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, 11.4% (294) of people in Merredin were born overseas, compared with 10.9% in Merredin (S). A further 76.2% (1,971) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Merredin - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Merredin in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Merredin (S) and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Merredin, with comparison markers for Merredin (S).
Not stated
England
New Zealand
Philippines
South Africa
Zimbabwe
Scotland
Italy
India
Nigeria
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
+90
+4.2pp
England
-20
-0.4pp
New Zealand
-24
-0.7pp
Philippines
-22
-0.7pp
South Africa
-6
-0.2pp
Zimbabwe
+1
0.0pp
Scotland
-3
-0.1pp
Italy
-3
-0.1pp
India
+4
+0.2pp
Nigeria
+7
+0.3pp
Data table
Birthplace for Merredin. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Merredin (S).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Merredin (S)% | Count | % | Merredin (S)% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 322 | 12.4% | 13.2% | 232 | 8.2% | 8.5% | +90 | +4.2pp |
| England | 77 | 3.0% | 3.0% | 97 | 3.4% | 3.6% | -20 | -0.4pp |
| New Zealand | 53 | 2.0% | 2.1% | 77 | 2.7% | 2.7% | -24 | -0.7pp |
| Philippines | 24 | 0.9% | 0.8% | 46 | 1.6% | 1.4% | -22 | -0.7pp |
| South Africa | 14 | 0.5% | 0.6% | 20 | 0.7% | 0.8% | -6 | -0.2pp |
| Zimbabwe | 14 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 13 | 0.5% | 0.3% | +1 | 0.0pp |
| Scotland | 13 | 0.5% | 0.5% | 16 | 0.6% | 0.5% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| Italy | 13 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 16 | 0.6% | 0.3% | -3 | -0.1pp |
| India | 12 | 0.5% | 0.4% | 8 | 0.3% | 0.2% | +4 | +0.2pp |
| Nigeria | 11 | 0.4% | 0.4% | 4 | 0.1% | 0.1% | +7 | +0.3pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.