1%, Judaism 3.6%, Christian, nfd 1.4% and Seventh-day Adventist 1.2%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 11,130 24.5 2,581,282 41.9 14,190,672 90.9 17,020,421 72.7
Speaks other language and speaks English:  null  null  null  null  null  null
Very well or well 29,415 64.8 2,885,219 46.8 1,122,966 7.2 4,068,598 17.4
Not well or not at all 4,371 9.6 648,470 10.5 157,704 1.0 819,925 3.5

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, 24.5% spoke English only at home. A further 64.8% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 13,758 58.2 2,052,828 58.4 4,491,739 57.5 6,623,065 57.7
Worked part-time 7,345 31.1 1,025,198 29.2 2,421,402 31.0 3,491,503 30.4
Away from work 1,100 4.7 158,027 4.5 397,088 5.1 569,276 5.0
Unemployed 1,439 6.1 277,586 7.9 498,013 6.4 787,452 6.9
Not in the labour force 20,465 45.6 2,221,922 38.3 3,913,066 33.1 6,297,600 33.1

In Australia of people who were born in Poland and who were in the labour force, 58.2% worked full-time, 31.1% worked part-time and 6.1% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 2,112 9.5 313,561 9.7 890,779 12.2 1,218,823 11.4
16-24 hours per week 2,563 11.5 358,890 11.1 706,291 9.7 1,079,236 10.1
25-34 hours per week 2,671 12.0 352,748 10.9 824,331 11.3 1,193,445 11.2
35-39 hours per week 4,692 21.1 705,848 21.8 1,300,092 17.8 2,031,263 19.0
40 hours or more per week 9,073 40.9 1,346,985 41.6 3,191,643 43.7 4,591,801 43.0

In Australia of people who were born in Poland and who were employed, 40.9% worked 40 hours or more per week and 21.1% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Professionals 6,471 29.2 815,695 25.2 1,536,662 21.0 2,370,966 22.2
Technicians and Trades Workers 3,457 15.6 405,055 12.5 1,021,688 14.0 1,447,414 13.5
Clerical and Administrative Workers 2,682 12.1 393,619 12.2 1,040,953 14.2 1,449,681 13.6
Managers 2,567 11.6 403,585 12.5 970,340 13.3 1,390,047 13.0
Community and Personal Service Workers 2,391 10.8 351,854 10.9 789,597 10.8 1,157,003 10.8

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, the most common responses for occupation were Professionals 29.2%, Technicians and Trades Workers 15.6%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.1%, Managers 11.6% and Community and Personal Service Workers 10.8%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 1,075 4.9 141,550 4.4 265,609 3.6 411,808 3.9
Aged Care Residential Services 816 3.7 90,571 2.8 117,174 1.6 211,621 2.0
Computer System Design and Related Services 574 2.6 82,618 2.6 79,573 1.1 162,884 1.5
Higher Education 525 2.4 61,774 1.9 93,269 1.3 155,985 1.5
Building and Other Industrial Cleaning Services 502 2.3 64,744 2.0 64,388 0.9 131,908 1.2

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, the most common responses for industry of employment were Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 4.9%, Aged Care Residential Services 3.7%, Computer System Design and Related Services 2.6%, Higher Education 2.4% and Building and Other Industrial Cleaning Services 2.3%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 580 -- 615 -- 688 -- 662 --
Family 1,791 -- 1,725 -- 1,834 -- 1,734 --
Household 1,363 -- 1,562 -- 1,539 -- 1,438 --

In Australia of people who were born in Poland, the personal weekly median income was $580. Family median weekly income was $1,791 and Household median weekly income was $1,363.

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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 14,167 63.8 1,986,872 61.4 5,009,484 68.5 7,090,101 66.4
Bus or train 2,445 11.0 453,292 14.0 454,116 6.2 915,328 8.6
Other 2,302 10.4 381,664 11.8 672,865 9.2 1,066,965 10.0

In Australia 63.8% of employed people who were born in Poland travelled to work on census day by car, while 11.0% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 31,898 71.1 3,964,948 68.4 9,000,198 76.0 13,143,914 69.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 10,677 23.8 1,677,392 28.9 3,507,061 29.6 5,259,400 27.6
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 5,531 12.3 613,990 10.6 1,489,817 12.6 2,145,203 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 5,727 12.8 941,091 16.2 2,634,097 22.3 3,620,726 19.0

