1 | Oceania and Antarctica | ||
10 | Oceania and Antarctica, nfd | ||
1000 | Oceania and Antarctica, nfd | ||
11 | Australia (includes External Territories) | ||
1100 | Australia (includes External Territories), nfd | ||
1101 | Australia | ||
1102 | Norfolk Island | ||
1199 | Australian External Territories, nec | ||
12 | New Zealand | ||
1201 | New Zealand | ||
13 | Melanesia | ||
1300 | Melanesia, nfd | ||
1301 | New Caledonia | ||
1302 | Papua New Guinea | ||
1303 | Solomon Islands | ||
1304 | Vanuatu | ||
14 | Micronesia | ||
1400 | Micronesia, nfd | ||
1401 | Guam | ||
1402 | Kiribati | ||
1403 | Marshall Islands | ||
1404 | Micronesia, Federated States of | ||
1405 | Nauru | ||
1406 | Northern Mariana Islands | ||
1407 | Palau | ||
15 | Polynesia (excludes Hawaii) | ||
1500 | Polynesia (excludes Hawaii), nfd | ||
1501 | Cook Islands | ||
1502 | Fiji | ||
1503 | French Polynesia | ||
1504 | Niue | ||
1505 | Samoa | ||
1506 | Samoa, American | ||
1507 | Tokelau | ||
1508 | Tonga | ||
1511 | Tuvalu | ||
1512 | Wallis and Futuna | ||
1513 | Pitcairn Islands | ||
1599 | Polynesia (excludes Hawaii), nec | ||
16 | Antarctica | ||
1600 | Antarctica, nfd | ||
1601 | Adelie Land (France) | ||
1602 | Argentinian Antarctic Territory | ||
1603 | Australian Antarctic Territory | ||
1604 | British Antarctic Territory | ||
1605 | Chilean Antarctic Territory | ||
1606 | Queen Maud Land (Norway) | ||
1607 | Ross Dependency (New Zealand) |
Country of birth of person (BPLP)
Definition
This variable indicates in which country a person was born.
Scope
All persons
Categories
Country of birth of person is coded using the Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016. The categories are listed in groups below. The full list is available from the Data downloads on this page.
1 Oceania and Antarctica
2 North-West Europe
2 | North-West Europe | ||
20 | North-West Europe, nfd | ||
2000 | North-West Europe, nfd | ||
21 | United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man | ||
2100 | United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, nfd | ||
2102 | England | ||
2103 | Isle of Man | ||
2104 | Northern Ireland | ||
2105 | Scotland | ||
2106 | Wales | ||
2107 | Guernsey | ||
2108 | Jersey | ||
22 | Ireland | ||
2201 | Ireland | ||
23 | Western Europe | ||
2300 | Western Europe, nfd | ||
2301 | Austria | ||
2302 | Belgium | ||
2303 | France | ||
2304 | Germany | ||
2305 | Liechtenstein | ||
2306 | Luxembourg | ||
2307 | Monaco | ||
2308 | Netherlands | ||
2311 | Switzerland | ||
24 | Northern Europe | ||
2400 | Northern Europe, nfd | ||
2401 | Denmark | ||
2402 | Faroe Islands | ||
2403 | Finland | ||
2404 | Greenland | ||
2405 | Iceland | ||
2406 | Norway | ||
2407 | Sweden | ||
2408 | Aland Islands |
3 Southern and Eastern Europe
3 | Southern and Eastern Europe | ||
30 | Southern and Eastern Europe, nfd | ||
3000 | Southern and Eastern Europe, nfd | ||
31 | Southern Europe | ||
3100 | Southern Europe, nfd | ||
3101 | Andorra | ||
3102 | Gibraltar | ||
3103 | Holy See | ||
3104 | Italy | ||
3105 | Malta | ||
3106 | Portugal | ||
3107 | San Marino | ||
3108 | Spain | ||
32 | South Eastern Europe | ||
3200 | South Eastern Europe, nfd | ||
3201 | Albania | ||
3202 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
3203 | Bulgaria | ||
3204 | Croatia | ||
3205 | Cyprus | ||
3206 | North Macedonia | ||
3207 | Greece | ||
3208 | Moldova | ||
3211 | Romania | ||
3212 | Slovenia | ||
3214 | Montenegro | ||
3215 | Serbia | ||
3216 | Kosovo | ||
33 | Eastern Europe | ||
3300 | Eastern Europe, nfd | ||
3301 | Belarus | ||
3302 | Czechia | ||
3303 | Estonia | ||
3304 | Hungary | ||
3305 | Latvia | ||
3306 | Lithuania | ||
3307 | Poland | ||
3308 | Russian Federation | ||
3311 | Slovakia | ||
3312 | Ukraine |
4 North Africa and the Middle East
4 | North Africa and the Middle East | ||
40 | North Africa and the Middle East, nfd | ||
4000 | North Africa and the Middle East, nfd | ||
41 | North Africa | ||
4100 | North Africa, nfd | ||
4101 | Algeria | ||
4102 | Egypt | ||
4103 | Libya | ||
4104 | Morocco | ||
4105 | Sudan | ||
4106 | Tunisia | ||
4107 | Western Sahara | ||
4108 | Spanish North Africa | ||
4111 | South Sudan | ||
42 | Middle East | ||
4200 | Middle East, nfd | ||
4201 | Bahrain | ||
4202 | Gaza Strip and West Bank | ||
