Australia's Immigrant Population Grows

Over a quarter of Australia’s population was born overseas. This proportion – 25%, or 5.5 million people – is the highest recorded since Federation. (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006 census and updated ABS data from June 2009.)

As at 31 December 2008, Australia’s population was 21,644,000, an increase of 406,100 people over the previous year. Net migration contributed to more than half of this growth at 62% or 253,400 people.

Western Australia recorded the fastest population growth at 3.1%, followed by Queensland (2.5%), the Northern Territory (2.0%), Victoria (1.9%), the Australian Capital Territory (1.7%), New South Wales (1.4%), South Australia (1.2%) and Tasmania (1.0%)

People born in the UK make up the largest migrant group with 1.2 million people. (In the past 10 years, the proportion of UK born people has dropped from 6.1% to 5.4% of the total Australian population).

Other major groups come from New Zealand (495,000), China (314,100), India (239,000) and Italy (222,000).

The highest proportions of migrants are found in Australia’s cities. Sydney’s migrants make up 39% of its population while Melbourne’s migrants comprise 35% of its population.

Almost half of the overseas-born population in Australia (49%, or 2.3 million people) were born in Europe. This figure has declined over the past ten years, while migration from other regions has increased.

Non-European migrants settle in Australia’s large cities and small-town Australia is very largely of European ethnicity.

Sudanese-born people are the fastest growing group, increasing by an average 27% per year over the past ten years (but starting from a low base of only 2,600 people in 1996).

The largest net addition to Australia’s population between 1996 and 2006 was from people born in New Zealand (up by 140,000). People born in China (70,000), India (53,900) and South Africa also made strong contributions over this period.

Birthplace groups with decreasing numbers in this ten-year period were led by Italy (down 34,800 people) and the United Kingdom (26,800).