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, 26.3% (1,745) of people in Smithfield (Qld) were born overseas, compared with 22.3% in Cairns (R). A further 68.8% (4,569) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Smithfield (Qld) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Smithfield (Qld) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cairns (R) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Smithfield (Qld), with comparison markers for Cairns (R).
Not stated
2021 count
327
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
327
4.9%
-0.1pp
England
2021 count
294
% of total
4.4%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
294
4.4%
-0.5pp
New Zealand
2021 count
170
% of total
2.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
170
2.6%
0.0pp
India
2021 count
146
% of total
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
146
2.2%
+0.3pp
Papua New Guinea
2021 count
108
% of total
1.6%
Change from 2016
+1.1pp
108
1.6%
+1.1pp
Philippines
2021 count
76
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.5pp
76
1.1%
+0.5pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
2021 count
72
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
72
1.1%
+0.4pp
Korea, Republic of (South)
2021 count
60
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
60
0.9%
+0.1pp
Japan
2021 count
54
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
54
0.8%
+0.3pp
South Africa
2021 count
52
% of total
0.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
52
0.8%
+0.2pp
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+62
-0.1pp
England
+36
-0.5pp
New Zealand
+35
0.0pp
India
+45
+0.3pp
Papua New Guinea
+82
+1.1pp
Philippines
+45
+0.5pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
+36
+0.4pp
Korea, Republic of (South)
+18
+0.1pp
Japan
+29
+0.3pp
South Africa
+20
+0.2pp
Data table
Birthplace for Smithfield (Qld). 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 | 327 | 4.9% | 8.6% | 265 | 5.0% | 9.7% | +62 | -0.1pp |
| England | 294 | 4.4% | 3.9% | 258 | 4.9% | 3.9% | +36 | -0.5pp |
| New Zealand | 170 | 2.6% | 2.8% | 135 | 2.6% | 3.1% | +35 | 0.0pp |
| India | 146 | 2.2% | 1.1% | 101 | 1.9% | 0.9% | +45 | +0.3pp |
| Papua New Guinea | 108 | 1.6% | 1.4% | 26 | 0.5% | 1.5% | +82 | +1.1pp |
| Philippines | 76 | 1.1% | 1.3% | 31 | 0.6% | 1.2% | +45 | +0.5pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 72 | 1.1% | 0.5% | 36 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +36 | +0.4pp |
| Korea, Republic of (South) | 60 | 0.9% | 0.4% | 42 | 0.8% | 0.6% | +18 | +0.1pp |
| Japan | 54 | 0.8% | 1.0% | 25 | 0.5% | 1.1% | +29 | +0.3pp |
| South Africa | 52 | 0.8% | 0.5% | 32 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +20 | +0.2pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.