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, 14.2% (928) of people in West Mackay were born overseas, compared with 11.8% in Mackay (R). A further 76.8% (5,009) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
West Mackay - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for West Mackay in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mackay (R) and change since 2016.
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for West Mackay, with comparison markers for Mackay (R).
Not stated
Philippines
New Zealand
England
India
Malta
South Africa
Fiji
Canada
Italy
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
-41
-1.2pp
Philippines
+28
+0.3pp
New Zealand
+21
+0.3pp
England
+19
+0.2pp
India
+14
+0.2pp
Malta
+2
0.0pp
South Africa
+9
+0.1pp
Fiji
+5
0.0pp
Canada
+8
+0.1pp
Italy
0
0.0pp
Data table
Birthplace for West 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 | 583 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 624 | 10.1% | 8.6% | -41 | -1.2pp |
| Philippines | 266 | 4.1% | 1.6% | 238 | 3.8% | 1.4% | +28 | +0.3pp |
| New Zealand | 121 | 1.9% | 2.3% | 100 | 1.6% | 2.5% | +21 | +0.3pp |
| England | 101 | 1.5% | 1.8% | 82 | 1.3% | 1.9% | +19 | +0.2pp |
| India | 59 | 0.9% | 0.6% | 45 | 0.7% | 0.5% | +14 | +0.2pp |
| Malta | 35 | 0.5% | 0.2% | 33 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +2 | 0.0pp |
| South Africa | 32 | 0.5% | 1.0% | 23 | 0.4% | 1.0% | +9 | +0.1pp |
| Fiji | 21 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 16 | 0.3% | 0.1% | +5 | 0.0pp |
| Canada | 21 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 13 | 0.2% | 0.1% | +8 | +0.1pp |
| Italy | 20 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 20 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.