In Australia 71.1% of people who were born in Poland did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 23.8% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 9,235 20.6 1,234,900 21.3 3,013,177 25.5 4,298,593 22.6
5 to 14 hours per week 12,785 28.5 1,509,217 26.0 3,371,602 28.5 4,944,578 26.0
15 to 29 hours per week 5,650 12.6 678,501 11.7 1,479,061 12.5 2,189,776 11.5
30 hours or more per week 4,223 9.4 542,335 9.4 1,136,359 9.6 1,710,970 9.0

In Australia of people who were born in Poland and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 28.5% worked 5 to 14 hours, 12.6% worked 15 to 29 hours and 9.4% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 10,538 47.3 1,012,440 39.3 1,240,422 36.6 2,291,987 37.8
Couple family with children 8,985 40.3 1,248,241 48.4 1,434,939 42.3 2,716,224 44.7
One parent family 2,593 11.6 282,463 11.0 648,590 19.1 959,543 15.8
Other family 181 0.8 34,059 1.3 65,896 1.9 102,559 1.7
Families with a child under 5 2,949 13.2 446,733 17.3 591,182 17.4 1,037,904 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 6,294 28.2 977,697 37.9 1,379,763 40.7 2,357,465 38.8

These statistics are for families in Australia. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Poland. Of these families, 40.3% were couple families with children, 47.3% were couple families without children and 11.6% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 3,840 19.7 475,278 21.0 600,260 22.4 1,084,006 21.6
Both employed, worked part-time 911 4.7 97,948 4.3 103,266 3.9 203,596 4.1
One employed full-time, one part-time 3,779 19.4 424,478 18.8 652,771 24.4 1,086,460 21.7
One employed full-time, other not working 2,844 14.6 390,307 17.3 352,203 13.2 749,886 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 1,317 6.7 156,274 6.9 141,852 5.3 302,037 6.0
Both not working 4,731 24.2 492,423 21.8 488,403 18.3 1,006,697 20.1
Other (includes away from work) 905 4.6 107,664 4.8 152,346 5.7 264,145 5.3
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 1,191 6.1 116,299 5.1 184,264 6.9 311,381 6.2

These statistics are for families in Australia. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Poland. Of these families, 19.7% of families had both parents working full-time, 19.4% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 24.2% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 21,652 67.4 2,212,954 67.1 5,074,866 76.9 6,041,788 72.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 4,865 15.1 466,800 14.1 779,497 11.8 1,055,016 12.7
Flat or apartment 5,377 16.7 585,471 17.7 668,862 10.1 1,087,434 13.1
Other dwelling 120 0.4 20,721 0.6 48,617 0.7 64,425 0.8

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Poland, 67.4% were a separate house, 16.7% were a flat or apartment, and 15.1% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 149 0.5 17,187 0.5 23,956 0.4 39,769 0.5
1 bedroom 2,020 6.3 176,922 5.4 254,884 3.9 411,252 5.0
2 bedrooms 6,694 20.8 658,470 20.0 1,119,772 17.0 1,562,759 18.9
3 bedrooms 13,683 42.6 1,264,755 38.3 2,787,246 42.2 3,403,190 41.1
4 or more bedrooms 8,897 27.7 1,110,865 33.7 2,287,725 34.7 2,670,758 32.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 692 2.2 71,635 2.2 126,102 1.9 198,351 2.4

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Poland, 20.8% had two bedrooms, 42.6% had three bedrooms and 27.7% 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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 13,461 41.9 970,425 29.4 2,013,505 30.5 2,565,695 31.0
Owned with a mortgage 9,368 29.2 1,122,252 34.0 2,474,999 37.5 2,855,222 34.5
Rented 8,144 25.3 1,099,840 33.3 1,907,007 28.9 2,561,302 30.9
Other tenure type 250 0.8 25,380 0.8 59,681 0.9 78,994 1.0
Tenure type not stated 905 2.8 81,928 2.5 144,494 2.2 224,869 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,800 -- 1,950 -- 1,742 -- 1,755 --
Median weekly rent paid 350 -- 370 -- 330 -- 335 --

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Poland, 41.9% were owned outright, 29.2% were owned with a mortgage and 25.3% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,800 and the median weekly rent paid was $350.

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 Poland % Born in Poland All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 22,291 69.4 2,465,248 74.7 4,809,352 72.9 5,751,635 69.4
Multiple family households 496 1.5 101,470 3.1 137,593 2.1 155,992 1.9
Single (or lone) person households 8,082 25.1 559,665 17.0 1,403,935 21.3 2,023,542 24.4
Group households 1,273 4.0 173,452 5.3 248,803 3.8 354,917 4.3

All occupants of a private dwelling complete one census form and are counted as a household. 'Born in Poland' includes households in Australia where at least one person was born in Poland. Of those households, 69.4% were one family households and 25.1% 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.