Australia's Population by Country of Birth

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Statistics on Australia's estimated resident population by country of birth.

Reference period

2021

Released

26/04/2022

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Key statistics

In 2021, 29.1% of Australia's population were born overseas. This decreased from 29.8% in 2020
7.5 million people resident in Australia in 2021 were born overseas
Largest group of overseas-born were born in England, however Indian-born was the group with the largest increase since 2011
In 2020, Australia ranked 9th internationally for the total number of migrants in its population.

More timely releases

The ABS has changed the way it publishes the content of the former publication Migration, Australia.

In its place are two new annual publications: this release, Australia's Population by Country of Birth, along with another publication called Overseas Migration which was released in December 2021. These publications will be more timely, accessible and reduce duplication where possible.

There is no loss of data through these changes.

Impact of COVID-19

Many of the changes observed in the recent data in this release are mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This release covers data up to 30 June 2021 and therefore includes the first 15 months of the pandemic period.

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Initially the Australian Government placed travel restrictions on those travelling to Australia from mainland China commencing 1 February 2020 and restrictions on other countries soon followed. From 20 March 2020, all overseas travel was banned, with few exceptions. From 19 April to 23 July 2021 a travel bubble with New Zealand was in place.

The reference period for this release precedes the continued easing of international travel restrictions which commenced in November 2021.

The pandemic continues to disrupt international travel and migration patterns.

Country of birth – Australia

Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) by country of birth is measured at 30 June each year. National data is available annually. A state and territory breakdown is only available for Census years.

Usually, more people immigrate to, than emigrate from, Australia each year thereby adding to the growth of the national population. In 2021 however, this was not the case.

In 2021, 29.1% of Australia's resident population were born overseas (7.5 million migrants)
One year earlier, in 2020, it was 29.8% of the population (7.7 million migrants)
This is the first decrease in the proportion of Australia’s overseas-born population since the year 2000.

This decrease can be attributed to the COVID-19 travel restrictions and the impact on overseas migration in both directions. The travel and migration intentions of many people changed due to the pandemic.

In 2021, there was a decrease in arrivals of people born overseas immigrating to Australia, as well as a decrease of people born in Australia departing to live overseas.

Graph 1.1 Percentage of overseas-born — Australia(a)(b)
Year	Percentage of overseas-born (%)
1891	32.4
1892	31.5
1893	30.5
1894	29.5
1895	28.5
1896	27.6
1897	26.6
1898	25.6
1899	24.6
1900	23.6
1901	22.7
1902	22.1
1903	21.5
1904	21.0
1905	20.4
1906	19.8
1907	19.3
1908	18.7
1909	18.2
1910	17.6
1911	17.0
1912	16.9
1913	16.7
1914	16.5
1915	16.4
1916	16.2
1917	16.1
1918	15.9
1919	15.7
1920	15.6
1921	15.4
1922	15.3
1923	15.1
1924	15.0
1925	14.8
1926	14.7
1927	14.5
1928	14.4
1929	14.2
1930	14.1
1931	13.9
1932	13.8
1933	13.6
1934	13.4
1935	13.1
1936	12.8
1937	12.5
1938	12.3
1939	12.0
1940	11.7
1941	11.4
1942	11.2
1943	10.9
1944	10.6
1945	10.4
1946	10.1
1947	9.8
1948	10.5
1949	11.1
1950	11.7
1951	12.4
1952	13.0
1953	13.7
1954	14.3
1955	14.7
1956	15.1
1957	15.4
1958	15.8
1959	16.2
1960	16.6
1961	16.9
1962	17.2
1963	17.5
1964	17.8
1965	18.1
1966	18.4
1967	18.8
1968	19.2
1969	19.5
1970	19.9
1971	20.2
1972	20.2
1973	20.1
1974	20.0
1975	20.0
1976	19.9
1977	20.0
1978	20.2
1979	20.3
1980	20.4
1981	20.6
1982	20.7
1983	20.8
1984	20.9
1985	21.1
1986	21.2
1987	21.5
1988	22.0
1989	22.4
1990	22.8
1991	22.9
1992	23.0
1993	22.9
1994	22.9
1995	23.0
1996	23.3
1997	23.3
1998	23.2
1999	23.1
2000	23.0
2001	23.1
2002	23.3
2003	23.6
2004	23.8
2005	24.2
2006	24.6
2007	25.1
2008	25.8
2009	26.4
2010	26.7
2011	26.9
2012	27.3
2013	27.7
2014	28.0
2015	28.3
2016	28.6
2017	29.0
2018	29.4
2019	29.7
2020	29.8
2021	29.1

