People in Greater Sydney who were born in China

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 1GSYD by 6101
People 224,679
Male 98,912
Female 125,767
Australian citizen 44.0%
Not an Australian citizen 55.0%
Families 82,227
Couples with children 40,989
Couples without children 28,772
One parent families 11,335
Other families 1,135
All private dwellings 103,985
Median monthly mortgage repayment $2,100
Median weekly rent paid $500

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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 98,912 44.0 862,759 48.6 1,365,474 49.6 2,376,766 49.3
Female 125,767 56.0 910,741 51.4 1,386,695 50.4 2,447,221 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 224,679 people in Greater Sydney who were born in China. Of these 44.0% were male and 56.0% 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 6,948 3.1 86,605 4.9 772,485 28.1 900,297 18.7
15-24 years 39,915 17.8 169,162 9.5 424,910 15.4 629,103 13.0
25-34 years 57,543 25.6 357,835 20.2 362,766 13.2 774,405 16.1
35-44 years 29,836 13.3 320,272 18.1 333,049 12.1 696,037 14.4
45-54 years 34,951 15.6 286,432 16.2 302,752 11.0 627,580 13.0
55-64 years 28,936 12.9 244,706 13.8 245,898 8.9 524,011 10.9
65 years and over 26,559 11.8 308,485 17.4 310,306 11.3 672,559 13.9
Median age 37 -- 43 -- 29 -- 36 --

Of the population born in China who usually live in Greater Sydney, 3.1% were aged 0 - 14 years and 11.8% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Greater Sydney who were born in China was 37 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 122,121 56.1 997,933 59.2 823,877 41.6 1,934,132 49.3
Separated 3,859 1.8 49,653 2.9 53,089 2.7 111,495 2.8
Divorced 15,307 7.0 124,745 7.4 150,149 7.6 298,436 7.6
Widowed 7,135 3.3 84,892 5.0 84,645 4.3 185,646 4.7
Never married 69,319 31.8 429,669 25.5 867,919 43.8 1,393,987 35.5

Of people in Greater Sydney aged 15 years and over who were born in China, 56.1% were married, 1.8% 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 599 0.3 5,886 0.3 77,584 2.8 83,920 1.7
Primary 3,414 1.5 45,248 2.6 343,605 12.5 391,438 8.1
Secondary 6,882 3.1 54,387 3.1 247,369 9.0 303,797 6.3
University or tertiary institution 39,422 17.5 132,746 7.5 159,654 5.8 294,022 6.1
Technical or further education 6,261 2.8 45,636 2.6 46,376 1.7 92,778 1.9
Other 3,942 1.8 33,740 1.9 16,104 0.6 50,247 1.0
Institution attended, type not stated 2,744 1.2 29,497 1.7 49,081 1.8 313,981 6.5
Not attending an educational institution 161,411 71.8 1,426,351 80.4 1,812,384 65.9 3,293,820 68.3

Of the population born in China who usually live in Greater Sydney, 28.2% were attending an educational institution. There were 1.5% in primary school, 3.1% in secondary school and 20.3% 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 93,044 42.7 610,982 36.2 493,022 24.9 1,110,999 28.3
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 18,595 8.5 164,742 9.8 197,483 10.0 365,989 9.3
Certificate level IV 1,462 0.7 27,312 1.6 64,874 3.3 92,906 2.4
Certificate level III 5,457 2.5 119,077 7.1 254,350 12.8 379,732 9.7
Year 12 58,312 26.8 323,231 19.2 347,883 17.6 678,975 17.3
Year 11 3,830 1.8 37,465 2.2 81,053 4.1 120,047 3.1
Year 10 7,942 3.6 111,426 6.6 248,510 12.6 366,932 9.4
Certificate level II 57 0.0 826 0.0 1,277 0.1 2,142 0.1
Certificate level I 14 0.0 188 0.0 145 0.0 336 0.0
Year 9 or below 13,202 6.1 130,533 7.7 140,516 7.1 277,300 7.1
No educational attainment 5,503 2.5 42,344 2.5 3,941 0.2 47,465 1.2
Not stated 5,141 2.4 65,877 3.9 78,995 4.0 358,653 9.1

Of the population born in China who usually live in Greater Sydney, 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 103 0.0 2,297 0.1 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 465 0.2 17,294 1.0 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 1,456 0.6 59,361 3.3 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 1,625 0.7 127,789 7.2 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 3,302 1.5 153,149 8.6 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 26,798 11.9 255,978 14.4 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 37,553 16.7 284,326 16.0 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 30,439 13.5 176,759 10.0 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 44,554 19.8 257,628 14.5 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 69,008 30.7 379,584 21.4 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 2,752,169 -- -- --

