Migrants from the United Kingdom have long been Australia’s primary immigrant group and in 2023 there were roughly 960 thousand English-born people living in Australia. India and China held second and third place respectively with regard to Australia’s foreign-born population. The relative dominance of Asian countries in the list of top ten foreign-born residents of Australia represents a significant shift in Australia’s immigration patterns over the past few decades. Where European-born migrants had previously overshadowed other migrant groups, Australian migration figures are now showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific. A history of migration Australia is often referred to as an ‘immigrant nation’, alongside the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Before the Second World War, migrants to Australia were almost exclusively from the UK, however after 1945, Australia’s immigration policy was broadened to attract economic migrants and temporary skilled migrants. These policy changes saw and increase in immigrants particularly from Greece and Italy. Today, Australia maintains its status as an ‘’Immigrant nation’’, with almost 30 percent of the population born overseas and around 50 percent of the population having both that were born overseas. Australian visas The Australian immigration program has two main categories of visa, permanent and temporary. The permanent visa category offers three primary pathways: skilled, family and humanitarian. The skilled visa category is by far the most common, with more than a million permanent migrants living in Australia on this visa category at the last Australian census in 2021. Of the temporary visa categories, the higher education visa is the most popular, exceeding 180 thousand arrivals in 2023.

Humans have been living on the continent of Australia (name derived from "Terra Australis"; Latin for "the southern land") for approximately 65,000 years, however population growth was relatively slow until the nineteenth century. Europeans had made some contact with Australia as early as 1606, however there was no significant attempt at settlement until the late eighteenth century. By 1800, the population of Australia was approximately 350,000 people, and the majority of these were Indigenous Australians. As colonization progressed the number of ethnic Europeans increased while the Australian Aboriginal population was decimated through conflict, smallpox and other diseases, with some communities being exterminated completely, such as Aboriginal Tasmanians. Mass migration from Britain and China After the loss of its American colonies in the 1780s, the British Empire looked to other parts of the globe to expand its sphere of influence. In Australia, the first colonies were established in Sydney, Tasmania and Western Australia. Many of these were penal colonies which became home to approximately 164,000 British and Irish convicts who were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. As the decades progressed, expansion into the interior intensified, and the entire country was claimed by Britain in 1826. Inland colonization led to further conflict between European settlers and indigenous Australians, which cost the lives of thousands of natives. Inward expansion also saw the discovery of many natural resources, and most notably led to the gold rushes of the 1850s, which attracted substantial numbers of Chinese migrants to Australia. This mass migration from non-European countries eventually led to some restrictive policies being introduced, culminating with the White Australia Policy of 1901, which cemented ethnic-European dominance in Australian politics and society. These policies were not retracted until the second half of the 1900s. Independent Australia Australia changed its status to a British dominion in 1901, and eventually became independent in 1931. Despite this, Australia has remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and Australian forces (ANZAC) fought with the British and their Allies in both World Wars, and were instrumental in campaigns such as Gallipoli in WWI, and the South West Pacific Theater in WWII. The aftermath of both wars had a significant impact on the Australian population, with approximately 90 thousand deaths in both world wars combined, as well as 15 thousand deaths as a result of the Spanish flu pandemic following WWI, although Australia experienced a significant baby boom following the Second World War. In the past fifty years, Australia has promoted immigration from all over the world, and now has one of the strongest economies and highest living standards in the world, with a population that has grown to over 25 million people in 2020.

The statistic shows the total population of Australia from 1980 to 2023, with projections up until 2030. In 2023, Australia had a total population of about 26.95 million people. Population of Australia Australia is among the ten largest countries in the world, in terms of area size, although its total population is low in relation to this. Much of Australia’s interior remains uninhabited, as the majority of Australians live in coastal metropolises and cities. Most of the population is of European descent (predominantly British), although there is a growing share of the population with Asian heritage; only a small percentage belongs to the indigenous Aboriginal population. Australia's year-on-year population growth is fairly high compared to most other economically and demographically advanced nations, due to comparatively high rates of natural increase and immigration. Living standards Standard of living is fairly high in Australia, which can be seen when looking at the Human Development Index, which ranks countries by their level of human development and living standards, such as their unemployment rate, literacy rate, or life expectancy at birth. Life expectancy of Australia’s population is quite high in international comparison, for example, Australia is also among the leading countries when it comes to this key factor. Economically speaking, Australia is also among the leading nations, with a steadily rising employment rate, an increasing gross domestic product (GDP) with a steady growth rate, and a relatively stable share in the global GDP.

