Cultural diversity
Birthplace
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.
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, 25.6% (920) of people in Cairns City were born overseas, compared with 22.3% in Cairns (R). A further 36.2% (1,298) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Cairns City - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Cairns City in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cairns City, with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Not stated
England
New Zealand
India
France
Korea, Republic of (South)
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Italy
Philippines
Scotland
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+673
+12.2pp
England
-6
-1.6pp
New Zealand
-8
-1.1pp
India
+1
-0.6pp
France
+14
+0.1pp
Korea, Republic of (South)
-53
-2.3pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
-9
-0.7pp
Italy
+3
-0.2pp
Philippines
+22
+0.5pp
Scotland
+12
+0.2pp
Data table
Birthplace for Cairns City. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cairns (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | % | Cairns (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 1,372 | 38.2% | 8.6% | 699 | 26.0% | 9.7% | +673 | +12.2pp |
| England | 150 | 4.2% | 3.9% | 156 | 5.8% | 3.9% | -6 | -1.6pp |
| New Zealand | 84 | 2.3% | 2.8% | 92 | 3.4% | 3.1% | -8 | -1.1pp |
| India | 59 | 1.6% | 1.1% | 58 | 2.2% | 0.9% | +1 | -0.6pp |
| France | 41 | 1.1% | 0.2% | 27 | 1.0% | 0.2% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| Korea, Republic of (South) | 39 | 1.1% | 0.4% | 92 | 3.4% | 0.6% | -53 | -2.3pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 37 | 1.0% | 0.5% | 46 | 1.7% | 0.5% | -9 | -0.7pp |
| Italy | 36 | 1.0% | 0.4% | 33 | 1.2% | 0.4% | +3 | -0.2pp |
| Philippines | 34 | 0.9% | 1.3% | 12 | 0.4% | 1.2% | +22 | +0.5pp |
| Scotland | 29 | 0.8% | 0.4% | 17 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +12 | +0.2pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.