People in Australia who were born in Laos

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 0 by 5103
People 10,397
Male 4,815
Female 5,582
Australian citizen 86.4%
Not an Australian citizen 11.8%
Families 5,465
Couples with children 3,396
Couples without children 1,139
One parent families 847
Other families 81
All private dwellings 6,048
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,950
Median weekly rent paid $310

Search country of birth QuickStats for another area

Map is loading.
To view more QuickStats or Community Profiles for a different area, see Search Census data.

People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 4,815 46.3 2,997,173 48.6 7,735,362 49.5 11,546,638 49.3
Female 5,582 53.7 3,166,493 51.4 7,880,175 50.5 11,855,248 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 10,397 people in Australia who were born in Laos. Of these 46.3% were male and 53.7% were female.

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

Age
People
Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 149 1.4 366,872 6.0 3,777,875 24.2 4,364,607 18.7
15-24 years 414 4.0 612,643 9.9 2,197,847 14.1 2,988,390 12.8
25-34 years 832 8.0 1,130,884 18.3 1,994,601 12.8 3,368,449 14.4
35-44 years 2,352 22.6 1,021,528 16.6 1,911,355 12.2 3,144,935 13.4
45-54 years 2,767 26.6 961,980 15.6 1,920,340 12.3 3,105,007 13.3
55-64 years 2,365 22.7 840,595 13.6 1,704,198 10.9 2,753,734 11.8
65 years and over 1,520 14.6 1,229,161 19.9 2,109,310 13.5 3,676,765 15.7
Median age 50 -- 44 -- 34 -- 38 --

Of the population born in Laos who usually live in Australia, 1.4% were aged 0 - 14 years and 14.6% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Australia who were born in Laos was 50 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 6,273 61.2 3,362,174 58.0 5,158,710 43.6 9,148,218 48.1
Separated 437 4.3 178,867 3.1 376,863 3.2 608,059 3.2
Divorced 970 9.5 464,766 8.0 1,021,844 8.6 1,626,890 8.5
Widowed 455 4.4 326,987 5.6 560,940 4.7 985,204 5.2
Never married 2,118 20.7 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 Laos, 61.2% were married, 4.3% were separated, and 9.5% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 12 0.1 21,982 0.4 323,754 2.1 347,621 1.5
Primary 71 0.7 197,196 3.2 1,717,830 11.0 1,926,880 8.2
Secondary 167 1.6 224,770 3.6 1,211,676 7.8 1,446,506 6.2
University or tertiary institution 230 2.2 440,789 7.2 713,008 4.6 1,160,630 5.0
Technical or further education 233 2.2 152,909 2.5 267,689 1.7 424,870 1.8
Other 163 1.6 97,890 1.6 98,429 0.6 198,383 0.8
Institution attended, type not stated 146 1.4 117,292 1.9 329,449 2.1 1,707,023 7.3
Not attending an educational institution 9,367 90.2 4,910,840 79.7 10,953,685 70.1 16,189,980 69.2

Of the population born in Laos who usually live in Australia, 9.8% were attending an educational institution. There were 0.7% in primary school, 1.6% in secondary school and 4.5% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 1,348 13.1 1,830,410 31.6 2,320,141 19.6 4,181,406 22.0
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 766 7.5 587,176 10.1 1,079,954 9.1 1,687,893 8.9
Certificate level IV 153 1.5 120,064 2.1 425,836 3.6 551,767 2.9
Certificate level III 650 6.3 565,803 9.8 1,831,323 15.5 2,442,203 12.8
Year 12 2,693 26.3 1,051,623 18.1 1,902,337 16.1 2,994,097 15.7
Year 11 332 3.2 200,856 3.5 724,761 6.1 941,531 4.9
Year 10 1,073 10.5 418,929 7.2 1,588,715 13.4 2,054,331 10.8
Certificate level II 15 0.1 3,313 0.1 9,848 0.1 13,454 0.1
Certificate level I 6 0.1 863 0.0 1,266 0.0 2,176 0.0
Year 9 or below 1,131 11.0 458,176 7.9 1,027,299 8.7 1,529,897 8.0
No educational attainment 1,396 13.6 114,870 2.0 26,748 0.2 145,844 0.8
Not stated 393 3.8 264,618 4.6 570,419 4.8 1,974,794 10.4

Of the population born in Laos who usually live in Australia, 26.3% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 7.9% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 7.5% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 0 0.0 9,289 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 0 0.0 84,378 1.4 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 5 0.0 321,721 5.2 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 50 0.5 590,106 9.6 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 3,761 36.2 541,319 8.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 3,618 34.8 768,312 12.5 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 979 9.4 766,940 12.4 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 305 2.9 559,084 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 630 6.1 985,332 16.0 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 708 6.8 1,324,426 21.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 15,615,531 -- -- --

