Cultural diversity

Birthplace

About this topic

Birthplace records the country in which a person was born. It is a core measure of migration history and cultural diversity and helps distinguish Australia-born and overseas-born populations.

This topic is useful for understanding settlement patterns and the likely language, service, and support needs of different communities. It should be interpreted together with ancestry, language used at home, and religion for a fuller view of cultural diversity.

Interpretation notes

  • Country of birth measures birthplace only; it does not capture ancestry, ethnicity, or current citizenship on its own.
  • Use birthplace with ancestry and language when interpreting cultural background, because many cultural groups include both Australia-born and overseas-born people.

Key insight

In 2021, 48.2% (93,703) of people in Brimbank (C) were born overseas, compared with 35.7% in Greater Melbourne. A further 45.9% (89,271) of people were born in Australia.

Section overview

Birthplace - Ranked by size

Brimbank (C) - Overseas born (Usual residence)

This table summarises birthplace for Brimbank (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Melbourne and change since 2016.

Birthplace - Ranked by size change

Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.

2016
2021

Vietnam

+3,689

+1.8pp

Not stated

-2,535

-1.3pp

India

-1,070

-0.6pp

Philippines

+13

0.0pp

Malta

-436

-0.2pp

North Macedonia

-35

0.0pp

Italy

-373

-0.2pp

New Zealand

-671

-0.4pp

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)

-192

-0.1pp

Croatia

-247

-0.2pp

Data table

Birthplace for Brimbank (C). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.

Birthplace for Brimbank (C). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
Birthplace for Brimbank (C). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Melbourne.
Category20212016Change
Count%Greater Melbourne%Count%Greater Melbourne%Countpp
Vietnam25,39113.0%1.8%21,70211.2%1.8%+3,689+1.8pp
Not stated11,6236.0%4.4%14,1587.3%6.3%-2,535-1.3pp
India8,2094.2%4.9%9,2794.8%3.6%-1,070-0.6pp
Philippines5,7593.0%1.2%5,7463.0%1.0%+130.0pp
Malta4,0862.1%0.3%4,5222.3%0.4%-436-0.2pp
North Macedonia3,0331.6%0.4%3,0681.6%0.4%-350.0pp
Italy2,8191.4%1.2%3,1921.6%1.4%-373-0.2pp
New Zealand2,6011.3%1.7%3,2721.7%1.8%-671-0.4pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)2,2021.1%3.4%2,3941.2%3.5%-192-0.1pp
Croatia2,0351.0%0.3%2,2821.2%0.3%-247-0.2pp

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.