Diversity Figures
Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs
Great state. Great opportunity.
Diversity Figures
At the time of the 2011 Census, 20.5% (888,636 people) of Queensland’s
total resident population1 stated they were born overseas, an increase from
17.9% (699,448 people) at the 2006 Census.
Queensland is home to people who speak more than 220 languages, hold more
than 100 religious beliefs and come from more than 220 countries.
The Queensland Government supports the continued growth and development of
strong multicultural communities in Queensland. It also supports the celebration of,
and education about, Queensland’s diverse cultural heritage and to ensuring our
cultural differences are viewed as a positive and valuable resource for us all.
The government also values the cultural, social and economic rewards cultural
diversity2 generates in Queensland and has compiled this document to illustrate the
unique features of our diverse population.
This document primarily uses data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2011
Census of Population and Housing to provide a snapshot of Queensland’s
population diversity, with additional data sourced from the Commonwealth
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).
There are a number of interesting social and cultural characteristics featured in the
following pages including:






the source countries of overseas-born people in Queensland
the ancestry of Queensland residents
languages spoken other than English
English language proficiency of overseas-born people
Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people
migration patterns.
20.5% or 888,636 Queenslanders were born overseas in more than
220 countries.
Country of birth
Census 2011 data shows that 4,332,739 residents were counted in Queensland, an
increase of 11.0% (428,204 people) from 3,904,534 in 2006. Queensland’s cultural
diversity has also increased during this time.
1
1 5.8% (251,987) of people who were usual residents of Queensland did not state their birthplace at the time of the 2011 Census.
These people are included in Queensland’s total usual resident population.
2
Unless otherwise stated, all Census data in this document relate to place of usual residence, which is where persons usually live
rather than the place where they were counted on Census night.
1
There were 888,636 people living in Queensland in 2011 who stated they were born
overseas. This represented 20.5% of Queensland’s total resident population,
compared with 17.9% in 2006. The number of Queensland residents born overseas
increased by 27.0% (189,188 people) from 2006 to 2011, compared with an increase
of 18.5% (688,927 people) in the rest of Australia.
At the same time, the proportion of Queensland’s total resident population born
overseas was lower than most other jurisdictions, for example 30.7% in Western
Australia, 26.2% in Victoria and 25.7% in New South Wales. Only Tasmania and the
Northern Territory had lower proportions of residents born overseas (Table 1).
However, when comparing the actual number of people born overseas,
Queensland has the third highest number after New South Wales (1,778,550) and
Victoria (1,405,337). Almost one in every 10 of Queensland’s residents was born in a
non-main English speaking country (9.5%). This was about half of the proportion
reported in both Victoria (19.6%) and New South Wales (18.6%).
Table 1 -Overseas-born people as a proportion of the total population, states and territories, 2011
State
Overseas-born as %
of population
Born in a non-MESC as % of
population (a)
NSW
25.7
18.6
Vic.
26.2
19.6
Qld
20.5
9.5
SA
22.1
12.7
WA
30.7
14.4
Tas.
11.6
5.1
NT
16.6
10.4
ACT
24.2
16.8
(a) non-main English speaking country (MESC) (excludes United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand,
Canada, United States of America and South Africa)
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
The majority of people in Queensland in 2011 who were born overseas were born in
New Zealand (192,037 people, or 4.4% of the total population) and England (179,495
people, or 4.1% of the total population). Together, these two countries accounted
for 41.8% of all residents born overseas (Table 2). However, there were also
considerable numbers of Queensland residents born in South Africa, India,
Philippines, China, Scotland and Germany in the Queensland population. In the rest
of Australia, England was the main country of birth, followed by China, New Zealand
and India.
People born in New Zealand represented a much higher proportion of the
Queensland population (4.4%) compared with the rest of Australia (1.7%). Of all New
Zealand-born
Australian residents, 39.7% lived in Queensland. People born in China, India, Italy and
Vietnam were under-represented in Queensland with proportions for these countries
of birth less than half of those measured for the rest of Australia.
