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, 29.1% (181,793) of people in Gold Coast (C) were born overseas, compared with 18.4% in Regional Qld. A further 65.2% (407,315) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Gold Coast (C) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Gold Coast (C) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gold Coast (C), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
New Zealand
2021 count
44,485
% of total
7.1%
Change from 2016
-0.9pp
44,485
7.1%
-0.9pp
Not stated
2021 count
35,950
% of total
5.8%
Change from 2016
-2.0pp
35,950
5.8%
-2.0pp
England
2021 count
30,748
% of total
4.9%
Change from 2016
-0.3pp
30,748
4.9%
-0.3pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
2021 count
8,772
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
8,772
1.4%
+0.1pp
South Africa
2021 count
8,563
% of total
1.4%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
8,563
1.4%
+0.2pp
India
2021 count
6,957
% of total
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
6,957
1.1%
+0.4pp
Philippines
2021 count
5,626
% of total
0.9%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
5,626
0.9%
+0.2pp
Brazil
2021 count
4,597
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
4,597
0.7%
+0.3pp
Japan
2021 count
4,423
% of total
0.7%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
4,423
0.7%
-0.1pp
Scotland
2021 count
3,537
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
3,537
0.6%
0.0pp
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
New Zealand
+299
-0.9pp
Not stated
-7,578
-2.0pp
England
+2,032
-0.3pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
+1,811
+0.1pp
South Africa
+1,743
+0.2pp
India
+2,812
+0.4pp
Philippines
+1,550
+0.2pp
Brazil
+2,634
+0.3pp
Japan
+189
-0.1pp
Scotland
+298
0.0pp
Data table
Birthplace for Gold Coast (C). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| New Zealand | 44,485 | 7.1% | 3.7% | 44,186 | 8.0% | 3.9% | +299 | -0.9pp |
| Not stated | 35,950 | 5.8% | 7.3% | 43,528 | 7.8% | 8.4% | -7,578 | -2.0pp |
| England | 30,748 | 4.9% | 3.7% | 28,716 | 5.2% | 3.7% | +2,032 | -0.3pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 8,772 | 1.4% | 0.5% | 6,961 | 1.3% | 0.4% | +1,811 | +0.1pp |
| South Africa | 8,563 | 1.4% | 0.9% | 6,820 | 1.2% | 0.7% | +1,743 | +0.2pp |
| India | 6,957 | 1.1% | 0.8% | 4,145 | 0.7% | 0.6% | +2,812 | +0.4pp |
| Philippines | 5,626 | 0.9% | 0.9% | 4,076 | 0.7% | 0.8% | +1,550 | +0.2pp |
| Brazil | 4,597 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 1,963 | 0.4% | 0.1% | +2,634 | +0.3pp |
| Japan | 4,423 | 0.7% | 0.3% | 4,234 | 0.8% | 0.3% | +189 | -0.1pp |
| Scotland | 3,537 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 3,239 | 0.6% | 0.4% | +298 | 0.0pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.