4203 | Iran | ||
4204 | Iraq | ||
4205 | Israel | ||
4206 | Jordan | ||
4207 | Kuwait | ||
4208 | Lebanon | ||
4211 | Oman | ||
4212 | Qatar | ||
4213 | Saudi Arabia | ||
4214 | Syria | ||
4215 | Turkey | ||
4216 | United Arab Emirates | ||
4217 | Yemen |
5 South-East Asia
5 | South-East Asia | ||
50 | South-East Asia, nfd | ||
5000 | South-East Asia, nfd | ||
51 | Mainland South-East Asia | ||
5100 | Mainland South-East Asia, nfd | ||
5101 | Myanmar | ||
5102 | Cambodia | ||
5103 | Laos | ||
5104 | Thailand | ||
5105 | Vietnam | ||
52 | Maritime South-East Asia | ||
5200 | Maritime South-East Asia, nfd | ||
5201 | Brunei Darussalam | ||
5202 | Indonesia | ||
5203 | Malaysia | ||
5204 | Philippines | ||
5205 | Singapore | ||
5206 | Timor-Leste |
6 North-East Asia
6 | North-East Asia | ||
60 | North-East Asia, nfd | ||
6000 | North-East Asia, nfd | ||
61 | Chinese Asia (includes Mongolia) | ||
6100 | Chinese Asia (includes Mongolia), nfd | ||
6101 | China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | ||
6102 | Hong Kong (SAR of China) | ||
6103 | Macau (SAR of China) | ||
6104 | Mongolia | ||
6105 | Taiwan | ||
62 | Japan and the Koreas | ||
6200 | Japan and the Koreas, nfd | ||
6201 | Japan | ||
6202 | Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North) | ||
6203 | Korea, Republic of (South) |
7 Southern and Central Asia
7 | Southern and Central Asia | ||
70 | Southern and Central Asia, nfd | ||
7000 | Southern and Central Asia, nfd | ||
71 | Southern Asia | ||
7100 | Southern Asia, nfd | ||
7101 | Bangladesh | ||
7102 | Bhutan | ||
7103 | India | ||
7104 | Maldives | ||
7105 | Nepal | ||
7106 | Pakistan | ||
7107 | Sri Lanka | ||
72 | Central Asia | ||
7200 | Central Asia, nfd | ||
7201 | Afghanistan | ||
7202 | Armenia | ||
7203 | Azerbaijan | ||
7204 | Georgia | ||
7205 | Kazakhstan | ||
7206 | Kyrgyzstan | ||
7207 | Tajikistan | ||
7208 | Turkmenistan | ||
7211 | Uzbekistan |
8 Americas
8 | Americas | ||
80 | Americas, nfd | ||
8000 | Americas, nfd | ||
81 | Northern America | ||
8100 | Northern America, nfd | ||
8101 | Bermuda | ||
8102 | Canada | ||
8103 | St Pierre and Miquelon | ||
8104 | United States of America | ||
82 | South America | ||
8200 | South America, nfd | ||
8201 | Argentina | ||
8202 | Bolivia | ||
8203 | Brazil | ||
8204 | Chile | ||
8205 | Colombia | ||
8206 | Ecuador | ||
8207 | Falkland Islands | ||
8208 | French Guiana | ||
8211 | Guyana | ||
8212 | Paraguay | ||
8213 | Peru | ||
8214 | Suriname | ||
8215 | Uruguay | ||
8216 | Venezuela | ||
8299 | South America, nec | ||
83 | Central America | ||
8300 | Central America, nfd | ||
8301 | Belize | ||
8302 | Costa Rica | ||
8303 | El Salvador | ||
8304 | Guatemala | ||
8305 | Honduras | ||
8306 | Mexico | ||
8307 | Nicaragua | ||
8308 | Panama | ||
84 | Caribbean | ||
8400 | Caribbean, nfd | ||
8401 | Anguilla | ||
8402 | Antigua and Barbuda | ||
8403 | Aruba | ||
8404 | Bahamas | ||
8405 | Barbados | ||
8406 | Cayman Islands | ||
8407 | Cuba | ||
8408 | Dominica | ||
8411 | Dominican Republic | ||
8412 | Grenada | ||
8413 | Guadeloupe | ||
8414 | Haiti | ||
8415 | Jamaica | ||
8416 | Martinique | ||
8417 | Montserrat | ||
8421 | Puerto Rico | ||
8422 | St Kitts and Nevis | ||
8423 | St Lucia | ||
8424 | St Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
8425 | Trinidad and Tobago | ||
8426 | Turks and Caicos Islands | ||
8427 | Virgin Islands, British | ||
8428 | Virgin Islands, United States | ||
8431 | St Barthelemy | ||
8432 | St Martin (French part) | ||
8433 | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | ||
8434 | Curacao | ||
8435 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) |
9 Sub-Saharan Africa
9 | Sub-Saharan Africa | ||
90 | Sub-Saharan Africa, nfd | ||
9000 | Sub-Saharan Africa, nfd | ||
91 | Central and West Africa | ||
9100 | Central and West Africa, nfd | ||
9101 | Benin | ||
9102 | Burkina Faso | ||
9103 | Cameroon | ||
9104 | Cabo Verde | ||
9105 | Central African Republic | ||
9106 | Chad | ||
9107 | Congo, Republic of | ||
9108 | Congo, Democratic Republic of | ||
9111 | Cote d'Ivoire | ||
9112 | Equatorial Guinea | ||
9113 | Gabon | ||
9114 | Gambia | ||
9115 | Ghana | ||
9116 | Guinea | ||
9117 | Guinea-Bissau | ||
9118 | Liberia | ||
9121 | Mali | ||
9122 | Mauritania | ||