2
36.2% or 1,566,854 Queenslanders were either born overseas or
have at least one parent born overseas.
Table 2: Top 20 overseas countries of birth, Queensland and rest of Australia, 2011
Queensland
Rest of Australia
Country of
birth
Number
% of total
population
Number
% of total
population
Australia
3,192,114
73.7
Australia
11,825,731
68.9
New Zealand
192,037
4.4
England
732,097
4.3
England
179,495
4.1
China(a)
291,933
1.7
South Africa
35,549
0.8
New Zealand
291,359
1.7
India
30,259
0.7
India
265,104
1.5
Philippines
29,462
0.7
Italy
172,170
1.0
China(a)
27,036
0.6
Vietnam
168,770
1.0
Scotland
24,058
0.6
Philippines
141,771
0.8
Germany
21,027
0.5
South Africa
110,134
0.6
Vietnam
16,269
0.4
Scotland
109,374
0.6
United States of
America
15,811
0.4
Malaysia
103,406
0.6
Netherlands
14,986
0.3
Greece
96,497
0.6
Papua New
Guinea
14,500
0.3
Germany
86,976
0.5
Italy
13,231
0.3
Sri Lanka
78,717
0.5
Malaysia
12,790
0.3
Lebanon
75,157
0.4
South Korea
12,552
0.3
Hong Kong(b)
66,226
0.4
Fiji
11,401
0.3
South Korea
61,986
0.4
Ireland
10,901
0.3
United States of
America
61,199
0.4
Taiwan
10,893
0.3
Netherlands
61,061
0.4
Japan
10,317
0.2
Indonesia
56,599
0.3
Canada
9664
0.2
Ireland
56,417
0.3
Other(c)
196,398
4.5
Other(c)
1,318,558
7.7
Total overseasborn(c)
888,636
20.5
Total overseasborn(c)
4,405,511
25.7
4,332,739
100.0
17,174,981
100.0
Total(d)
Country of
birth
Total(d)
3
(a) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province. (b) Special
Administrative Region of China.
(c) Includes ‘Australian External Territories’, ‘Inadequately described’ and ‘At sea’. (d) Includes ‘Not
stated’.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
In addition to the 20.5% of Queensland residents born overseas, 10.5% of the
population were born in Australia and had one parent born overseas, and 5.2% of
the population were born in Australia and had both parents born overseas (Table
2.1). More than one in three (36.2%) Queenslanders were either born overseas or
had at least one parent born overseas.
In the rest of Australia, a higher proportion of the population (45.3%) were either born
overseas or had at least one parent born overseas (Table 2.2). This was largely a
result of a higher proportion of people born overseas (25.7% in the rest of Australia)
and a higher proportion of people born in Australia with both parents born overseas
(9.2% compared with 5.2% in Queensland). The proportion of the population born in
Australia with one parent born overseas was similar, with 10.5% in Queensland and
10.4% in the rest of Australia.
Table 2.1: Country of birth and birthplace of parents, Queensland, 2011
Queensland
%
Overseas-born
20.5%
Australian-born (both parents overseas-born)
5.2%
Australian-born (one parent overseas-born)
Overseas-born or had at least one parent born overseas
10.5%
(sub total)
Australian-born (both parents born in Australia)
36.2%
56.2%
Australian-born (birthplace for either or both parents not
stated)
1.8%
Birthplace not stated
5.8%
Table 2.2: Country of birth and birthplace of parents, rest of Australia, 2011
Rest of Australia
%
Overseas-born
25.7%
Australian-born (both parents overseas-born)
9.2%
Australian-born (one parent overseas-born)
Overseas-born or had at least one parent born overseas
Australian-born (both parents born in Australia)
10.4%
(sub total)
45.3%
47.5%
Australian-born (birthplace for either or both parents not
stated)
1.8%
Birthplace not stated
5.5%
4
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing
20.5% of Queenslanders stated they were born outside
Australia.
