People in Australia who were born in Thailand

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 0 by 5104
People 66,231
Male 21,243
Female 44,988
Australian citizen 48.9%
Not an Australian citizen 49.4%
Families 29,531
Couples with children 13,783
Couples without children 12,392
One parent families 2,807
Other families 555
All private dwellings 40,185
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,900
Median weekly rent paid $380

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 21,243 32.1 2,997,173 48.6 7,735,362 49.5 11,546,638 49.3
Female 44,988 67.9 3,166,493 51.4 7,880,175 50.5 11,855,248 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 66,231 people in Australia who were born in Thailand. Of these 32.1% were male and 67.9% were female.

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

Age
People
Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 6,899 10.4 366,872 6.0 3,777,875 24.2 4,364,607 18.7
15-24 years 9,575 14.5 612,643 9.9 2,197,847 14.1 2,988,390 12.8
25-34 years 19,241 29.1 1,130,884 18.3 1,994,601 12.8 3,368,449 14.4
35-44 years 16,790 25.4 1,021,528 16.6 1,911,355 12.2 3,144,935 13.4
45-54 years 7,935 12.0 961,980 15.6 1,920,340 12.3 3,105,007 13.3
55-64 years 4,055 6.1 840,595 13.6 1,704,198 10.9 2,753,734 11.8
65 years and over 1,732 2.6 1,229,161 19.9 2,109,310 13.5 3,676,765 15.7
Median age 33 -- 44 -- 34 -- 38 --

Of the population born in Thailand who usually live in Australia, 10.4% were aged 0 - 14 years and 2.6% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Australia who were born in Thailand was 33 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 27,421 46.2 3,362,174 58.0 5,158,710 43.6 9,148,218 48.1
Separated 1,964 3.3 178,867 3.1 376,863 3.2 608,059 3.2
Divorced 4,728 8.0 464,766 8.0 1,021,844 8.6 1,626,890 8.5
Widowed 1,180 2.0 326,987 5.6 560,940 4.7 985,204 5.2
Never married 24,042 40.5 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 Thailand, 46.2% were married, 3.3% were separated, and 8.0% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 386 0.6 21,982 0.4 323,754 2.1 347,621 1.5
Primary 3,500 5.3 197,196 3.2 1,717,830 11.0 1,926,880 8.2
Secondary 4,403 6.6 224,770 3.6 1,211,676 7.8 1,446,506 6.2
University or tertiary institution 4,717 7.1 440,789 7.2 713,008 4.6 1,160,630 5.0
Technical or further education 5,228 7.9 152,909 2.5 267,689 1.7 424,870 1.8
Other 5,270 8.0 97,890 1.6 98,429 0.6 198,383 0.8
Institution attended, type not stated 1,728 2.6 117,292 1.9 329,449 2.1 1,707,023 7.3
Not attending an educational institution 40,997 61.9 4,910,840 79.7 10,953,685 70.1 16,189,980 69.2

Of the population born in Thailand who usually live in Australia, 38.1% were attending an educational institution. There were 5.3% in primary school, 6.6% in secondary school and 15.0% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 19,959 33.6 1,830,410 31.6 2,320,141 19.6 4,181,406 22.0
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 5,318 9.0 587,176 10.1 1,079,954 9.1 1,687,893 8.9
Certificate level IV 960 1.6 120,064 2.1 425,836 3.6 551,767 2.9
Certificate level III 3,611 6.1 565,803 9.8 1,831,323 15.5 2,442,203 12.8
Year 12 12,684 21.4 1,051,623 18.1 1,902,337 16.1 2,994,097 15.7
Year 11 1,780 3.0 200,856 3.5 724,761 6.1 941,531 4.9
Year 10 3,980 6.7 418,929 7.2 1,588,715 13.4 2,054,331 10.8
Certificate level II 101 0.2 3,313 0.1 9,848 0.1 13,454 0.1
Certificate level I 30 0.1 863 0.0 1,266 0.0 2,176 0.0
Year 9 or below 5,680 9.6 458,176 7.9 1,027,299 8.7 1,529,897 8.0
No educational attainment 1,107 1.9 114,870 2.0 26,748 0.2 145,844 0.8
Not stated 2,582 4.4 264,618 4.6 570,419 4.8 1,974,794 10.4

Of the population born in Thailand who usually live in Australia, 21.4% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 7.7% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 9.0% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 0 0.0 9,289 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 16 0.0 84,378 1.4 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 53 0.1 321,721 5.2 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 296 0.4 590,106 9.6 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 1,676 2.5 541,319 8.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 7,192 10.9 768,312 12.5 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 8,423 12.7 766,940 12.4 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 7,968 12.0 559,084 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 15,583 23.5 985,332 16.0 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 21,479 32.4 1,324,426 21.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 15,615,531 -- -- --