 Graph 1.1 Percentage of overseas-born — Australia(a)(b)

["Year","Percentage of overseas-born"]

[["1891","1892","1893","1894","1895","1896","1897","1898","1899","1900","1901","1902","1903","1904","1905","1906","1907","1908","1909","1910","1911","1912","1913","1914","1915","1916","1917","1918","1919","1920","1921","1922","1923","1924","1925","1926","1927","1928","1929","1930","1931","1932","1933","1934","1935","1936","1937","1938","1939","1940","1941","1942","1943","1944","1945","1946","1947","1948","1949","1950","1951","1952","1953","1954","1955","1956","1957","1958","1959","1960","1961","1962","1963","1964","1965","1966","1967","1968","1969","1970","1971","1972","1973","1974","1975","1976","1977","1978","1979","1980","1981","1982","1983","1984","1985","1986","1987","1988","1989","1990","1991","1992","1993","1994","1995","1996","1997","1998","1999","2000","2001","2002","2003","2004","2005","2006","2007","2008","2009","2010","2011","2012","2013","2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021"],[[32.399999999999999],[31.5],[30.5],[29.5],[28.5],[27.600000000000001],[26.600000000000001],[25.600000000000001],[24.600000000000001],[23.600000000000001],[22.699999999999999],[22.100000000000001],[21.5],[21],[20.399999999999999],[19.800000000000001],[19.300000000000001],[18.699999999999999],[18.199999999999999],[17.600000000000001],[17],[16.899999999999999],[16.699999999999999],[16.5],[16.399999999999999],[16.199999999999999],[16.100000000000001],[15.9],[15.699999999999999],[15.6],[15.4],[15.300000000000001],[15.1],[15],[14.800000000000001],[14.699999999999999],[14.5],[14.4],[14.199999999999999],[14.1],[13.9],[13.800000000000001],[13.6],[13.4],[13.1],[12.800000000000001],[12.5],[12.300000000000001],[12],[11.699999999999999],[11.4],[11.199999999999999],[10.9],[10.6],[10.4],[10.1],[9.8000000000000007],[10.5],[11.1],[11.699999999999999],[12.4],[13],[13.699999999999999],[14.300000000000001],[14.699999999999999],[15.1],[15.4],[15.800000000000001],[16.199999999999999],[16.600000000000001],[16.899999999999999],[17.199999999999999],[17.5],[17.800000000000001],[18.100000000000001],[18.399999999999999],[18.800000000000001],[19.199999999999999],[19.5],[19.899999999999999],[20.199999999999999],[20.199999999999999],[20.100000000000001],[20],[20],[19.899999999999999],[20],[20.199999999999999],[20.300000000000001],[20.399999999999999],[20.600000000000001],[20.699999999999999],[20.800000000000001],[20.899999999999999],[21.100000000000001],[21.199999999999999],[21.5],[22],[22.399999999999999],[22.800000000000001],[22.899999999999999],[23],[22.899999999999999],[22.899999999999999],[23],[23.300000000000001],[23.300000000000001],[23.199999999999999],[23.100000000000001],[23],[23.100000000000001],[23.300000000000001],[23.600000000000001],[23.800000000000001],[24.199999999999999],[24.600000000000001],[25.100000000000001],[25.800000000000001],[26.399999999999999],[26.699999999999999],[26.899999999999999],[27.300000000000001],[27.699999999999999],[28],[28.300000000000001],[28.600000000000001],[29],[29.399999999999999],[29.699999999999999],[29.800000000000001],[29.100000000000001]]]

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Based on estimated resident population at 30 June each year. Prior to 1986 based on Census years.
Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.

Source prior to 1986: Historical population - country of birth data cube

High levels of immigration in the years before 1891 resulted in 32% of the population enumerated as overseas-born in the first country-wide census in 1891. The proportion fell to a low of 10% in 1947, due to lower levels of migration during World War I, the Great Depression and World War II. The proportion then rose rapidly as a result of higher levels of post-war migration. Since then, there has been a fairly steady increase in the overseas-born population.