UK residents by broad country of birth and citizenship groups, broken down by UK country, local authority, unitary authority, metropolitan and London boroughs, and counties. Estimates from the Annual Population Survey.

This document describes the background and methodology of four surveys under the general study title Issues in Multicultural Australia. The four surveys are: a general sample of the population; non-English speaking born immigrants in general (the NESB sample); persons born in Australia whose father or mother was born in a non-English speaking country (the second generation sample); and persons who migrated to Australia since July 1981 from non-English speaking countries (the new arrivals sample). The general of this study are: to examine multiculturalism as a policy, through the experience of Australians; as a set of beliefs, through their attitudes; and as an aspect of cultural maintenance, through their perceptions. The study concentrates on three broad themes. First, it examines the attitudes of the Australian and overseas born towards multiculturalism, focussing in particular on views about the maintenance of customs, ways of life and patterns of behaviour among immigrants. Second, the barriers which exist to providing full access and equity to overseas born groups are analysed, principally in the fields of education, jobs and in the provision of general health and welfare programmes and services. Third, the study looks at levels of participation in the social and political spheres in community, culture and work related organisations, and in the use of the political process to remedy problems and grievances. Separate sections of the questionnaire deal with the respondent's background - country of birth and parents' country of birth, father's occupation and educational level; language - English language ability, languages spoken, use of own language, ethnicity - identification with ethnic groups, government aid to such groups, religious observance; education - school leaving age, qualifications obtained, recognition of overseas qualifications, transition to employment; current job - job status, occupation , industry, working conditions, trade union membership, gross income, problems looking for work; spouse - country of birth, education and qualifications, occupation and industry, income and income sources; immigration - attitudes to immigration policy, opportunities for immigrants, social distance from various ethnic groups, and attitudes to authority; family and social networks - numbers of children, siblings in Australia, numbers of close friends in Australia, neighbours; citizenship - citizenship status, participation in political matters and interest in politics, trust in government; and multiculturalism - views on what multiculturalism means, and its importance to Australian society.

Australia Population: Resident: Estimated: Annual: New South Wales: Rest of New South Wales data was reported at 2,729,319.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,707,935.000 Person for 2016. Australia Population: Resident: Estimated: Annual: New South Wales: Rest of New South Wales data is updated yearly, averaging 2,618,314.000 Person from Jun 2006 (Median) to 2017, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,729,319.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 2,486,529.000 Person in 2006. Australia Population: Resident: Estimated: Annual: New South Wales: Rest of New South Wales data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Australian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.G002: Estimated Resident Population.

In the 2023 financial year, it was estimated that approximately 19.23 thousand more United Kingdom nationals migrated to Australia than emigrated. This marked a significant increase in net overseas migration from the UK to Australia compared to the previous financial year.

Abstract

The World Values Survey (www.worldvaluessurvey.org) is a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. The survey, which started in 1981, seeks to use the most rigorous, high-quality research designs in each country. The WVS consists of nationally representative surveys conducted in almost 100 countries which contain almost 90 percent of the world’s population, using a common questionnaire. The WVS is the largest non-commercial, cross-national, time series investigation of human beliefs and values ever executed, currently including interviews with almost 400,000 respondents. Moreover the WVS is the only academic study covering the full range of global variations, from very poor to very rich countries, in all of the world’s major cultural zones. The WVS seeks to help scientists and policy makers understand changes in the beliefs, values and motivations of people throughout the world. Thousands of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists and economists have used these data to analyze such topics as economic development, democratization, religion, gender equality, social capital, and subjective well-being. These data have also been widely used by government officials, journalists and students, and groups at the World Bank have analyzed the linkages between cultural factors and economic development.

Geographic coverage

The survey covers Australia.

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual

Universe

The WVS for Australia covers population aged 18 years and over, for both sexes.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample was stratified by Australian states and territories using population counts based on Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) statistics as at 29th July 2005. The selection of individuals within the stratified sample was random using the Electoral Roll for Australia produced by the AEC. This frame includes all registered voters who must be citizens of Australia (or a British subject on a Commonwealth electoral roll as at 25 January 1984). Since voting in Australia is compulsory, there is a very high proportion of the adult Australia population covered by this frameapproximately 92 percent in 2003. A systematic random sample from each state and territory list was drawn by taking every nth name starting with a random start point of size proportional to the population of registered voters. The sampled units were named individuals.

