People in New South Wales who were born in China

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 1 by 6101
People 234,508
Male 103,638
Female 130,870
Australian citizen 43.4%
Not an Australian citizen 55.6%
Families 85,307
Couples with children 42,356
Couples without children 30,203
One parent families 11,596
Other families 1,155
All private dwellings 108,578
Median monthly mortgage repayment $2,075
Median weekly rent paid $485

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 103,638 44.2 1,007,742 48.6 2,425,532 49.5 3,686,014 49.3
Female 130,870 55.8 1,064,716 51.4 2,473,670 50.5 3,794,217 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 234,508 people in New South Wales who were born in China. Of these 44.2% were male and 55.8% were female.

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

Age
People
Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 7,322 3.1 101,634 4.9 1,217,142 24.8 1,386,331 18.5
15-24 years 42,352 18.1 187,829 9.1 695,172 14.2 938,094 12.5
25-34 years 60,360 25.7 392,129 18.9 599,616 12.2 1,067,524 14.3
35-44 years 31,141 13.3 357,909 17.3 579,317 11.8 1,002,886 13.4
45-54 years 36,169 15.4 332,164 16.0 577,961 11.8 977,984 13.1
55-64 years 29,770 12.7 294,300 14.2 529,737 10.8 889,763 11.9
65 years and over 27,393 11.7 406,481 19.6 700,254 14.3 1,217,641 16.3
Median age 36 -- 44 -- 33 -- 38 --

Of the population born in China who usually live in New South Wales, 3.1% were aged 0 - 14 years and 11.7% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in New South Wales who were born in China was 36 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 126,824 55.8 1,162,820 59.0 1,606,048 43.6 2,965,280 48.7
Separated 3,975 1.7 59,937 3.0 114,074 3.1 190,198 3.1
Divorced 15,808 7.0 155,586 7.9 312,667 8.5 512,298 8.4
Widowed 7,344 3.2 108,831 5.5 190,542 5.2 331,653 5.4
Never married 73,222 32.2 483,648 24.5 1,458,730 39.6 2,094,460 34.4

Of people in New South Wales aged 15 years and over who were born in China, 55.8% were married, 1.7% were separated, and 7.0% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 636 0.3 6,920 0.3 124,442 2.5 132,047 1.8
Primary 3,603 1.5 53,528 2.6 549,639 11.2 607,171 8.1
Secondary 7,252 3.1 62,468 3.0 401,196 8.2 466,858 6.2
University or tertiary institution 42,358 18.1 147,147 7.1 226,755 4.6 376,131 5.0
Technical or further education 6,618 2.8 52,048 2.5 90,596 1.8 144,094 1.9
Other 4,065 1.7 36,116 1.7 26,966 0.6 63,673 0.9
Institution attended, type not stated 3,008 1.3 38,630 1.9 105,347 2.2 535,266 7.2
Not attending an educational institution 166,966 71.2 1,675,606 80.9 3,374,259 68.9 5,154,985 68.9

Of the population born in China who usually live in New South Wales, 28.8% were attending an educational institution. There were 1.5% in primary school, 3.1% in secondary school and 20.9% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 96,595 42.5 680,316 34.5 733,873 19.9 1,424,716 23.4
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 19,316 8.5 193,405 9.8 342,887 9.3 543,142 8.9
Certificate level IV 1,521 0.7 34,662 1.8 131,517 3.6 167,947 2.8
Certificate level III 5,721 2.5 157,148 8.0 558,903 15.2 730,498 12.0
Year 12 60,955 26.8 362,431 18.4 555,992 15.1 930,654 15.3
Year 11 4,034 1.8 45,397 2.3 154,993 4.2 203,574 3.3
Year 10 8,404 3.7 143,249 7.3 542,035 14.7 702,178 11.5
Certificate level II 59 0.0 1,074 0.1 3,673 0.1 4,849 0.1
Certificate level I 15 0.0 243 0.0 369 0.0 625 0.0
Year 9 or below 13,896 6.1 157,257 8.0 341,151 9.3 513,209 8.4
No educational attainment 5,689 2.5 45,820 2.3 7,509 0.2 54,870 0.9
Not stated 5,588 2.5 86,209 4.4 185,727 5.0 627,465 10.3

Of the population born in China who usually live in New South Wales, 26.8% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 3.2% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 8.5% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 112 0.0 3,402 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 537 0.2 27,187 1.3 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 1,605 0.7 91,149 4.4 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 1,750 0.7 179,291 8.7 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 3,487 1.5 191,164 9.2 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 27,397 11.7 287,761 13.9 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 38,396 16.4 310,009 15.0 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 31,279 13.3 195,226 9.4 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 46,433 19.8 288,842 13.9 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 73,440 31.3 424,733 20.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 4,899,202 -- -- --

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, 31.3% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 19.8% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 101,758 43.4 1,278,366 61.7 4,802,241 98.0 6,186,119 82.7
Not an Australian citizen 130,323 55.6 757,775 36.6 25,482 0.5 788,938 10.5