The various waves of migrants from different countries over time, have affected the diversity of Australia's population. Nearly every country from around the world was represented in Australia's population in 2021, but many groups had declined in number due to the pandemic.

England (967,000) continued to be the birthplace of the largest group of overseas-born living in Australia. However, this decreased from just over a million, recorded throughout the period 2012 to 2016
Those born in India (710,000) were the next largest group but had decreased by 13,000 people during the year
Chinese-born (596,000) was the third largest, with an annual decrease of 52,000 people
The Australia-born population (18.2 million) increased by 196,000 during the year due to a higher number of births than deaths over the year.

Table 1.2 Australia's overseas-born population by country of birth — top 20
	2011		2021
Country of birth(b)	'000	%(c)	'000	%(c)
England	991.04	4.4	967.39	3.8
India	337.12	1.5	710.38	2.8
China(d)	387.42	1.7	595.63	2.3
New Zealand	543.95	2.4	559.98	2.2
Philippines	193.03	0.9	310.62	1.2
Vietnam	207.62	0.9	268.17	1.0
South Africa	161.59	0.7	201.93	0.8
Malaysia	134.14	0.6	172.25	0.7
Italy	201.68	0.9	171.52	0.7
Sri Lanka	99.74	0.4	145.79	0.6
Scotland	141.22	0.6	130.06	0.5
Nepal	27.81	0.1	129.87	0.5
USA	90.09	0.4	109.45	0.4
Germany	125.75	0.6	107.94	0.4
South Korea	85.93	0.4	106.56	0.4
Hong Kong	85.99	0.4	104.99	0.4
Greece	121.18	0.5	100.65	0.4
Iraq	54.98	0.2	99.36	0.4
Lebanon	90.03	0.4	96.42	0.4
Pakistan	34.15	0.2	95.98	0.4
Total overseas-born	6,018.18	26.9	7,502.45	29.1
Australian-born	16,321.84	73.1	18,235.69	70.9
Total population	22340.02	100.0	25738.14	100.0

Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.
Top 20 countries of birth for overseas-born as at 30 June 2021.
Proportion of the total population of Australia.
Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

Graph 1.3 Australia's overseas-born population by country of birth — top 10 (a)(b)
	2011 ('000)	2016 ('000)	2021 ('000)
England	991.04	1,002.06	967.39
India	337.12	489.41	710.38
China(c)	387.42	557.69	595.63
New Zealand	543.95	568.17	559.98
Philippines	193.03	252.69	310.62
Vietnam	207.62	243.22	268.17
South Africa	161.59	180.48	201.93
Malaysia	134.14	152.90	172.25
Italy	201.68	195.76	171.52
Sri Lanka	99.74	124.50	145.79

 Graph 1.3 Australia's overseas-born population by country of birth — top 10 (a)(b)

["","2011 ('000)","2016 ('000)","2021 ('000)"]

[["England","India","China(c)","New Zealand","Philippines","Vietnam","South Africa","Malaysia","Italy","Sri Lanka"],[[991.03999999999996],[337.12],[387.42000000000002],[543.95000000000005],[193.03],[207.62],[161.59],[134.13999999999999],[201.68000000000001],[99.739999999999995]],[[1002.0599999999999],[489.41000000000003],[557.69000000000005],[568.16999999999996],[252.69],[243.22],[180.47999999999999],[152.90000000000001],[195.75999999999999],[124.5]],[[967.38999999999999],[710.38],[595.63],[559.98000000000002],[310.62],[268.17000000000002],[201.93000000000001],[172.25],[171.52000000000001],[145.78999999999999]]]

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Top 10 countries of birth for overseas-born as at 30 June 2021.
Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.
Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

In 2021, compared with a decade earlier in 2011, the countries of birth (excluding Australian-born) with the largest increases in Australia's population were:

India with an increase of 373,000 people
China 208,000
The Philippines 118,000.

