People in Australia who were born in Japan

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 0 by 6201
People 42,423
Male 13,431
Female 28,992
Australian citizen 17.8%
Not an Australian citizen 80.9%
Families 21,180
Couples with children 11,707
Couples without children 7,656
One parent families 1,725
Other families 84
All private dwellings 30,010
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,800
Median weekly rent paid $420

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 13,431 31.7 2,997,173 48.6 7,735,362 49.5 11,546,638 49.3
Female 28,992 68.3 3,166,493 51.4 7,880,175 50.5 11,855,248 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 42,423 people in Australia who were born in Japan. Of these 31.7% were male and 68.3% were female.

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

Age
People
Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 3,968 9.4 366,872 6.0 3,777,875 24.2 4,364,607 18.7
15-24 years 4,769 11.2 612,643 9.9 2,197,847 14.1 2,988,390 12.8
25-34 years 8,657 20.4 1,130,884 18.3 1,994,601 12.8 3,368,449 14.4
35-44 years 11,916 28.1 1,021,528 16.6 1,911,355 12.2 3,144,935 13.4
45-54 years 7,358 17.3 961,980 15.6 1,920,340 12.3 3,105,007 13.3
55-64 years 2,908 6.9 840,595 13.6 1,704,198 10.9 2,753,734 11.8
65 years and over 2,847 6.7 1,229,161 19.9 2,109,310 13.5 3,676,765 15.7
Median age 38 -- 44 -- 34 -- 38 --

Of the population born in Japan who usually live in Australia, 9.4% were aged 0 - 14 years and 6.7% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Australia who were born in Japan was 38 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 21,212 55.2 3,362,174 58.0 5,158,710 43.6 9,148,218 48.1
Separated 897 2.3 178,867 3.1 376,863 3.2 608,059 3.2
Divorced 2,466 6.4 464,766 8.0 1,021,844 8.6 1,626,890 8.5
Widowed 942 2.4 326,987 5.6 560,940 4.7 985,204 5.2
Never married 12,937 33.6 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 Japan, 55.2% were married, 2.3% were separated, and 6.4% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 304 0.7 21,982 0.4 323,754 2.1 347,621 1.5
Primary 2,086 4.9 197,196 3.2 1,717,830 11.0 1,926,880 8.2
Secondary 2,115 5.0 224,770 3.6 1,211,676 7.8 1,446,506 6.2
University or tertiary institution 2,593 6.1 440,789 7.2 713,008 4.6 1,160,630 5.0
Technical or further education 1,664 3.9 152,909 2.5 267,689 1.7 424,870 1.8
Other 1,509 3.6 97,890 1.6 98,429 0.6 198,383 0.8
Institution attended, type not stated 563 1.3 117,292 1.9 329,449 2.1 1,707,023 7.3
Not attending an educational institution 31,597 74.5 4,910,840 79.7 10,953,685 70.1 16,189,980 69.2

Of the population born in Japan who usually live in Australia, 25.5% were attending an educational institution. There were 4.9% in primary school, 5.0% in secondary school and 10.0% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 15,525 40.4 1,830,410 31.6 2,320,141 19.6 4,181,406 22.0
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 5,308 13.8 587,176 10.1 1,079,954 9.1 1,687,893 8.9
Certificate level IV 546 1.4 120,064 2.1 425,836 3.6 551,767 2.9
Certificate level III 1,823 4.7 565,803 9.8 1,831,323 15.5 2,442,203 12.8
Year 12 10,422 27.1 1,051,623 18.1 1,902,337 16.1 2,994,097 15.7
Year 11 541 1.4 200,856 3.5 724,761 6.1 941,531 4.9
Year 10 751 2.0 418,929 7.2 1,588,715 13.4 2,054,331 10.8
Certificate level II 7 0.0 3,313 0.1 9,848 0.1 13,454 0.1
Certificate level I 0 0.0 863 0.0 1,266 0.0 2,176 0.0
Year 9 or below 665 1.7 458,176 7.9 1,027,299 8.7 1,529,897 8.0
No educational attainment 133 0.3 114,870 2.0 26,748 0.2 145,844 0.8
Not stated 1,355 3.5 264,618 4.6 570,419 4.8 1,974,794 10.4

Of the population born in Japan who usually live in Australia, 27.1% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 6.2% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 13.8% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 13 0.0 9,289 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 95 0.2 84,378 1.4 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 517 1.2 321,721 5.2 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 440 1.0 590,106 9.6 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 1,199 2.8 541,319 8.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 3,887 9.2 768,312 12.5 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 8,061 19.0 766,940 12.4 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 6,656 15.7 559,084 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 6,915 16.3 985,332 16.0 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 11,898 28.1 1,324,426 21.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 15,615,531 -- -- --

