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, 11.1% (1,756) of people in Light (RegC) were born overseas, compared with 11.6% in Regional SA. A further 84.1% (13,268) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Light (RegC) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Light (RegC) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional SA and change since 2016.
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Light (RegC), with comparison markers for Regional SA.
England
2021 count
980
% of total
6.2%
Change from 2016
-0.5pp
980
6.2%
-0.5pp
Not stated
2021 count
751
% of total
4.8%
Change from 2016
-0.8pp
751
4.8%
-0.8pp
Scotland
2021 count
90
% of total
0.6%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
90
0.6%
-0.1pp
New Zealand
2021 count
86
% of total
0.5%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
86
0.5%
0.0pp
Germany
2021 count
63
% of total
0.4%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
63
0.4%
0.0pp
Netherlands
2021 count
45
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
45
0.3%
0.0pp
South Africa
2021 count
42
% of total
0.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
42
0.3%
+0.1pp
Philippines
2021 count
32
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
32
0.2%
0.0pp
Italy
2021 count
29
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
29
0.2%
0.0pp
Northern Ireland
2021 count
28
% of total
0.2%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
28
0.2%
+0.1pp
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
England
0
-0.5pp
Not stated
-73
-0.8pp
Scotland
-15
-0.1pp
New Zealand
+7
0.0pp
Germany
+4
0.0pp
Netherlands
-2
0.0pp
South Africa
+10
+0.1pp
Philippines
-2
0.0pp
Italy
0
0.0pp
Northern Ireland
+7
+0.1pp
Data table
Birthplace for Light (RegC). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional SA.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | % | Regional SA% | Count | pp | |
| England | 980 | 6.2% | 4.2% | 980 | 6.7% | 4.4% | 0 | -0.5pp |
| Not stated | 751 | 4.8% | 7.1% | 824 | 5.6% | 7.7% | -73 | -0.8pp |
| Scotland | 90 | 0.6% | 0.5% | 105 | 0.7% | 0.6% | -15 | -0.1pp |
| New Zealand | 86 | 0.5% | 0.8% | 79 | 0.5% | 0.8% | +7 | 0.0pp |
| Germany | 63 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 59 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +4 | 0.0pp |
| Netherlands | 45 | 0.3% | 0.4% | 47 | 0.3% | 0.5% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| South Africa | 42 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 32 | 0.2% | 0.3% | +10 | +0.1pp |
| Philippines | 32 | 0.2% | 0.7% | 34 | 0.2% | 0.6% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| Italy | 29 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 29 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| Northern Ireland | 28 | 0.2% | 0.1% | 21 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +7 | +0.1pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.