Graph 1.4 Australia's overseas-born population — top 10 countries of birth by largest increase since 2011(a)(b)
	2011 ('000)	2016 ('000)	2021 ('000)
India	337.12	489.41	710.38
China(c)	387.42	557.69	595.63
Philippines	193.03	252.69	310.62
Nepal	27.81	58.98	129.87
Pakistan	34.15	69.66	95.98
Vietnam	207.62	243.22	268.17
Sri Lanka	99.74	124.50	145.79
Iraq	54.98	74.68	99.36
South Africa	161.59	180.48	201.93
Iran	39.64	66.15	77.87

 Graph 1.4 Australia's overseas-born population — top 10 countries of birth by largest increase since 2011(a)(b)

["","2011 ('000)","2016 ('000)","2021 ('000)"]

[["India","China(c)","Philippines","Nepal","Pakistan","Vietnam","Sri Lanka","Iraq","South Africa","Iran"],[[337.12],[387.42000000000002],[193.03],[27.809999999999999],[34.149999999999999],[207.62],[99.739999999999995],[54.979999999999997],[161.59],[39.640000000000001]],[[489.41000000000003],[557.69000000000005],[252.69],[58.979999999999997],[69.659999999999997],[243.22],[124.5],[74.680000000000007],[180.47999999999999],[66.150000000000006]],[[710.38],[595.63],[310.62],[129.87],[95.980000000000004],[268.17000000000002],[145.78999999999999],[99.359999999999999],[201.93000000000001],[77.870000000000005]]]

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Top 10 countries of birth with the largest increase in volume from 30 June 2011 to 30 June 2021 for overseas-born.
Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.
Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

Country of birth – age and sex

There are differences in the age structure of the population born in Australia and that born overseas, with Australia's overseas born population tending to be older. The main reason for this is that most people migrate to Australia as adults and are less likely to migrate with young families. The largest five-year age groups among migrants are those of tertiary study or younger working ages. This contrasts with the Australian-born population where children make up the largest five-year age groups.

In 2021 the highest proportions of the population for those born:

in Australia, were aged 0-4 years and 5-9 years (both 5.8%)
overseas, were aged 35-39 years (3%).

In 2011 the highest proportions of the population for those born:

in Australia, were aged 0-4 years (6.2%)
overseas, were aged 25-29 years (2.4%).

Graph 1.5 Population structures for Australian-born and overseas-born — 2021(a)(b)
Age group (years)	Australian-born (Males)	Overseas-born (Males)	Australian-born (Females)	Overseas-born (Females)
0 - 4	3.0	0.1	2.8	0.1
5 - 9	3.0	0.3	2.8	0.3
10 - 14	2.8	0.4	2.7	0.4
15 - 19	2.5	0.5	2.4	0.4
20 - 24	2.4	0.8	2.3	0.8
25 - 29	2.5	1.2	2.4	1.2
30 - 34	2.3	1.3	2.3	1.5
35 - 39	2.2	1.4	2.1	1.5
40 - 44	2.0	1.2	2.0	1.3
45 - 49	2.1	1.1	2.1	1.1
50 - 54	2.0	1.0	2.1	1.1
55 - 59	1.9	1.0	2.0	1.1
60 - 64	1.8	0.9	1.9	1.0
65 - 69	1.6	0.8	1.7	0.9
70 - 74	1.3	0.8	1.4	0.9
75 - 79	0.9	0.6	1.0	0.6
80 - 84	0.6	0.4	0.7	0.5
85 - 89	0.3	0.2	0.5	0.3
90 - 94	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.1
95 - 99	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0
100 +	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

 Graph 1.5 Population structures for Australian-born and overseas-born — 2021(a)(b)

["Age group (years)","Australian-born (Males)","Overseas-born (Males)","Australian-born (Females)","Overseas-born (Females)"]

[["0 - 4","5 - 9","10 - 14","15 - 19","20 - 24","25 - 29","30 - 34","35 - 39","40 - 44","45 - 49","50 - 54","55 - 59","60 - 64","65 - 69","70 - 74","75 - 79","80 - 84","85 - 89","90 - 94","95 - 99","100 +"],[[3],[3],[2.7999999999999998],[2.5],[2.3999999999999999],[2.5],[2.2999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[2],[1.8999999999999999],[1.8],[1.6000000000000001],[1.3],[0.90000000000000002],[0.59999999999999998],[0.29999999999999999],[0.10000000000000001],[0],[0]],[[0.10000000000000001],[0.29999999999999999],[0.40000000000000002],[0.5],[0.80000000000000004],[1.2],[1.3],[1.3999999999999999],[1.2],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[0.80000000000000004],[0.59999999999999998],[0.40000000000000002],[0.20000000000000001],[0.10000000000000001],[0],[0]],[[2.7999999999999998],[2.7999999999999998],[2.7000000000000002],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.3999999999999999],[2.2999999999999998],[2.1000000000000001],[2],[2.1000000000000001],[2.1000000000000001],[2],[1.8999999999999999],[1.7],[1.3999999999999999],[1],[0.69999999999999996],[0.5],[0.29999999999999999],[0.10000000000000001],[0]],[[0.10000000000000001],[0.29999999999999999],[0.40000000000000002],[0.40000000000000002],[0.80000000000000004],[1.2],[1.5],[1.5],[1.3],[1.1000000000000001],[1.1000000000000001],[1.1000000000000001],[1],[0.90000000000000002],[0.90000000000000002],[0.59999999999999998],[0.5],[0.29999999999999999],[0.10000000000000001],[0],[0]]]

