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, 30.5% (3,890) of people in Toorak were born overseas, compared with 31.5% in Stonnington (C). A further 63.2% (8,054) of people were born in Australia.

Section overview

Birthplace - Ranked by size

Toorak - Overseas born (Usual residence)

This table summarises birthplace for Toorak in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Stonnington (C) and change since 2016.

Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Toorak, with comparison markers for Stonnington (C).

Toorak
Stonnington (C)

Not stated

2021 count

803

% of total

6.3%

Change from 2016

-1.4pp

China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)

2021 count

635

% of total

5.0%

Change from 2016

+1.4pp

England

2021 count

442

% of total

3.5%

Change from 2016

+0.4pp

New Zealand

2021 count

254

% of total

2.0%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

India

2021 count

239

% of total

1.9%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

Malaysia

2021 count

181

% of total

1.4%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

United States of America

2021 count

140

% of total

1.1%

Change from 2016

+0.2pp

South Africa

2021 count

136

% of total

1.1%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

Hong Kong (SAR of China)

2021 count

113

% of total

0.9%

Change from 2016

-0.1pp

Poland

2021 count

97

% of total

0.8%

Change from 2016

-0.3pp

Data table

Birthplace for Toorak. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Stonnington (C).

Birthplace for Toorak. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Stonnington (C).
Birthplace for Toorak. Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Stonnington (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Stonnington (C)%Count%Stonnington (C)%Countpp
Not stated8036.3%4.6%9957.7%7.7%-192-1.4pp
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan)6355.0%3.8%4693.6%4.3%+166+1.4pp
England4423.5%3.6%3973.1%3.5%+45+0.4pp
New Zealand2542.0%2.2%2742.1%2.5%-20-0.1pp
India2391.9%2.4%2301.8%2.5%+9+0.1pp
Malaysia1811.4%1.3%1631.3%1.2%+18+0.1pp
United States of America1401.1%1.0%1150.9%0.8%+25+0.2pp
South Africa1361.1%0.9%1331.0%0.8%+3+0.1pp
Hong Kong (SAR of China)1130.9%0.6%1321.0%0.6%-19-0.1pp
Poland970.8%0.4%1431.1%0.5%-46-0.3pp

Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.