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, 30.7% 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 98,787 44.0 1,089,417 61.4 2,692,002 97.8 3,835,026 79.5
Not an Australian citizen 123,656 55.0 654,658 36.9 20,867 0.8 680,121 14.1

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, 44.0% 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 110,452 93.0 816,825 79.2 189,870 20.0 1,011,345 50.8
Spouse or partner born in Australia 4,882 4.1 189,869 18.4 739,382 77.7 932,356 46.8

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China and had a spouse or partner, 93.0% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 4.1% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
No Religion, so described 159,475 71.0 450,206 25.4 727,074 26.4 1,188,280 24.6
Buddhism 27,598 12.3 141,902 8.0 42,144 1.5 186,037 3.9
Catholic 6,570 2.9 386,109 21.8 809,313 29.4 1,213,126 25.1
Christian, nfd 4,687 2.1 51,128 2.9 55,491 2.0 108,213 2.2
Anglican 4,567 2.0 100,561 5.7 471,178 17.1 580,341 12.0

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, the most common responses to the religion question were No Religion, so described 71.0%, Buddhism 12.3%, 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 5,172 2.3 508,434 28.7 2,275,954 82.7 2,816,815 58.4
Speaks other language and speaks English:  null  null  null  null  null  null  null  null
Very well or well 141,510 63.0 993,384 56.0 400,788 14.6 1,412,427 29.3
Not well or not at all 76,766 34.2 258,109 14.6 50,789 1.8 313,482 6.5

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, 2.3% 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 68,956 58.9 643,999 61.5 822,456 61.0 1,480,218 61.2
Worked part-time 31,051 26.5 282,494 27.0 393,250 29.2 682,605 28.2
Away from work 5,041 4.3 44,866 4.3 62,558 4.6 109,892 4.5
Unemployed 11,990 10.2 74,976 7.2 69,509 5.2 146,187 6.0
Not in the labour force 99,363 45.6 624,205 37.0 615,924 31.1 1,266,780 32.3

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China and who were in the labour force, 58.9% worked full-time, 26.5% worked part-time and 10.2% 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 9,563 9.1 81,481 8.4 146,070 11.4 229,765 10.1
16-24 hours per week 11,387 10.8 110,760 11.4 122,462 9.6 235,495 10.4
25-34 hours per week 10,106 9.6 90,253 9.3 124,718 9.8 217,349 9.6
35-39 hours per week 27,611 26.3 217,395 22.4 217,896 17.0 439,866 19.4
40 hours or more per week 41,348 39.4 426,603 43.9 604,561 47.3 1,040,349 45.8

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China and who were employed, 39.4% worked 40 hours or more per week and 26.3% 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 30,709 29.2 267,334 27.5 326,606 25.6 597,798 26.3
Managers 13,435 12.8 129,895 13.4 179,474 14.0 311,762 13.7
Clerical and Administrative Workers 13,271 12.6 126,816 13.1 201,249 15.7 331,135 14.6
Technicians and Trades Workers 11,668 11.1 107,961 11.1 153,990 12.0 265,056 11.7
Sales Workers 10,735 10.2 74,347 7.7 128,590 10.1 205,051 9.0

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, the most common responses for occupation were Professionals 29.2%, Managers 12.8%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.6%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.1% and Sales Workers 10.2%.

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 5,799 5.5 36,113 3.7 20,871 1.6 57,398 2.5
Banking 3,309 3.2 28,536 2.9 27,727 2.2 56,599 2.5
Computer System Design and Related Services 3,192 3.0 35,724 3.7 21,499 1.7 57,462 2.5
Real Estate Services 2,917 2.8 10,010 1.0 17,643 1.4 27,877 1.2
Accounting Services 2,769 2.6 15,619 1.6 17,707 1.4 33,513 1.5

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 5.5%, Banking 3.2%, Computer System Design and Related Services 3.0%, Real Estate Services 2.8% 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 420 -- 655 -- 780 -- 719 --
Family 1,376 -- 1,888 -- 2,239 -- 1,988 --
Household 1,382 -- 1,805 -- 1,945 -- 1,750 --

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China, the personal weekly median income was $420. Family median weekly income was $1,376 and Household median weekly income was $1,382.