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Australian-born and overseas-born persons as a proportion of Australia's total population as at 30 June 2021.
Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.

Median age and sex ratio

Comparing median age over time shows whether the age structure of a given population is changing. It is the age at which half the population is older and half is younger. It helps inform if a population is ageing and how fast that change may be over time.

For the Australian-born population, the median age has gradually been increasing over time from 30 years of age in 1996 to be 34 years of age in 2021.

In contrast, the overseas-born population has fluctuated over time from a median of 44 years of age in 1996, to a peak of 46 years in 2005, and a drop to 43 years in 2019. In 2021, due to the impact of the pandemic and the decrease in younger people arriving into the country, such as international students, it increased to 45 years.

Table 1.6 Australia's overseas-born population — top 20 countries of birth by median age — 2021(a)
	Median age(c)
Country of birth(b)	2011	2021
Greece	68	75
Italy	69	73
Germany	62	67
Scotland	57	61
England	53	58
Lebanon	48	54
Vietnam	43	48
New Zealand	40	45
South Africa	39	45
Hong Kong	38	43
Malaysia	38	42
Sri Lanka	41	42
Philippines	39	41
China(d)	34	40
USA	38	40
Iraq	36	40
South Korea	32	39
India	31	36
Pakistan	31	33
Nepal	27	29
Total overseas-born	45	45
Australian-born(e)	33	34
Total population	37	38

Population estimates for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.
Top 20 countries of birth for overseas-born by volume as at 30 June 2021 sorted from oldest to youngest.
Median age is the age at which half the population is older and half is younger.
Excludes SARs and Taiwan.
2021 includes Norfolk Island.

Migrant populations from countries which were part of the post-second world war migration streams tend to be older. For example, the Greek-born population has a median age of 75 years. Those populations from birthplaces from more recent groups of migrant arrivals are younger. For example, the Nepalese-born population has a median age of 29 years, 5 years younger than those born in Australia.

In 2021 (among those overseas-born populations of 100 or more), the group with the:

oldest median age were from Latvia, at 79 years of age
youngest median age - Cayman Islands, at 14 years of age
highest sex ratio - Vanuatu, with 252 males per 100 females
lowest sex ratio - Turkmenistan, with 37 males per 100 females.

Country of birth – international comparisons

In 2020, the United Nations estimated there was a stock of 280.6 million international migrants worldwide. This is 3.6% of the global population.

When comparing countries by the number of overseas-born in their respective populations, the USA was the highest with 50.6 million migrants. This made up 15.3% of their national population.

Germany followed with 15.8 million migrants (18.8% of their population) and then Saudi Arabia with 13.5 million migrants (38.6% of their population).

Australia ranked ninth with 7.7 million migrants (29.8% of the population in 2020).

Table 2.1 Overseas-born populations around the world — top 20 countries with migrants(a)
	2010	2010	2020	2020
	million	%(b)	million	%(b)
USA	44.18	14.3	50.63	15.3
Germany	9.81	12.1	15.76	18.8
Saudi Arabia	8.43	30.7	13.45	38.6
Russian Federation	11.19	7.8	11.64	8.0
United Kingdom(c)	7.12	11.2	9.36	13.8
United Arab Emirates	7.32	85.6	8.72	88.1
France	7.31	11.6	8.52	13.1
Canada	6.76	19.8	8.05	21.3
Australia(d)	5.88	26.7	7.65	29.8
Spain(e)	6.28	13.4	6.84	14.6
Italy	5.79	9.8	6.39	10.6
Turkey	1.37	1.9	6.05	7.2
Ukraine	4.82	10.5	5.00	11.4
India	5.57	0.5	4.88	0.4
Kazakhstan	3.33	20.5	3.73	19.9
Thailand	3.23	4.8	3.63	5.2
Malaysia	2.42	8.6	3.48	10.7
Jordan	2.79	38.4	3.46	33.9
Pakistan	3.94	2.2	3.28	1.5
Kuwait	1.87	62.7	3.11	72.8
World	220.98	3.2	280.60	3.6