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, 32.4% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 23.5% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 32,358 48.9 3,652,290 59.3 15,304,785 98.0 19,278,834 82.4
Not an Australian citizen 32,711 49.4 2,402,591 39.0 86,884 0.6 2,507,458 10.7

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, 48.9% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 16,717 55.3 2,533,692 72.3 874,386 14.5 3,432,017 35.9
Spouse or partner born in Australia 12,500 41.4 874,386 25.0 4,975,104 82.7 5,872,893 61.4

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand and had a spouse or partner, 55.3% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 41.4% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Buddhism 48,248 72.9 400,332 6.5 156,171 1.0 563,674 2.4
No Religion, so described 6,230 9.4 1,647,084 26.7 5,197,438 33.3 6,933,708 29.6
Baptist 2,839 4.3 105,653 1.7 234,177 1.5 345,142 1.5
Catholic 2,277 3.4 1,306,565 21.2 3,895,007 24.9 5,291,834 22.6
Anglican 1,016 1.5 535,049 8.7 2,504,891 16.0 3,101,185 13.3

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, the most common responses to the religion question were Buddhism 72.9%, No Religion, so described 9.4%, Baptist 4.3%, Catholic 3.4% and Anglican 1.5%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 11,401 17.2 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 42,010 63.4 2,885,219 46.8 1,122,966 7.2 4,068,598 17.4
Not well or not at all 12,209 18.4 648,470 10.5 157,704 1.0 819,925 3.5

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, 17.2% spoke English only at home. A further 63.4% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 16,960 41.9 2,052,828 58.4 4,491,739 57.5 6,623,065 57.7
Worked part-time 18,263 45.1 1,025,198 29.2 2,421,402 31.0 3,491,503 30.4
Away from work 1,771 4.4 158,027 4.5 397,088 5.1 569,276 5.0
Unemployed 3,520 8.7 277,586 7.9 498,013 6.4 787,452 6.9
Not in the labour force 18,337 30.9 2,221,922 38.3 3,913,066 33.1 6,297,600 33.1

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand and who were in the labour force, 41.9% worked full-time, 45.1% worked part-time and 8.7% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 5,254 14.2 313,561 9.7 890,779 12.2 1,218,823 11.4
16-24 hours per week 8,653 23.4 358,890 11.1 706,291 9.7 1,079,236 10.1
25-34 hours per week 4,365 11.8 352,748 10.9 824,331 11.3 1,193,445 11.2
35-39 hours per week 7,330 19.8 705,848 21.8 1,300,092 17.8 2,031,263 19.0
40 hours or more per week 9,630 26.0 1,346,985 41.6 3,191,643 43.7 4,591,801 43.0

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand and who were employed, 26.0% worked 40 hours or more per week and 19.8% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Labourers 8,882 24.0 354,542 11.0 638,102 8.7 1,011,520 9.5
Community and Personal Service Workers 8,384 22.7 351,854 10.9 789,597 10.8 1,157,003 10.8
Technicians and Trades Workers 6,046 16.3 405,055 12.5 1,021,688 14.0 1,447,414 13.5
Professionals 3,439 9.3 815,695 25.2 1,536,662 21.0 2,370,966 22.2
Managers 3,222 8.7 403,585 12.5 970,340 13.3 1,390,047 13.0

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, the most common responses for occupation were Labourers 24.0%, Community and Personal Service Workers 22.7%, Technicians and Trades Workers 16.3%, Professionals 9.3% and Managers 8.7%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 8,479 23.0 121,097 3.7 130,007 1.8 253,385 2.4
Other Allied Health Services 2,302 6.2 23,332 0.7 44,594 0.6 68,701 0.6
Building and Other Industrial Cleaning Services 1,806 4.9 64,744 2.0 64,388 0.9 131,908 1.2
Accommodation 1,348 3.7 43,933 1.4 67,779 0.9 113,377 1.1
Aged Care Residential Services 1,043 2.8 90,571 2.8 117,174 1.6 211,621 2.0

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 23.0%, Other Allied Health Services 6.2%, Building and Other Industrial Cleaning Services 4.9%, Accommodation 3.7% and Aged Care Residential Services 2.8%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 449 -- 615 -- 688 -- 662 --
Family 1,566 -- 1,725 -- 1,834 -- 1,734 --
Household 1,646 -- 1,562 -- 1,539 -- 1,438 --

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand, the personal weekly median income was $449. Family median weekly income was $1,566 and Household median weekly income was $1,646.

