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, 16.4% (1,853) of people in No usual address (NSW) were born overseas, compared with 29.3% in New South Wales. A further 52.3% (5,910) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
No usual address (NSW) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for No usual address (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against New South Wales and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for No usual address (NSW), with comparison markers for New South Wales.
Not stated
England
New Zealand
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
India
Malaysia
United States of America
France
South Africa
Philippines
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+1,299
+13.0pp
England
-179
-1.3pp
New Zealand
-125
-0.9pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
-139
-1.0pp
India
-65
-0.5pp
Malaysia
+23
+0.2pp
United States of America
-21
-0.1pp
France
-10
0.0pp
South Africa
-23
-0.1pp
Philippines
-36
-0.3pp
Data table
Birthplace for No usual address (NSW). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with New South Wales.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | New South Wales% | Count | % | New South Wales% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 3,545 | 31.3% | 5.3% | 2,246 | 18.3% | 6.8% | +1,299 | +13.0pp |
| England | 318 | 2.8% | 2.9% | 497 | 4.1% | 3.1% | -179 | -1.3pp |
| New Zealand | 194 | 1.7% | 1.5% | 319 | 2.6% | 1.6% | -125 | -0.9pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 86 | 0.8% | 3.1% | 225 | 1.8% | 3.1% | -139 | -1.0pp |
| India | 78 | 0.7% | 2.6% | 143 | 1.2% | 1.9% | -65 | -0.5pp |
| Malaysia | 67 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 44 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +23 | +0.2pp |
| United States of America | 64 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 85 | 0.7% | 0.4% | -21 | -0.1pp |
| France | 56 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 66 | 0.5% | 0.2% | -10 | 0.0pp |
| South Africa | 55 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 78 | 0.6% | 0.6% | -23 | -0.1pp |
| Philippines | 50 | 0.4% | 1.3% | 86 | 0.7% | 1.2% | -36 | -0.3pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.