Top 20 countries are ranked based on their number of migrants in 2020.
Proportion of each country's population born-overseas.
Excludes Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
2020 includes Norfolk Island. Data is sourced from the ABS.
Includes Ceuta and Melilla.

Source: United Nations Population Division International Migration Stock 2020

Country of birth – state and territory

Australia's estimated resident population (ERP) by country of birth is measured at 30 June. At the state and territory level, data is only available for Census years, with the latest being 2016.

In 2016, the proportion of Australians born overseas was just under 29%. However, this varied across the nation.

The proportions at the state and territory level, from largest to smallest, were as follows:

35% - Western Australia
31% - Victoria
30% - New South Wales
28% - The Australian Capital Territory
24% - South Australia
24% - Queensland
23% - The Northern Territory
13% - Tasmania.

The proportion of the population born overseas increased for all states and territories from 2011 to 2016:

The Northern Territory had the largest increase of 3.7% over the five-year period.
Tasmania had the smallest increase at 0.6%.

Graph 3.1 Percentage of overseas-born — state and territory(a)
	2011 (%)	2016 (%)
NSW	28.3	30.1
Vic.	28.7	30.7
Qld	22.5	23.5
SA	23.7	24.5
WA	33.4	35.0
Tas.	12.5	13.1
NT	18.9	22.6
ACT	26.1	28.2
Aust.	26.9	28.6

 Graph 3.1 Percentage of overseas-born — state and territory(a)

["","2011 (%)","2016 (%)"]

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[28.300000000000001],[28.699999999999999],[22.5],[23.699999999999999],[33.399999999999999],[12.5],[18.899999999999999],[26.100000000000001],[26.899999999999999]],[[30.100000000000001],[30.699999999999999],[23.5],[24.5],[35],[13.1],[22.600000000000001],[28.199999999999999],[28.600000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) As at 30 June 2011 and 2016.

In 2016, those born in England (just over 1 million people) continued to be the largest group of overseas-born residents living in Australia. The New Zealand-born population (568,000) was second largest, follow by the Chinese-born (558,000 people). At the state and territory level, the ranking of countries differed from the national level and from each other.

The largest groups of overseas-born residents for each state and territory in 2016 were born in the following countries:

New South Wales — China (256,000 people)
Victoria — England (193,000)
Queensland — New Zealand (220,000)
South Australia — England (104,000)
Western Australia — England (214,000)
Tasmania — England (20,000)
The Northern Territory — Philippines (7,000)
The Australian Capital Territory — England (13,000).