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, 28.1% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 16.3% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 7,532 17.8 3,652,290 59.3 15,304,785 98.0 19,278,834 82.4
Not an Australian citizen 34,335 80.9 2,402,591 39.0 86,884 0.6 2,507,458 10.7

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, 17.8% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 13,691 59.9 2,533,692 72.3 874,386 14.5 3,432,017 35.9
Spouse or partner born in Australia 8,396 36.7 874,386 25.0 4,975,104 82.7 5,872,893 61.4

In Australia of people who were born in Japan and had a spouse or partner, 59.9% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 36.7% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
No Religion, so described 26,049 61.4 1,647,084 26.7 5,197,438 33.3 6,933,708 29.6
Buddhism 8,676 20.5 400,332 6.5 156,171 1.0 563,674 2.4
Catholic 1,431 3.4 1,306,565 21.2 3,895,007 24.9 5,291,834 22.6
Japanese Religions 957 2.3 1,208 0.0 556 0.0 1,772 0.0
Anglican 721 1.7 535,049 8.7 2,504,891 16.0 3,101,185 13.3

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, the most common responses to the religion question were No Religion, so described 61.4%, Buddhism 20.5%, Catholic 3.4%, Japanese Religions 2.3% and Anglican 1.7%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 7,098 16.7 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 28,486 67.1 2,885,219 46.8 1,122,966 7.2 4,068,598 17.4
Not well or not at all 6,564 15.5 648,470 10.5 157,704 1.0 819,925 3.5

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, 16.7% spoke English only at home. A further 67.1% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 12,164 48.5 2,052,828 58.4 4,491,739 57.5 6,623,065 57.7
Worked part-time 10,160 40.5 1,025,198 29.2 2,421,402 31.0 3,491,503 30.4
Away from work 1,073 4.3 158,027 4.5 397,088 5.1 569,276 5.0
Unemployed 1,672 6.7 277,586 7.9 498,013 6.4 787,452 6.9
Not in the labour force 13,155 34.2 2,221,922 38.3 3,913,066 33.1 6,297,600 33.1

In Australia of people who were born in Japan and who were in the labour force, 48.5% worked full-time, 40.5% worked part-time and 6.7% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 3,559 15.2 313,561 9.7 890,779 12.2 1,218,823 11.4
16-24 hours per week 3,477 14.9 358,890 11.1 706,291 9.7 1,079,236 10.1
25-34 hours per week 3,128 13.4 352,748 10.9 824,331 11.3 1,193,445 11.2
35-39 hours per week 4,078 17.4 705,848 21.8 1,300,092 17.8 2,031,263 19.0
40 hours or more per week 8,083 34.6 1,346,985 41.6 3,191,643 43.7 4,591,801 43.0

In Australia of people who were born in Japan and who were employed, 34.6% worked 40 hours or more per week and 17.4% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Professionals 5,447 23.3 815,695 25.2 1,536,662 21.0 2,370,966 22.2
Community and Personal Service Workers 4,864 20.8 351,854 10.9 789,597 10.8 1,157,003 10.8
Clerical and Administrative Workers 2,967 12.7 393,619 12.2 1,040,953 14.2 1,449,681 13.6
Technicians and Trades Workers 2,718 11.6 405,055 12.5 1,021,688 14.0 1,447,414 13.5
Managers 2,669 11.4 403,585 12.5 970,340 13.3 1,390,047 13.0

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, the most common responses for occupation were Professionals 23.3%, Community and Personal Service Workers 20.8%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 12.7%, Technicians and Trades Workers 11.6% and Managers 11.4%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 3,221 13.8 121,097 3.7 130,007 1.8 253,385 2.4
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 668 2.9 141,550 4.4 265,609 3.6 411,808 3.9
Accommodation 647 2.8 43,933 1.4 67,779 0.9 113,377 1.1
Travel Agency and Tour Arrangement Services 614 2.6 12,530 0.4 21,852 0.3 34,644 0.3
Higher Education 531 2.3 61,774 1.9 93,269 1.3 155,985 1.5

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 13.8%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 2.9%, Accommodation 2.8%, Travel Agency and Tour Arrangement Services 2.6% and Higher Education 2.3%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 498 -- 615 -- 688 -- 662 --
Family 1,739 -- 1,725 -- 1,834 -- 1,734 --
Household 1,700 -- 1,562 -- 1,539 -- 1,438 --

In Australia of people who were born in Japan, the personal weekly median income was $498. Family median weekly income was $1,739 and Household median weekly income was $1,700.