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, 6.8% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 6.1% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 8,983 86.4 3,652,290 59.3 15,304,785 98.0 19,278,834 82.4
Not an Australian citizen 1,224 11.8 2,402,591 39.0 86,884 0.6 2,507,458 10.7

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, 86.4% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 5,812 87.6 2,533,692 72.3 874,386 14.5 3,432,017 35.9
Spouse or partner born in Australia 721 10.9 874,386 25.0 4,975,104 82.7 5,872,893 61.4

In Australia of people who were born in Laos and had a spouse or partner, 87.6% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 10.9% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Buddhism 7,403 71.2 400,332 6.5 156,171 1.0 563,674 2.4
No Religion, so described 1,212 11.7 1,647,084 26.7 5,197,438 33.3 6,933,708 29.6
Catholic 472 4.5 1,306,565 21.2 3,895,007 24.9 5,291,834 22.6
Nature Religions 220 2.1 4,424 0.1 22,386 0.1 27,207 0.1
Christian, nfd 140 1.3 211,734 3.4 391,430 2.5 612,371 2.6

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, the most common responses to the religion question were Buddhism 71.2%, No Religion, so described 11.7%, Catholic 4.5%, Nature Religions 2.1% and Christian, nfd 1.3%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 1,071 10.3 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 5,839 56.1 2,885,219 46.8 1,122,966 7.2 4,068,598 17.4
Not well or not at all 3,376 32.4 648,470 10.5 157,704 1.0 819,925 3.5

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, 10.3% spoke English only at home. A further 56.1% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 3,948 65.8 2,052,828 58.4 4,491,739 57.5 6,623,065 57.7
Worked part-time 1,278 21.3 1,025,198 29.2 2,421,402 31.0 3,491,503 30.4
Away from work 219 3.6 158,027 4.5 397,088 5.1 569,276 5.0
Unemployed 557 9.3 277,586 7.9 498,013 6.4 787,452 6.9
Not in the labour force 4,179 40.8 2,221,922 38.3 3,913,066 33.1 6,297,600 33.1

In Australia of people who were born in Laos and who were in the labour force, 65.8% worked full-time, 21.3% worked part-time and 9.3% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 408 7.5 313,561 9.7 890,779 12.2 1,218,823 11.4
16-24 hours per week 368 6.8 358,890 11.1 706,291 9.7 1,079,236 10.1
25-34 hours per week 501 9.2 352,748 10.9 824,331 11.3 1,193,445 11.2
35-39 hours per week 1,914 35.1 705,848 21.8 1,300,092 17.8 2,031,263 19.0
40 hours or more per week 2,034 37.3 1,346,985 41.6 3,191,643 43.7 4,591,801 43.0

In Australia of people who were born in Laos and who were employed, 37.3% worked 40 hours or more per week and 35.1% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Labourers 1,347 24.7 354,542 11.0 638,102 8.7 1,011,520 9.5
Machinery Operators and Drivers 849 15.6 210,138 6.5 447,114 6.1 670,106 6.3
Technicians and Trades Workers 729 13.4 405,055 12.5 1,021,688 14.0 1,447,414 13.5
Clerical and Administrative Workers 666 12.2 393,619 12.2 1,040,953 14.2 1,449,681 13.6
Professionals 598 11.0 815,695 25.2 1,536,662 21.0 2,370,966 22.2

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, the most common responses for occupation were Labourers 24.7%, Machinery Operators and Drivers 15.6%, Technicians and Trades Workers 13.4%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.2% and Professionals 11.0%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 329 6.1 121,097 3.7 130,007 1.8 253,385 2.4
Central Government Administration 134 2.5 31,315 1.0 95,409 1.3 127,598 1.2
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 130 2.4 141,550 4.4 265,609 3.6 411,808 3.9
Banking 106 2.0 56,849 1.8 86,366 1.2 144,232 1.3
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 82 1.5 63,537 2.0 187,929 2.6 254,275 2.4

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 6.1%, Central Government Administration 2.5%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.4%, Banking 2.0% and Supermarket and Grocery Stores 1.5%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 545 -- 615 -- 688 -- 662 --
Family 1,591 -- 1,725 -- 1,834 -- 1,734 --
Household 1,690 -- 1,562 -- 1,539 -- 1,438 --

In Australia of people who were born in Laos, the personal weekly median income was $545. Family median weekly income was $1,591 and Household median weekly income was $1,690.