Table 3.2. Australia's top 20 countries of birth(a) by state and territory(b) — 2016
	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT	Aust.(c)
Country of birth	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000	'000
England	250.66	192.73	200.36	103.74	213.94	20.48	6.69	13.33	1002.06
New Zealand	127.91	102.72	219.93	13.83	87.35	5.42	5.58	5.02	568.17
China(d)	256.05	176.64	51.64	26.77	29.96	3.27	1.42	11.93	557.69
India	153.80	182.84	53.10	29.01	53.37	2.13	4.24	10.92	489.41
Philippines	94.11	55.95	43.13	13.30	33.43	1.77	6.97	3.96	252.69
Vietnam	92.89	89.93	21.81	15.69	17.62	0.45	1.19	3.61	243.22
Italy	55.98	79.10	14.78	20.18	21.96	0.97	0.64	2.13	195.76
South Africa	47.74	30.32	44.74	7.15	45.55	1.72	1.08	2.15	180.48
Malaysia	34.93	55.34	16.44	8.44	32.25	1.56	0.84	2.62	152.90
Scotland	33.08	30.29	25.22	13.31	30.35	2.61	0.88	2.01	137.76
Sri Lanka	32.58	63.24	11.12	4.20	8.87	0.44	0.98	3.08	124.50
Germany	33.66	29.97	23.11	11.16	12.77	2.38	1.18	2.46	116.70
Greece	35.97	57.01	3.99	10.15	2.75	0.59	1.79	1.17	113.42
Korea, South	58.03	16.86	20.99	4.10	7.92	0.67	0.50	2.50	111.57
USA	36.93	24.26	20.92	5.23	11.45	2.00	1.66	3.30	105.75
Hong Kong	47.29	24.39	12.19	4.02	6.98	0.52	0.35	1.83	97.59
Lebanon	68.36	19.88	1.71	1.84	1.31	0.09	0.07	0.46	93.72
Ireland	28.20	18.19	13.27	3.72	21.58	0.77	1.36	0.93	88.02
Indonesia	34.07	19.25	7.86	2.27	12.49	0.36	1.30	1.36	78.97
Netherlands	18.93	22.20	15.77	7.19	10.39	2.52	0.54	1.12	78.67
Total overseas-born	2,326.32	1,892.53	1,139.85	418.83	895.36	67.85	55.41	113.51	6,911.34
Australian-born	5,406.54	4,280.65	3,705.31	1,294.02	1,660.62	449.67	190.26	289.60	17,279.57
Total population	7,732.86	6,173.17	4,845.15	1,712.84	2,555.98	517.51	245.68	403.10	24,190.91

Top 20 countries of birth for overseas-born at the Australia level as at 30 June 2016.
Country of birth is available at the state and territory level in Census years only.
Includes Other Territories. See Classifications on the methodology page.
Excludes SARs and Taiwan.

Data downloads

I-note for Excel data cubes

1. Estimated resident population (ERP) for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.

2. Country of birth population estimates by state and territory are only available for Census years.

3. The median age is the age at which half the population is older and half is younger.

4. The sex ratio relates to the number of males per 100 females. It has not been calculated for those countries of birth with a population of less than 100 persons.

5. Country classification and codes are from the: Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016 (cat. no. 1269.0).

6. The ABS has identified an unrealistically high number of deaths from 2012 to 2014 being attributed to persons born in Isle of Man. For the Australian population born in Isle of Man, this has resulted in an underestimate of ERP for the period 2012 to 2015.

7. Estimates of population counts in the data cubes have been rounded to the nearest 10 to maintain confidentiality. Where figures have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of component items and totals. All calculations and analysis are based on un-rounded data. Calculations made on rounded data may differ to those published.

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Data files

1. Estimated resident population, country of birth - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021
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2. Estimated resident population, country of birth, state/territory by reference period - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 - Census years
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3. Estimated resident population, country of birth, reference period by state/territory - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 - Census years
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4. Estimated resident population, country of birth, median age - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021
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5. Estimated resident population, country of birth, sex ratio - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021
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Data Explorer datasets

Caution: Data in Data Explorer is currently released after the 11:30am release on the ABS website. Please check the reference period when using Data Explorer.

For information on Data Explorer and how it works, see the Data Explorer user guide.

I-note for Data Explorer datasets

1. Estimated resident population (ERP) for 2021 are preliminary. See Revision status in the methodology page.

2. Country of birth population estimates by state and territory are only available for Census years.

3. The median age is the age at which half the population is older and half is younger.

4. The sex ratio relates to the number of males per 100 females. It has not been calculated for those countries of birth with a population of less than 100 persons.

5. Country classification and codes are from the: Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC), 2016 (cat. no. 1269.0).

Two Australia's Population by Country of Birth datasets are available in Data Explorer.

1. Estimated resident population, country of birth, age and sex - as at 30 June 1996 to 2021
2. Estimated resident population, country of birth, state/territory, age and sex - as at 30 June 1996 to 2016, Census years

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Migrant data matrices
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Australia's Population by Country of Birth methodology, 2021

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1. Estimated resident population, country of birth - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021

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3. Estimated resident population, country of birth, reference period by state/territory - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 - Census years

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1. Estimated resident population, country of birth - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021

2. Estimated resident population, country of birth, state/territory by reference period - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 - Census years

3. Estimated resident population, country of birth, reference period by state/territory - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2016 - Census years

4. Estimated resident population, country of birth, median age - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021

5. Estimated resident population, country of birth, sex ratio - as at 30 June, 1996 to 2021

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