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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 10,728 45.9 1,986,872 61.4 5,009,484 68.5 7,090,101 66.4
Bus or train 4,514 19.3 453,292 14.0 454,116 6.2 915,328 8.6
Other 4,146 17.7 381,664 11.8 672,865 9.2 1,066,965 10.0

In Australia 45.9% of employed people who were born in Japan travelled to work on census day by car, while 19.3% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 27,313 71.0 3,964,948 68.4 9,000,198 76.0 13,143,914 69.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 13,367 34.8 1,677,392 28.9 3,507,061 29.6 5,259,400 27.6
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 2,602 6.8 613,990 10.6 1,489,817 12.6 2,145,203 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 6,559 17.1 941,091 16.2 2,634,097 22.3 3,620,726 19.0

In Australia 71.0% of people who were born in Japan did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 34.8% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 7,225 18.8 1,234,900 21.3 3,013,177 25.5 4,298,593 22.6
5 to 14 hours per week 8,734 22.7 1,509,217 26.0 3,371,602 28.5 4,944,578 26.0
15 to 29 hours per week 5,549 14.4 678,501 11.7 1,479,061 12.5 2,189,776 11.5
30 hours or more per week 5,811 15.1 542,335 9.4 1,136,359 9.6 1,710,970 9.0

In Australia of people who were born in Japan and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 22.7% worked 5 to 14 hours, 14.4% worked 15 to 29 hours and 15.1% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 7,656 36.1 1,012,440 39.3 1,240,422 36.6 2,291,987 37.8
Couple family with children 11,707 55.3 1,248,241 48.4 1,434,939 42.3 2,716,224 44.7
One parent family 1,725 8.1 282,463 11.0 648,590 19.1 959,543 15.8
Other family 84 0.4 34,059 1.3 65,896 1.9 102,559 1.7
Families with a child under 5 5,272 24.9 446,733 17.3 591,182 17.4 1,037,904 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 11,005 52.0 977,697 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 Japan. Of these families, 55.3% were couple families with children, 36.1% were couple families without children and 8.1% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 3,288 17.0 475,278 21.0 600,260 22.4 1,084,006 21.6
Both employed, worked part-time 1,056 5.5 97,948 4.3 103,266 3.9 203,596 4.1
One employed full-time, one part-time 4,585 23.7 424,478 18.8 652,771 24.4 1,086,460 21.7
One employed full-time, other not working 5,588 28.9 390,307 17.3 352,203 13.2 749,886 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 1,410 7.3 156,274 6.9 141,852 5.3 302,037 6.0
Both not working 1,708 8.8 492,423 21.8 488,403 18.3 1,006,697 20.1
Other (includes away from work) 858 4.4 107,664 4.8 152,346 5.7 264,145 5.3
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 854 4.4 116,299 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 Japan. Of these families, 17.0% of families had both parents working full-time, 23.7% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 8.8% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 14,901 49.7 2,212,954 67.1 5,074,866 76.9 6,041,788 72.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 4,667 15.6 466,800 14.1 779,497 11.8 1,055,016 12.7
Flat or apartment 10,119 33.7 585,471 17.7 668,862 10.1 1,087,434 13.1
Other dwelling 174 0.6 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 Japan, 49.7% were a separate house, 33.7% were a flat or apartment, and 15.6% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 209 0.7 17,187 0.5 23,956 0.4 39,769 0.5
1 bedroom 2,688 9.0 176,922 5.4 254,884 3.9 411,252 5.0
2 bedrooms 8,294 27.6 658,470 20.0 1,119,772 17.0 1,562,759 18.9
3 bedrooms 10,446 34.8 1,264,755 38.3 2,787,246 42.2 3,403,190 41.1
4 or more bedrooms 7,795 26.0 1,110,865 33.7 2,287,725 34.7 2,670,758 32.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 577 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 Japan, 27.6% had two bedrooms, 34.8% had three bedrooms and 26.0% 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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 6,347 21.2 970,425 29.4 2,013,505 30.5 2,565,695 31.0
Owned with a mortgage 8,767 29.2 1,122,252 34.0 2,474,999 37.5 2,855,222 34.5
Rented 14,100 47.0 1,099,840 33.3 1,907,007 28.9 2,561,302 30.9
Other tenure type 160 0.5 25,380 0.8 59,681 0.9 78,994 1.0
Tenure type not stated 635 2.1 81,928 2.5 144,494 2.2 224,869 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,800 -- 1,950 -- 1,742 -- 1,755 --
Median weekly rent paid 420 -- 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 Japan, 21.2% were owned outright, 29.2% were owned with a mortgage and 47.0% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,800 and the median weekly rent paid was $420.

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 Japan % Born in Japan All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 23,028 76.7 2,465,248 74.7 4,809,352 72.9 5,751,635 69.4
Multiple family households 595 2.0 101,470 3.1 137,593 2.1 155,992 1.9
Single (or lone) person households 3,431 11.4 559,665 17.0 1,403,935 21.3 2,023,542 24.4
Group households 2,963 9.9 173,452 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 Japan' includes households in Australia where at least one person was born in Japan. Of those households, 76.7% were one family households and 11.4% 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.