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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 18,735 50.6 1,986,872 61.4 5,009,484 68.5 7,090,101 66.4
Bus or train 8,097 21.9 453,292 14.0 454,116 6.2 915,328 8.6
Other 5,915 16.0 381,664 11.8 672,865 9.2 1,066,965 10.0

In Australia 50.6% of employed people who were born in Thailand travelled to work on census day by car, while 21.9% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 36,307 61.2 3,964,948 68.4 9,000,198 76.0 13,143,914 69.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 15,088 25.4 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) 4,510 7.6 613,990 10.6 1,489,817 12.6 2,145,203 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 5,528 9.3 941,091 16.2 2,634,097 22.3 3,620,726 19.0

In Australia 61.2% of people who were born in Thailand did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 25.4% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 12,381 20.9 1,234,900 21.3 3,013,177 25.5 4,298,593 22.6
5 to 14 hours per week 13,256 22.3 1,509,217 26.0 3,371,602 28.5 4,944,578 26.0
15 to 29 hours per week 5,851 9.9 678,501 11.7 1,479,061 12.5 2,189,776 11.5
30 hours or more per week 4,816 8.1 542,335 9.4 1,136,359 9.6 1,710,970 9.0

In Australia of people who were born in Thailand and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 22.3% worked 5 to 14 hours, 9.9% worked 15 to 29 hours and 8.1% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 12,392 42.0 1,012,440 39.3 1,240,422 36.6 2,291,987 37.8
Couple family with children 13,783 46.7 1,248,241 48.4 1,434,939 42.3 2,716,224 44.7
One parent family 2,807 9.5 282,463 11.0 648,590 19.1 959,543 15.8
Other family 555 1.9 34,059 1.3 65,896 1.9 102,559 1.7
Families with a child under 5 6,361 21.5 446,733 17.3 591,182 17.4 1,037,904 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 12,649 42.8 977,697 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 Thailand. Of these families, 46.7% were couple families with children, 42.0% were couple families without children and 9.5% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 5,412 20.7 475,278 21.0 600,260 22.4 1,084,006 21.6
Both employed, worked part-time 1,862 7.1 97,948 4.3 103,266 3.9 203,596 4.1
One employed full-time, one part-time 5,100 19.5 424,478 18.8 652,771 24.4 1,086,460 21.7
One employed full-time, other not working 6,166 23.6 390,307 17.3 352,203 13.2 749,886 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 2,184 8.3 156,274 6.9 141,852 5.3 302,037 6.0
Both not working 2,968 11.3 492,423 21.8 488,403 18.3 1,006,697 20.1
Other (includes away from work) 1,287 4.9 107,664 4.8 152,346 5.7 264,145 5.3
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 1,196 4.6 116,299 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 Thailand. Of these families, 20.7% of families had both parents working full-time, 19.5% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 11.3% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 24,096 60.0 2,212,954 67.1 5,074,866 76.9 6,041,788 72.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 5,278 13.1 466,800 14.1 779,497 11.8 1,055,016 12.7
Flat or apartment 10,237 25.5 585,471 17.7 668,862 10.1 1,087,434 13.1
Other dwelling 348 0.9 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 Thailand, 60.0% were a separate house, 25.5% were a flat or apartment, and 13.1% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 290 0.7 17,187 0.5 23,956 0.4 39,769 0.5
1 bedroom 2,804 7.0 176,922 5.4 254,884 3.9 411,252 5.0
2 bedrooms 9,667 24.1 658,470 20.0 1,119,772 17.0 1,562,759 18.9
3 bedrooms 15,148 37.7 1,264,755 38.3 2,787,246 42.2 3,403,190 41.1
4 or more bedrooms 11,242 28.0 1,110,865 33.7 2,287,725 34.7 2,670,758 32.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 1,030 2.6 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 Thailand, 24.1% had two bedrooms, 37.7% had three bedrooms and 28.0% 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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 7,491 18.6 970,425 29.4 2,013,505 30.5 2,565,695 31.0
Owned with a mortgage 14,008 34.9 1,122,252 34.0 2,474,999 37.5 2,855,222 34.5
Rented 17,353 43.2 1,099,840 33.3 1,907,007 28.9 2,561,302 30.9
Other tenure type 223 0.6 25,380 0.8 59,681 0.9 78,994 1.0
Tenure type not stated 1,104 2.7 81,928 2.5 144,494 2.2 224,869 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,900 -- 1,950 -- 1,742 -- 1,755 --
Median weekly rent paid 380 -- 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 Thailand, 18.6% were owned outright, 34.9% were owned with a mortgage and 43.2% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,900 and the median weekly rent paid was $380.

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 Thailand % Born in Thailand All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 31,547 78.5 2,465,248 74.7 4,809,352 72.9 5,751,635 69.4
Multiple family households 2,337 5.8 101,470 3.1 137,593 2.1 155,992 1.9
Single (or lone) person households 2,852 7.1 559,665 17.0 1,403,935 21.3 2,023,542 24.4
Group households 3,448 8.6 173,452 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 Thailand' includes households in Australia where at least one person was born in Thailand. Of those households, 78.5% were one family households and 7.1% 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.