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, 43.2% (3,042) of people in Merrylands West were born overseas, compared with 53.3% in Cumberland (A). A further 47.9% (3,371) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Merrylands West - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Merrylands West in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Cumberland (A) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Merrylands West, with comparison markers for Cumberland (A).
Not stated
Lebanon
Afghanistan
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Iraq
Pakistan
India
Iran
Philippines
Turkey
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+212
+2.6pp
Lebanon
+11
-0.2pp
Afghanistan
+68
+0.7pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
+12
0.0pp
Iraq
+49
+0.5pp
Pakistan
+53
+0.6pp
India
-25
-0.5pp
Iran
-6
-0.2pp
Philippines
+16
+0.1pp
Turkey
+2
0.0pp
Data table
Birthplace for Merrylands West. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Cumberland (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | % | Cumberland (A)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 621 | 8.8% | 7.0% | 409 | 6.2% | 6.1% | +212 | +2.6pp |
| Lebanon | 447 | 6.4% | 4.8% | 436 | 6.6% | 4.9% | +11 | -0.2pp |
| Afghanistan | 331 | 4.7% | 2.6% | 263 | 4.0% | 2.8% | +68 | +0.7pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 202 | 2.9% | 6.6% | 190 | 2.9% | 6.5% | +12 | 0.0pp |
| Iraq | 158 | 2.2% | 1.2% | 109 | 1.7% | 1.4% | +49 | +0.5pp |
| Pakistan | 158 | 2.2% | 2.0% | 105 | 1.6% | 2.2% | +53 | +0.6pp |
| India | 139 | 2.0% | 8.5% | 164 | 2.5% | 6.6% | -25 | -0.5pp |
| Iran | 134 | 1.9% | 0.8% | 140 | 2.1% | 1.1% | -6 | -0.2pp |
| Philippines | 126 | 1.8% | 1.8% | 110 | 1.7% | 1.9% | +16 | +0.1pp |
| Turkey | 81 | 1.2% | 1.6% | 79 | 1.2% | 1.7% | +2 | 0.0pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.