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, 7.8% (2,640) of people in Western Downs (R) were born overseas, compared with 18.4% in Regional Qld. A further 82% (27,722) of people were born in Australia.
Section overview
Birthplace - Ranked by size
Western Downs (R) - Overseas born (Usual residence)
This table summarises birthplace for Western Downs (R) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional Qld and change since 2016.
Birthplace - Ranked by size snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Western Downs (R), with comparison markers for Regional Qld.
Not stated
Philippines
New Zealand
England
South Africa
India
Argentina
Ireland
Papua New Guinea
Germany
Chart view
Birthplace - Ranked by size change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
Not stated
-589
-1.9pp
Philippines
+74
+0.2pp
New Zealand
-2
0.0pp
England
+31
+0.1pp
South Africa
+15
0.0pp
India
-29
-0.1pp
Ireland
-9
0.0pp
Papua New Guinea
+10
0.0pp
Germany
-13
-0.1pp
Netherlands
-10
-0.1pp
Data table
Birthplace for Western Downs (R). Birthplace - Ranked by size. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional Qld.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | % | Regional Qld% | Count | pp | |
| Not stated | 3,448 | 10.2% | 7.3% | 4,037 | 12.1% | 8.4% | -589 | -1.9pp |
| Philippines | 508 | 1.5% | 0.9% | 434 | 1.3% | 0.8% | +74 | +0.2pp |
| New Zealand | 458 | 1.4% | 3.7% | 460 | 1.4% | 3.9% | -2 | 0.0pp |
| England | 406 | 1.2% | 3.7% | 375 | 1.1% | 3.7% | +31 | +0.1pp |
| South Africa | 183 | 0.5% | 0.9% | 168 | 0.5% | 0.7% | +15 | 0.0pp |
| India | 112 | 0.3% | 0.8% | 141 | 0.4% | 0.6% | -29 | -0.1pp |
| Argentina | 87 | 0.3% | 0.1% | - | - | 0.0% | - | - |
| Ireland | 56 | 0.2% | 0.2% | 65 | 0.2% | 0.2% | -9 | 0.0pp |
| Papua New Guinea | 50 | 0.1% | 0.3% | 40 | 0.1% | 0.3% | +10 | 0.0pp |
| Germany | 49 | 0.1% | 0.4% | 62 | 0.2% | 0.5% | -13 | -0.1pp |
Excludes countries of birth with fewer than 10 people.