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, 43.4% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 113,854 92.5 904,268 75.3 267,166 14.5 1,178,768 38.5
Spouse or partner born in Australia 5,572 4.5 267,167 22.3 1,530,400 83.1 1,805,029 59.0

In New South Wales of people who were born in China and had a spouse or partner, 92.5% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 4.5% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
No Religion, so described 166,692 71.1 529,213 25.5 1,326,538 27.1 1,879,562 25.1
Buddhism 28,585 12.2 151,720 7.3 53,811 1.1 207,956 2.8
Catholic 6,787 2.9 451,852 21.8 1,362,431 27.8 1,846,443 24.7
Christian, nfd 4,850 2.1 61,497 3.0 101,143 2.1 165,351 2.2
Anglican 4,744 2.0 146,452 7.1 991,562 20.2 1,161,810 15.5

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, the most common responses to the religion question were No Religion, so described 71.1%, Buddhism 12.2%, Catholic 2.9%, Christian, nfd 2.1% and Anglican 2.0%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 5,791 2.5 695,150 33.5 4,353,177 88.9 5,126,633 68.5
Speaks other language and speaks English:  null  null  null  null  null  null  null  null
Very well or well 147,699 63.0 1,084,582 52.3 442,751 9.0 1,549,005 20.7
Not well or not at all 79,634 34.0 275,268 13.3 55,969 1.1 336,410 4.5

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, 2.5% spoke English only at home. A further 63.0% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 71,350 58.7 721,604 60.7 1,387,975 58.6 2,134,521 59.2
Worked part-time 32,510 26.7 330,086 27.8 726,863 30.7 1,071,151 29.7
Away from work 5,228 4.3 51,992 4.4 118,135 5.0 174,654 4.8
Unemployed 12,506 10.3 85,049 7.2 137,141 5.8 225,546 6.3
Not in the labour force 104,182 45.9 760,747 38.6 1,272,515 34.6 2,088,240 34.3

In New South Wales of people who were born in China and who were in the labour force, 58.7% worked full-time, 26.7% worked part-time and 10.3% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 10,121 9.3 96,626 8.8 263,443 11.8 364,637 10.8
16-24 hours per week 11,872 10.9 126,250 11.4 221,970 9.9 352,817 10.4
25-34 hours per week 10,520 9.6 107,216 9.7 241,446 10.8 353,702 10.5
35-39 hours per week 28,572 26.2 243,206 22.0 394,195 17.7 645,428 19.1
40 hours or more per week 42,780 39.2 478,399 43.3 993,785 44.5 1,489,099 44.1

In New South Wales of people who were born in China and who were employed, 39.2% worked 40 hours or more per week and 26.2% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Professionals 31,718 29.1 300,065 27.2 491,720 22.0 798,126 23.6
Managers 13,983 12.8 147,595 13.4 303,311 13.6 456,084 13.5
Clerical and Administrative Workers 13,475 12.4 140,709 12.7 322,281 14.4 467,977 13.8
Technicians and Trades Workers 12,366 11.3 125,006 11.3 298,072 13.3 429,239 12.7
Sales Workers 11,059 10.1 83,169 7.5 224,420 10.1 311,414 9.2

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, the most common responses for occupation were Professionals 29.1%, Managers 12.8%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.4%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.3% and Sales Workers 10.1%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 6,613 6.1 41,439 3.8 38,373 1.7 80,552 2.4
Banking 3,319 3.0 29,182 2.6 34,091 1.5 63,678 1.9
Computer System Design and Related Services 3,263 3.0 37,143 3.4 26,291 1.2 63,717 1.9
Real Estate Services 2,932 2.7 10,851 1.0 26,465 1.2 37,707 1.1
Accounting Services 2,847 2.6 16,780 1.5 26,934 1.2 44,014 1.3

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 6.1%, Banking 3.0%, Computer System Design and Related Services 3.0%, Real Estate Services 2.7% and Accounting Services 2.6%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 416 -- 631 -- 685 -- 664 --
Family 1,369 -- 1,802 -- 1,877 -- 1,780 --
Household 1,373 -- 1,684 -- 1,596 -- 1,486 --

In New South Wales of people who were born in China, the personal weekly median income was $416. Family median weekly income was $1,369 and Household median weekly income was $1,373.

