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, 11.8% (322) of people in Cooktown were born overseas, compared with 13.7% in Cook (S). A further 71.6% (1,946) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Cooktown - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Cooktown in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cook (S) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Cooktown, with comparison markers for Cook (S).
Not stated
2021 count
450
% of total
16.6%
Change from 2016
-0.7pp
450
16.6%
-0.7pp
New Zealand
2021 count
68
% of total
2.5%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
68
2.5%
-0.2pp
England
2021 count
66
% of total
2.4%
Change from 2016
-0.6pp
66
2.4%
-0.6pp
Philippines
2021 count
19
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
19
0.7%
0.0pp
Germany
2021 count
17
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.4pp
17
0.6%
-0.4pp
South Africa
2021 count
16
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
16
0.6%
+0.1pp
Papua New Guinea
2021 count
15
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
15
0.6%
-0.1pp
United States of America
2021 count
13
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
13
0.5%
+0.2pp
Scotland
2021 count
10
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
10
0.4%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
-5
-0.7pp
New Zealand
-3
-0.2pp
England
-12
-0.6pp
Philippines
0
0.0pp
Germany
-9
-0.4pp
South Africa
+4
+0.1pp
Papua New Guinea
-3
-0.1pp
United States of America
+6
+0.2pp
Scotland
+1
+0.1pp
Data table
Birthplace for Cooktown. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cook (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | % | Cook (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 450 | 16.6% | 18.3% | 455 | 17.3% | 16.0% | -5 | -0.7pp |
| New Zealand | 68 | 2.5% | 2.3% | 71 | 2.7% | 2.4% | -3 | -0.2pp |
| England | 66 | 2.4% | 2.4% | 78 | 3.0% | 2.9% | -12 | -0.6pp |
| Philippines | 19 | 0.7% | 0.5% | 19 | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Germany | 17 | 0.6% | 0.7% | 26 | 1.0% | 0.8% | -9 | -0.4pp |
| South Africa | 16 | 0.6% | 0.7% | 12 | 0.5% | 0.5% | +4 | +0.1pp |
| Papua New Guinea | 15 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 18 | 0.7% | 0.6% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| United States of America | 13 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 7 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +6 | +0.2pp |
| Scotland | 10 | 0.4% | 0.3% | 9 | 0.3% | 0.3% | +1 | +0.1pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.