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 50,512 48.1 498,072 51.3 779,343 61.0 1,291,452 56.8
Bus or train 32,079 30.5 246,569 25.4 181,710 14.2 431,820 19.0
Other 10,878 10.4 117,542 12.1 133,413 10.4 253,083 11.1

In Greater Sydney 48.1% of employed people who were born in China travelled to work on census day by car, while 30.5% 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) 127,055 58.4 1,116,619 66.2 1,484,636 75.0 2,628,461 67.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 60,629 27.8 492,638 29.2 568,669 28.7 1,073,085 27.3
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 22,383 10.3 181,074 10.7 248,166 12.5 435,993 11.1
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 22,452 10.3 240,902 14.3 407,311 20.6 653,910 16.7

In Greater Sydney 58.4% of people who were born in China did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 27.8% 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 China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 42,903 19.7 367,781 21.8 558,198 28.2 934,749 23.8
5 to 14 hours per week 44,600 20.5 414,846 24.6 542,343 27.4 966,678 24.6
15 to 29 hours per week 22,281 10.2 182,707 10.8 221,491 11.2 408,730 10.4
30 hours or more per week 17,273 7.9 151,288 9.0 162,598 8.2 318,303 8.1

In Greater Sydney of people who were born in China and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 20.5% worked 5 to 14 hours, 10.2% 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 28,772 35.0 248,233 34.3 162,998 32.2 416,588 33.4
Couple family with children 40,989 49.8 379,181 52.4 232,043 45.8 617,424 49.5
One parent family 11,335 13.8 85,758 11.8 99,641 19.7 190,048 15.2
Other family 1,135 1.4 10,987 1.5 11,500 2.3 22,992 1.8
Families with a child under 5 16,059 19.5 133,132 18.4 92,280 18.2 225,411 18.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 32,165 39.1 288,313 39.8 211,928 41.9 500,245 40.1

These statistics are for families in Greater Sydney. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in China. Of these families, 49.8% were couple families with children, 35.0% were couple families without children and 13.8% 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 15,691 22.5 150,165 23.9 102,682 26.0 254,297 24.6
Both employed, worked part-time 2,960 4.2 25,055 4.0 13,168 3.3 38,580 3.7
One employed full-time, one part-time 8,895 12.8 108,863 17.4 98,265 24.9 208,421 20.2
One employed full-time, other not working 13,372 19.2 116,966 18.6 54,412 13.8 172,625 16.7
One employed part-time, other not working 5,557 8.0 42,288 6.7 19,033 4.8 61,943 6.0
Both not working 16,310 23.4 124,872 19.9 61,294 15.5 190,298 18.4
Other (includes away from work) 2,944 4.2 29,021 4.6 21,544 5.5 51,219 5.0
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 4,030 5.8 30,185 4.8 24,643 6.2 56,642 5.5

These statistics are for families in Greater Sydney. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in China. Of these families, 22.5% 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 40,548 39.0 465,541 52.0 749,432 63.3 924,225 56.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 13,924 13.4 125,630 14.0 166,719 14.1 227,235 14.0
Flat or apartment 48,599 46.7 294,775 32.9 257,416 21.7 456,231 28.1
Other dwelling 463 0.4 4,892 0.5 6,081 0.5 9,132 0.6

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Sydney. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 39.0% were a separate house, 46.7% 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) 836 0.8 7,294 0.8 6,104 0.5 12,812 0.8
1 bedroom 9,285 8.9 66,976 7.5 61,993 5.2 118,881 7.3
2 bedrooms 33,024 31.8 240,576 26.9 252,576 21.3 402,675 24.8
3 bedrooms 29,134 28.0 285,866 31.9 423,356 35.8 548,987 33.8
4 or more bedrooms 29,618 28.5 273,749 30.6 418,594 35.4 501,256 30.9
Number of bedrooms not stated 2,094 2.0 20,299 2.3 21,456 1.8 39,262 2.4

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Sydney. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 31.8% had two bedrooms, 28.0% had three bedrooms and 28.5% had four or more bedrooms.

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

Mortgage & rent

Mortgage and rent
Occupied private dwellings
Born in China % Born in China All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 23,208 22.3 235,889 26.4 348,002 29.4 472,635 29.1
Owned with a mortgage 45,393 43.6 293,690 32.8 447,960 37.8 539,917 33.2
Rented 32,377 31.1 336,770 37.6 353,652 29.9 553,249 34.1
Other tenure type 666 0.6 5,759 0.6 9,965 0.8 14,183 0.9
Tenure type not stated 2,353 2.3 22,653 2.5 24,492 2.1 43,899 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 2,100 -- 2,167 -- 2,167 -- 2,167 --
Median weekly rent paid 500 -- 460 -- 445 -- 440 --

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Greater Sydney. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in China, 22.3% were owned outright, 43.6% were owned with a mortgage and 31.1% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,100 and the median weekly rent paid was $500.

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 71,874 69.1 670,232 74.9 892,593 75.4 1,146,625 70.6
Multiple family households 7,015 6.7 38,937 4.4 42,205 3.6 49,031 3.0
Single (or lone) person households 13,114 12.6 135,785 15.2 206,872 17.5 351,423 21.6
Group households 11,993 11.5 49,819 5.6 42,400 3.6 76,795 4.7

All occupants of a private dwelling complete one census form and are counted as a household. 'Born in China' includes households in Greater Sydney where at least one person was born in China. Of those households, 69.1% 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.