35.7% —
Higher than 97% of capital city areas.
- 2016: 33.9%
- 2021: 35.7%
Share of people born outside Australia (birthplace-not-stated excluded).
Greater Melbourne · Capital City
Ancestry & Birthplace in Greater Melbourne
Where people and their families come from — the ancestries they identify with and where they were born.
Over a third of people in Greater Melbourne were born overseas, making it one of the most diverse regions in the country. This international mix is reflected in a broad range of ancestral backgrounds, with English and Australian being the most common.
Ancestry
The ancestries people most identify with.
English ancestry is the most frequent at 25.6%, followed by Australian at 23.4%. Chinese, Irish, and Scottish ancestries are also prominent, each making up between 7.1% and 8.3% of the population.
Country of birth
Australia and the largest overseas communities.
The 35.7% of residents born overseas is well above the national figure of 27.7% and has risen since 2016. While 59.9% were born in Australia, the most common overseas birthplaces are India at 4.9% and China at 3.4%.
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Greater Melbourne
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Ancestry & Birthplace in Greater Melbourne [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/gccsa/2GMEL/greater-melbourne/topic/ancestry-heritage