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, 14.6% (1,008) of people in South Mackay were born overseas, compared with 11.8% in Mackay (R). A further 77.4% (5,344) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
South Mackay - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for South Mackay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for South Mackay, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Not stated
Philippines
New Zealand
England
South Africa
India
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Thailand
Vietnam
Papua New Guinea
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+69
+0.7pp
Philippines
-16
-0.4pp
New Zealand
+14
+0.1pp
England
-13
-0.2pp
South Africa
+9
+0.2pp
India
-16
-0.2pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
+2
0.0pp
Thailand
+11
+0.2pp
Vietnam
+12
+0.2pp
Papua New Guinea
+8
+0.2pp
Data table
Birthplace for South Mackay. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mackay (R).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | % | Mackay (R)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 556 | 8.0% | 9.2% | 487 | 7.3% | 8.6% | +69 | +0.7pp |
| Philippines | 329 | 4.8% | 1.6% | 345 | 5.2% | 1.4% | -16 | -0.4pp |
| New Zealand | 180 | 2.6% | 2.3% | 166 | 2.5% | 2.5% | +14 | +0.1pp |
| England | 94 | 1.4% | 1.8% | 107 | 1.6% | 1.9% | -13 | -0.2pp |
| South Africa | 38 | 0.6% | 1.0% | 29 | 0.4% | 1.0% | +9 | +0.2pp |
| India | 33 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 49 | 0.7% | 0.5% | -16 | -0.2pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 30 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 28 | 0.4% | 0.2% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| Thailand | 27 | 0.4% | 0.2% | 16 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +11 | +0.2pp |
| Vietnam | 25 | 0.4% | 0.1% | 13 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +12 | +0.2pp |
| Papua New Guinea | 18 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 10 | 0.1% | 0.2% | +8 | +0.2pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.