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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 53,141 48.7 592,042 53.6 1,485,454 66.5 2,106,259 62.3
Bus or train 32,341 29.6 250,112 22.7 192,970 8.6 446,845 13.2
Other 11,481 10.5 129,817 11.8 203,379 9.1 336,991 10.0

In New South Wales 48.7% of employed people who were born in China travelled to work on census day by car, while 29.6% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 132,028 58.1 1,317,354 66.8 2,753,734 74.8 4,127,723 67.7
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 62,709 27.6 565,488 28.7 1,070,125 29.1 1,659,250 27.2
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 23,158 10.2 215,256 10.9 480,164 13.0 709,415 11.6
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 23,500 10.3 297,822 15.1 791,884 21.5 1,103,790 18.1

In New South Wales 58.1% of people who were born in China did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 27.6% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 44,719 19.7 418,626 21.2 924,913 25.1 1,359,656 22.3
5 to 14 hours per week 46,358 20.4 492,723 25.0 1,018,552 27.7 1,531,206 25.1
15 to 29 hours per week 23,058 10.1 222,602 11.3 458,022 12.4 690,934 11.3
30 hours or more per week 17,896 7.9 183,404 9.3 352,247 9.6 545,925 9.0

In New South Wales of people who were born in China and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 20.4% worked 5 to 14 hours, 10.1% worked 15 to 29 hours and 7.9% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 30,203 35.4 320,646 37.0 376,026 36.2 709,524 36.6
Couple family with children 42,356 49.7 435,041 50.2 441,460 42.5 887,358 45.7
One parent family 11,596 13.6 98,696 11.4 202,738 19.5 310,906 16.0
Other family 1,155 1.4 11,917 1.4 19,613 1.9 32,438 1.7
Families with a child under 5 16,685 19.6 151,378 17.5 179,927 17.3 331,309 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 33,371 39.1 331,862 38.3 418,173 40.2 750,033 38.7

These statistics are for families in New South Wales. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in China. Of these families, 49.7% were couple families with children, 35.4% were couple families without children and 13.6% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 16,224 22.4 170,245 22.5 187,875 23.0 360,916 22.6
Both employed, worked part-time 3,128 4.3 31,309 4.1 30,980 3.8 63,106 4.0
One employed full-time, one part-time 9,283 12.8 131,487 17.4 195,269 23.9 329,567 20.6
One employed full-time, other not working 13,891 19.1 134,084 17.7 103,733 12.7 240,084 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 5,799 8.0 52,023 6.9 43,595 5.3 96,933 6.1
Both not working 17,006 23.4 165,607 21.9 160,227 19.6 334,742 21.0
Other (includes away from work) 3,052 4.2 34,749 4.6 44,859 5.5 80,905 5.1
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 4,179 5.8 36,172 4.8 50,945 6.2 90,630 5.7

These statistics are for families in New South Wales. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in China. Of these families, 22.4% 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 23.4% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 43,433 40.0 617,277 56.8 1,483,901 71.9 1,729,820 66.4
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 14,563 13.4 146,132 13.4 242,416 11.8 317,453 12.2
Flat or apartment 49,531 45.6 310,686 28.6 307,874 14.9 519,390 19.9
Other dwelling 553 0.5 7,933 0.7 17,968 0.9 23,580 0.9

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in New South Wales. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 40.0% were a separate house, 45.6% were a flat or apartment, and 13.4% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 861 0.8 8,183 0.8 9,565 0.5 17,157 0.7
1 bedroom 9,465 8.7 74,652 6.9 92,756 4.5 157,194 6.0
2 bedrooms 33,977 31.3 276,883 25.5 400,896 19.4 577,675 22.2
3 bedrooms 30,840 28.4 365,432 33.6 804,452 39.0 970,001 37.2
4 or more bedrooms 31,213 28.7 337,461 31.0 713,537 34.6 816,405 31.3
Number of bedrooms not stated 2,228 2.1 24,866 2.3 41,320 2.0 65,888 2.5

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in New South Wales. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 31.3% had two bedrooms, 28.4% had three bedrooms and 28.7% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 24,344 22.4 314,843 29.0 668,720 32.4 839,665 32.2
Owned with a mortgage 46,779 43.1 347,717 32.0 732,652 35.5 840,004 32.3
Rented 34,263 31.6 389,443 35.8 596,032 28.9 826,922 31.8
Other tenure type 706 0.7 7,653 0.7 18,292 0.9 23,968 0.9
Tenure type not stated 2,493 2.3 27,821 2.6 46,833 2.3 73,763 2.8
Median monthly mortgage repayment 2,075 -- 2,167 -- 1,950 -- 1,986 --
Median weekly rent paid 485 -- 438 -- 365 -- 380 --

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in New South Wales. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 22.4% were owned outright, 43.1% were owned with a mortgage and 31.6% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,075 and the median weekly rent paid was $485.

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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 74,872 69.0 811,419 74.6 1,509,570 73.2 1,811,533 69.6
Multiple family households 7,179 6.6 43,393 4.0 55,737 2.7 62,994 2.4
Single (or lone) person households 13,658 12.6 174,659 16.1 426,434 20.7 620,778 23.8
Group households 12,871 11.9 57,999 5.3 70,787 3.4 109,004 4.2

All occupants of a private dwelling complete one census form and are counted as a household. 'Born in China' includes households in New South Wales where at least one person was born in China. Of those households, 69.0% were one family households and 12.6% 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.