9123 | Niger | ||
9124 | Nigeria | ||
9125 | Sao Tome and Principe | ||
9126 | Senegal | ||
9127 | Sierra Leone | ||
9128 | Togo | ||
92 | Southern and East Africa | ||
9200 | Southern and East Africa, nfd | ||
9201 | Angola | ||
9202 | Botswana | ||
9203 | Burundi | ||
9204 | Comoros | ||
9205 | Djibouti | ||
9206 | Eritrea | ||
9207 | Ethiopia | ||
9208 | Kenya | ||
9211 | Lesotho | ||
9212 | Madagascar | ||
9213 | Malawi | ||
9214 | Mauritius | ||
9215 | Mayotte | ||
9216 | Mozambique | ||
9217 | Namibia | ||
9218 | Reunion | ||
9221 | Rwanda | ||
9222 | St Helena | ||
9223 | Seychelles | ||
9224 | Somalia | ||
9225 | South Africa | ||
9226 | Eswatini | ||
9227 | Tanzania | ||
9228 | Uganda | ||
9231 | Zambia | ||
9232 | Zimbabwe | ||
9299 | Southern and East Africa, nec |
Supplementary Codes
0 | Supplementary codes | ||
00 | Supplementary codes | ||
0000 | Inadequately described | ||
0001 | At sea | ||
& | Not stated | ||
&& | Not stated | ||
&&&& | Not stated | ||
V | Overseas visitor | ||
VV | Overseas visitor | ||
VVVV | Overseas visitor |
Number of categories:
- One-digit level: 12
- Two-digit level: 39
- Four-digit level: 293
See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.
Question(s) from the Census form
In which country was the person born?
Image
Description
Image
Example
Description
Example
Image
Example 2
Description
Example 2
How this variable is created
This variable is created based on the response to the country of birth of person question. Respondents may either use a mark box to indicate the country of birth or write the name of the country in the text field.
The majority of responses for country of birth of person are captured automatically from the mark box response. Written responses are coded using a combination of automatic reading and coding processes. The remaining responses require manual coding processes when they cannot be coded or derived automatically.
If a person:
- uses a former country name, it is coded to the current country name (for example, Siam would be coded to Thailand)
- has marked Australia and given a text response, the responses are accepted in the order they appear on the form and the extra response is rejected.
In a small number of cases where country of birth is not stated, the category 'Born in Australia' is derived. This occurs when the person's father or mother was counted in the same dwelling and reported that they were born in Australia. If insufficient information was provided to derive a country response category, it remains as ‘Not stated’.
Country of birth is coded using the SACC. If a response is not listed in the classification, it is coded to 'Inadequately described'.
History and changes
This variable was first reported in 1911, and prior to 2006, it was referred to as 'Birthplace' rather than 'Country of birth'.
For 2021, the order of the response categories has been updated to reflect the most common answers from the 2016 Census:
- ‘Philippines’ moved from 7th to 5th position
- ‘Italy’ moved from 5th to 7th position.
Although China is a country in which a large proportion of Australia's population were born, China does not have a response category on the form. This is to allow people to write in:
- China
- Hong Kong
- Macau, or
- Taiwan.
There have been changes to the SACC for 2021:
- 3302 'Czech Republic' has been changed to 'Czechia'
- 9226 'Swaziland' has been changed to 'Eswatini'
- 3206 'Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia' has been changed to 'North Macedonia'
- 2402 spelling of 'Faeroe Islands' has been changed to 'Faroe Islands'.
Data use considerations
The measurement of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Australian population, and the degree to which Australians retain their ethnic and cultural identity, is primarily based on the use of a number of Census variables related to a person's origin, including:
The non-response rate for Country of birth of person (BPLP) was 5.3% in 2021. This is a decrease from 6.9% in 2016.
Related variables and glossary terms
- Ancestry multi response (ANCP)
- Country of birth of mother (BPFP)
- Country of birth of father (BPMP)
- Language used at home (LANP)
- Religious affiliation (RELP)
- Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
- Derivation
- Imputation