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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 4,291 78.8 1,986,872 61.4 5,009,484 68.5 7,090,101 66.4
Bus or train 429 7.9 453,292 14.0 454,116 6.2 915,328 8.6
Other 331 6.1 381,664 11.8 672,865 9.2 1,066,965 10.0

In Australia 78.8% of employed people who were born in Laos travelled to work on census day by car, while 7.9% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 6,015 58.7 3,964,948 68.4 9,000,198 76.0 13,143,914 69.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 3,331 32.5 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) 1,142 11.1 613,990 10.6 1,489,817 12.6 2,145,203 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 1,071 10.4 941,091 16.2 2,634,097 22.3 3,620,726 19.0

In Australia 58.7% of people who were born in Laos did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 32.5% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 1,790 17.5 1,234,900 21.3 3,013,177 25.5 4,298,593 22.6
5 to 14 hours per week 2,192 21.4 1,509,217 26.0 3,371,602 28.5 4,944,578 26.0
15 to 29 hours per week 1,073 10.5 678,501 11.7 1,479,061 12.5 2,189,776 11.5
30 hours or more per week 954 9.3 542,335 9.4 1,136,359 9.6 1,710,970 9.0

In Australia of people who were born in Laos and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 21.4% worked 5 to 14 hours, 10.5% worked 15 to 29 hours and 9.3% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 1,139 20.8 1,012,440 39.3 1,240,422 36.6 2,291,987 37.8
Couple family with children 3,396 62.1 1,248,241 48.4 1,434,939 42.3 2,716,224 44.7
One parent family 847 15.5 282,463 11.0 648,590 19.1 959,543 15.8
Other family 81 1.5 34,059 1.3 65,896 1.9 102,559 1.7
Families with a child under 5 919 16.8 446,733 17.3 591,182 17.4 1,037,904 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 2,454 44.9 977,697 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 Laos. Of these families, 62.1% were couple families with children, 20.8% were couple families without children and 15.5% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 1,128 24.9 475,278 21.0 600,260 22.4 1,084,006 21.6
Both employed, worked part-time 141 3.1 97,948 4.3 103,266 3.9 203,596 4.1
One employed full-time, one part-time 578 12.8 424,478 18.8 652,771 24.4 1,086,460 21.7
One employed full-time, other not working 1,111 24.5 390,307 17.3 352,203 13.2 749,886 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 301 6.6 156,274 6.9 141,852 5.3 302,037 6.0
Both not working 971 21.4 492,423 21.8 488,403 18.3 1,006,697 20.1
Other (includes away from work) 180 4.0 107,664 4.8 152,346 5.7 264,145 5.3
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 122 2.7 116,299 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 Laos. Of these families, 24.9% of families had both parents working full-time, 12.8% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 21.4% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 4,716 78.0 2,212,954 67.1 5,074,866 76.9 6,041,788 72.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 657 10.9 466,800 14.1 779,497 11.8 1,055,016 12.7
Flat or apartment 627 10.4 585,471 17.7 668,862 10.1 1,087,434 13.1
Other dwelling 28 0.5 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 Laos, 78.0% were a separate house, 10.4% were a flat or apartment, and 10.9% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 27 0.4 17,187 0.5 23,956 0.4 39,769 0.5
1 bedroom 185 3.1 176,922 5.4 254,884 3.9 411,252 5.0
2 bedrooms 691 11.4 658,470 20.0 1,119,772 17.0 1,562,759 18.9
3 bedrooms 2,209 36.5 1,264,755 38.3 2,787,246 42.2 3,403,190 41.1
4 or more bedrooms 2,816 46.6 1,110,865 33.7 2,287,725 34.7 2,670,758 32.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 116 1.9 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 Laos, 11.4% had two bedrooms, 36.5% had three bedrooms and 46.6% 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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 1,694 28.0 970,425 29.4 2,013,505 30.5 2,565,695 31.0
Owned with a mortgage 2,660 44.0 1,122,252 34.0 2,474,999 37.5 2,855,222 34.5
Rented 1,535 25.4 1,099,840 33.3 1,907,007 28.9 2,561,302 30.9
Other tenure type 27 0.4 25,380 0.8 59,681 0.9 78,994 1.0
Tenure type not stated 128 2.1 81,928 2.5 144,494 2.2 224,869 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,950 -- 1,950 -- 1,742 -- 1,755 --
Median weekly rent paid 310 -- 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 Laos, 28.0% were owned outright, 44.0% were owned with a mortgage and 25.4% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,950 and the median weekly rent paid was $310.

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 Laos % Born in Laos All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 4,764 78.7 2,465,248 74.7 4,809,352 72.9 5,751,635 69.4
Multiple family households 587 9.7 101,470 3.1 137,593 2.1 155,992 1.9
Single (or lone) person households 499 8.2 559,665 17.0 1,403,935 21.3 2,023,542 24.4
Group households 200 3.3 173,452 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 Laos' includes households in Australia where at least one person was born in Laos. Of those households, 78.7% were one family households and 8.2% 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.