Gross sample Using a sampling frame derived from the AEC Electoral Roll (2005) excludes permanent and temporary residents of Australia (who are not citizens) and any other adults in Australia who are non-citizens except for British subjects on a Commonwealth electoral roll as at 25 January 1984. These exclusions amount to approximately 8 percent of the adult population. Net sample The sample demographics were compared with statistics available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) including the 2001 Census. The major biases are: age (median age is older than the Census population), education (over-representation of persons with post-secondary school qualifications), and gender (slight over-representation of women). Non-citizens of Australia were not included in the sample. The sample size for Australia is N=1421.

Mode of data collection

Mail Questionnaire [mail]

Research instrument

For each wave, suggestions for questions are solicited by social scientists from all over the world and a final master questionnaire is developed in English. Since the start in 1981 each successive wave has covered a broader range of societies than the previous one. Analysis of the data from each wave has indicated that certain questions tapped interesting and important concepts while others were of little value. This has led to the more useful questions or themes being replicated in future waves while the less useful ones have been dropped making room for new questions. The questionnaire is translated into the various national languages and in many cases independently translated back to English to check the accuracy of the translation. In most countries, the translated questionnaire is pre-tested to help identify questions for which the translation is problematic. In some cases certain problematic questions are omitted from the national questionnaire. WVS requires implementation of the common questionnaire fully and faithfully, in all countries included into one wave. Any alteration to the original questionnaire has to be approved by the EC. Omission of no more than a maximum of 12 questions in any given country can be allowed.

Response rate

3500 A Total issued 227 B Not eligible (ill, dead, non-English speaking, not at this address ) 3273 C Total eligible 1421 D Total questionnaires received 1852 E - non-responses (including non-contact; see note above under sample type) 183 F Refusals (including questionnaires less than half filled in) 1669 G Non-contact (included in E) 0 H Other non-response (included in E)

This statistic shows the share of ethnic groups in Australia in the total population. 33 percent of the total population of Australia are english.

Australia’s population

Australia’s ethnic diversity can be attributed to their history and location. The country’s colonization from Europeans is a significant reason for the majority of its population being Caucasian. Additionally, being that Australia is one of the most developed countries closest to Eastern Asia; its Asian population comes as no surprise.

Australia is one of the world’s most developed countries, often earning recognition as one of the world’s economical leaders. With a more recent economic boom, Australia has become an attractive country for students and workers alike, who seek an opportunity to improve their lifestyle. Over the past decade, Australia’s population has slowly increased and is expected to continue to do so over the next several years. A beautiful landscape, many work opportunities and a high quality of life helped play a role in the country’s development. In 2011, Australia was considered to have one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with the average Australian living to approximately 82 years of age.

From an employment standpoint, Australia has maintained a rather low employment rate compared to many other developed countries. After experiencing a significant jump in unemployment in 2009, primarily due to the world economic crisis, Australia has been able to remain stable and slightly increase employment year-over-year.

Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million data was reported at 16,559,716.000 Person in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,345,586.000 Person for 2023. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million data is updated yearly, averaging 10,713,058.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,559,716.000 Person in 2024 and a record low of 5,569,845.000 Person in 1960. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;;

Australia Urban Population data was reported at 23,073,508.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 22,499,333.000 Person for 2022. Australia Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 14,833,869.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23,073,508.000 Person in 2023 and a record low of 8,378,309.000 Person in 1960. Australia Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Sum;

Among countries with the highest number of overseas Chinese on each continent, the largest Chinese diaspora community is living in Indonesia, numbering more than ten million people. Most of these people are descendants from migrants born in China, who have moved to Indonesia a long time ago. On the contrary, a large part of overseas Chinese living in Canada and Australia have arrived in these countries only during the last two decades. China as an emigration country Many Chinese people have emigrated from their home country in search of better living conditions and educational chances. The increasing number of Chinese emigrants has benefited from loosened migration policies. On the one hand, the attitude of the Chinese government towards emigration has changed significantly. Overseas Chinese are considered to be strong supporters for the overall strength of Chinese culture and international influence. On the other hand, migration policies in the United States and Canada are changing with time, expanding migration opportunities for non-European immigrants. As a result, China has become one of the world’s largest emigration countries as well as the country with the highest outflows of high net worth individuals. However, the mass emigration is causing a severe loss of homegrown talents and assets. The problem of talent and wealth outflow has raised pressing questions to the Chinese government, and a solution to this issue is yet to be determined. Popular destinations among Chinese emigrants Over the last decades, English speaking developed countries have been popular destinations for Chinese emigrants. In 2022 alone, the number of people from China naturalized as U.S. citizens had amounted to over 27,000 people, while nearly 68,000 had obtained legal permanent resident status as “green card” recipients. Among other popular immigration destinations for Chinese riches are Canada, Australia, Europe, and Singapore.

