41.2% ▲ +12.4%
Higher than 99% of urban centre areas.
- 2011: 36.6%
- 2016: 39.3%
- 2021: 41.2%
Share of people born outside Australia (birthplace-not-stated excluded).
Sydney · Urban Centre
Ancestry & Birthplace in Sydney
Where people and their families come from — the ancestries they identify with and where they were born.
More than four in ten people in Sydney were born overseas, making it one of the most internationally diverse areas in the region. This cultural mix is seen in the wide range of ancestral backgrounds, with English and Australian being the most common, followed by a significant Chinese community.
Ancestry
The ancestries people most identify with.
English ancestry is the most common at 21.8%, followed by Australian at 20.4% and Chinese at 11.6%. Irish and Scottish backgrounds also make up a combined 12.8% of the population.
Country of birth
Australia and the largest overseas communities.
A far higher proportion of people were born overseas here than in the rest of the state or nation, reaching 41.2%. This figure has risen by 4.6 percentage points since 2011, with the most common birthplaces being Australia (54.2%), China (5.0%) and India (3.9%).
Sources
- Census of Population and Housing — Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 (CC BY 4.0).
More for Sydney
Cite this page
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Ancestry & Birthplace in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL101001/sydney/topic/ancestry-heritage