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, 9.4% (999) of people in Thornton (NSW) were born overseas, compared with 9.1% in Maitland (C). A further 88.4% (9,414) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Thornton (NSW) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Thornton (NSW) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Maitland (C) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Thornton (NSW), with comparison markers for Maitland (C).
Not stated
England
New Zealand
India
Philippines
South Africa
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
Zimbabwe
Taiwan
Scotland
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+2
-0.7pp
England
+21
-0.3pp
New Zealand
+54
+0.3pp
India
+58
+0.4pp
Philippines
+13
0.0pp
South Africa
+30
+0.2pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)
+16
+0.1pp
Zimbabwe
+16
+0.1pp
Taiwan
+22
+0.2pp
Scotland
-2
-0.1pp
Data table
Birthplace for Thornton (NSW). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Maitland (C).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | % | Maitland (C)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 239 | 2.2% | 3.9% | 237 | 2.9% | 5.4% | +2 | -0.7pp |
| England | 191 | 1.8% | 1.8% | 170 | 2.1% | 1.8% | +21 | -0.3pp |
| New Zealand | 117 | 1.1% | 1.0% | 63 | 0.8% | 1.0% | +54 | +0.3pp |
| India | 87 | 0.8% | 0.9% | 29 | 0.4% | 0.5% | +58 | +0.4pp |
| Philippines | 59 | 0.6% | 0.6% | 46 | 0.6% | 0.5% | +13 | 0.0pp |
| South Africa | 59 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 29 | 0.4% | 0.4% | +30 | +0.2pp |
| China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 33 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 17 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +16 | +0.1pp |
| Zimbabwe | 29 | 0.3% | 0.2% | 13 | 0.2% | 0.2% | +16 | +0.1pp |
| Taiwan | 27 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 5 | 0.1% | 0.0% | +22 | +0.2pp |
| Scotland | 25 | 0.2% | 0.3% | 27 | 0.3% | 0.3% | -2 | -0.1pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.