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, 30.2% (79,621) of people in Northern Beaches (A) were born overseas, compared with 38.6% in Greater Sydney. A further 66.7% (175,866) of people were born in Australia.

Section overview

Birthplace - Ranked by size

Northern Beaches (A) - Overseas born (Usual residence)

This table summarises birthplace for Northern Beaches (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.

Birthplace - Ranked by size change

Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.

2016
2021

England

+948

+0.1pp

Not stated

-5,305

-2.3pp

New Zealand

-290

-0.2pp

South Africa

+540

+0.1pp

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)

+215

0.0pp

Brazil

+828

+0.2pp

United States of America

+497

+0.1pp

Italy

+92

0.0pp

Germany

+77

0.0pp

India

+97

0.0pp

Data table

Birthplace for Northern Beaches (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.

Birthplace for Northern Beaches (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Birthplace for Northern Beaches (A). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
Category20212016Change
Count%Greater Sydney%Count%Greater Sydney%Countpp
England21,0368.0%2.9%20,0887.9%3.1%+948+0.1pp
Not stated8,0003.0%4.6%13,3055.3%6.2%-5,305-2.3pp
New Zealand5,7372.2%1.6%6,0272.4%1.8%-290-0.2pp
South Africa4,0091.5%0.8%3,4691.4%0.7%+540+0.1pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)3,7801.4%4.6%3,5651.4%4.7%+2150.0pp
Brazil3,0001.1%0.4%2,1720.9%0.2%+828+0.2pp
United States of America2,9581.1%0.5%2,4611.0%0.5%+497+0.1pp
Italy2,3600.9%0.7%2,2680.9%0.8%+920.0pp
Germany2,0450.8%0.3%1,9680.8%0.4%+770.0pp
India1,9250.7%3.6%1,8280.7%2.7%+970.0pp

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.