In 2021, around 97 percent of Indigenous Australians whose main language was a language other than English living in the Australian Capital Territory spoke English well or very well. The high level of English proficiency was also reported in Tasmania and Victoria, with a respective 96.6 and 94 percent of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations without English as their main language speaking English well or very well.

Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data was reported at 61.531 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 61.314 % for 2023. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 60.970 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 63.459 % in 1971 and a record low of 54.200 % in 1960. Australia Population in Urban Agglomerations of More Than 1 Million: as % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the percentage of a country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

The two countries with the greatest shares of the world's Jewish population are the United States and Israel. The United States had been a hub of Jewish immigration since the nineteenth century, as Jewish people sought to escape persecution in Europe by emigrating across the Atlantic. The Jewish population in the U.S. is largely congregated in major urban areas, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, with the New York metropolitan area being the city with the second largest Jewish population worldwide, after Tel Aviv, Israel. Israel is the world's only officially Jewish state, having been founded in 1948 following the first Arab-Israeli War. While Jews had been emigrating to the holy lands since the nineteenth century, when they were controlled by the Ottoman Empire, immigration increased rapidly following the establishment of the state of Israel. Jewish communities in Eastern Europe who had survived the Holocaust saw Israel as a haven from persecution, while the state encouraged immigration from Jewish communities in other regions, notably the Middle East & North Africa. Smaller Jewish communities remain in Europe in countries such as France, the UK, and Germany, and in other countries which were hotspots for Jewish migration in the twentieth century, such as Canada and Argentina.

In 2020, cumulative South African emigrants amounted to roughly *******. The vast majority settled in the United Kingdom (around *******), followed by Australia (nearly *******). Together, the two countries constituted roughly ** percent of the total South African migrants living abroad. Moreover, the third major country of destination for South Africans was the United States, with about ******* people living there. Overall, the ** countries presented covered **** percent of all South African migrants.

Language: a primary driver of emigration destinations

Language is a factor that helps ease communication and integration for individuals within a new society. Noticeably, the five leading destinations for South African emigrants had English as an official language. In South Africa, English was the second most spoken language outside households. Furthermore, the Netherlands ranked seventh, which language can also justify. Afrikaans, a language developed from ****-century Dutch, was the third most spoken language among households in South Africa.

Unemployment a major worry and prevalent among youth    

A real worry for South Africans in 2022 was unemployment. As of April 2022, ** percent of the respondents of a survey reported concern regarding the job market and the unemployment situation in the country. As of the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate among the age groups 15-24 years and 25-34 years was significantly higher than the rest, reaching **** percent and **** percent, respectively.

Australia Urban Population: % of Total Population data was reported at 86.617 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 86.488 % for 2022. Australia Urban Population: % of Total Population data is updated yearly, averaging 85.046 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.617 % in 2023 and a record low of 81.529 % in 1960. Australia Urban Population: % of Total Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.;United Nations Population Division. World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;

Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data was reported at 22.768 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 22.673 % for 2023. Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data is updated yearly, averaging 24.964 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27.701 % in 1971 and a record low of 22.181 % in 2013. Australia Population in Largest City: as % of Urban Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;Weighted average;

Australia Population in Largest City data was reported at 5,315,600.000 Person in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 5,235,407.000 Person for 2023. Australia Population in Largest City data is updated yearly, averaging 3,709,165.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2024, with 65 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5,315,600.000 Person in 2024 and a record low of 2,134,673.000 Person in 1960. Australia Population in Largest City data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Population in largest city is the urban population living in the country's largest metropolitan area.;United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects.;;

Australia Urban Population Growth data was reported at 2.520 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.418 % for 2022. Australia Urban Population Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 1.489 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.572 % in 1971 and a record low of 0.281 % in 2021. Australia Urban Population Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.;World Bank staff estimates based on the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanization Prospects: 2018 Revision.;Weighted average;