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, 53.2% (125,268) of people in Cumberland (A) were born overseas, compared with 38.6% in Greater Sydney. A further 39.7% (93,551) of people were born in Australia.

Section overview

Birthplace - Ranked by size

Cumberland (A) - Overseas born (Usual residence)

This table summarises birthplace for Cumberland (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.

Birthplace - Ranked by size change

Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.

2016
2021

India

+5,625

+1.9pp

Not stated

+3,440

+0.9pp

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)

+1,409

+0.1pp

Lebanon

+599

-0.1pp

Nepal

+5,120

+2.0pp

Afghanistan

+74

-0.2pp

Vietnam

+124

-0.1pp

Pakistan

+138

-0.2pp

Korea, Republic of (South)

+112

-0.1pp

Sri Lanka

-524

-0.4pp

Data table

Birthplace for Cumberland (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.

Birthplace for Cumberland (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Birthplace for Cumberland (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Category20212016Change
Count%Greater Sydney%Count%Greater Sydney%Countpp
India19,9298.5%3.6%14,3046.6%2.7%+5,625+1.9pp
Not stated16,5837.0%4.6%13,1436.1%6.2%+3,440+0.9pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)15,5376.6%4.6%14,1286.5%4.7%+1,409+0.1pp
Lebanon11,1854.8%1.2%10,5864.9%1.2%+599-0.1pp
Nepal10,0554.3%1.1%4,9352.3%0.6%+5,120+2.0pp
Afghanistan6,2062.6%0.3%6,1322.8%0.3%+74-0.2pp
Vietnam4,8652.1%1.8%4,7412.2%1.7%+124-0.1pp
Pakistan4,7872.0%0.6%4,6492.2%0.5%+138-0.2pp
Korea, Republic of (South)4,4811.9%1.0%4,3692.0%1.0%+112-0.1pp
Sri Lanka4,3291.8%0.6%4,8532.2%0.6%-524-0.4pp

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.