Overseas-born persons by local government area (LGA), Queensland, 2011
Among Queensland’s local government areas, Brisbane had the highest proportion
of residents born overseas (28.3%), closely followed by the Gold Coast (27.9%) and
Logan (26.1%) as shown in Table 4.
The Top 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) with highest proportion of people born
overseas are shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Top 20 LGAs (ASGS 2011) with highest proportion of people born overseas
(2011 Census usual residence counts)
1)Brisbane (C)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
295,201
28.3
New Zealand
41,077
3.9
England
39,721
3.8
China
18,555
1.8
18,049
1.7
192,586
18.5
27,363
2.6
(a)
India
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Mandarin
2)Gold Coast (C)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
27.9
New Zealand
42,543
8.6
England
27,705
5.6
South Africa
5882
1.2
Japan
3672
0.7
50,640
10.2
Japanese
1.0
%
72,611
26.1
New Zealand
21,835
7.9
England
12,511
4.5
Philippines
2271
0.8
South Africa
1883
0.7
35,544
12.8
3876
1.4
Samoan
4)Cook (S)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
4727
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
138,036
3)Logan (C)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
%
963
23.2
Sri Lanka
219
5.3
Afghanistan
188
4.5
England
133
3.2
New Zealand
98
2.4
5
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Guugu
Yimidhirr
5)Redland (C)
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
22.6
7.1
New Zealand
7596
5.5
South Africa
2011
1.5
Scotland
1350
1.0
7951
5.7
640
0.5
German
Persons
20.2
England
6503
4.2
New Zealand
Papua New
Guinea
5281
3.4
1996
1.3
Japan
1541
1.0
17,069
10.9
2063
1.3
Japanese
Persons
19.8
England
20,249
6.6
New Zealand
14,908
4.9
2,448
0.8
2196
0.7
Germany
German
8)Moreton Bay (R)
1868
0.6
%
19.0
England
20,462
5.4
New Zealand
18,628
4.9
South Africa
3665
1.0
Scotland
2531
0.7
20,391
5.4
1564
0.4
Samoan
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
4.1
71,710
9)Ipswich (C)
Top overseas countries of birth:
12,593
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
60,780
South Africa
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
31,598
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
9803
7)Sunshine Coast (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
1.8
31,404
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
76
England
6)Cairns (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
8.5
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
352
%
31,266
18.7
New Zealand
8631
5.2
England
5912
3.5
Samoa
1423
0.9
Philippines
1167
0.7
15,500
9.3
6
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Samoan
10)Scenic Rim (R)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
England
1847
5.1
New Zealand
1254
3.4
Germany
255
0.7
Netherlands
200
0.5
1136
3.1
188
0.5
German
Persons
14.6
New Zealand
866
4.1
Philippines
412
1.9
England
326
1.5
South Africa
172
0.8
1557
7.3
162
0.8
Filipino
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
6348
14.5
1471
3.4
New Zealand
940
2.1
Italy
811
1.9
Germany
376
0.9
3158
7.2
1279
2.9
Italian
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
14.1
England
1093
3.5
New Zealand
1083
3.4
Philippines
233
0.7
South Africa
189
0.6
1433
4.6
165
0.5
Persons
%
Korean
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
15)Cassowary Coast (R)
%
4437
14)Fraser Coast (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
England
13)Whitsunday (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
3099
12)Tablelands (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
14.9
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
1.9
5428
11)Mount Isa (C)
Top overseas countries of birth:
3130
13,339
14.0
England
4668
4.9
New Zealand
2712
2.8
Germany
654
0.7
Scotland
591
0.6
2969
3.1
423
0.4
German
Persons
%
7
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
3668
13.3
England
643
2.3
New Zealand
535
1.9
India
450
1.6
Italy
395
1.4
2488
9.0
665
2.4
Italian
16)Townsville (C)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
23,182
13.3
England
4936
2.8
New Zealand
4483
2.6
Philippines
1208
0.7
930
0.5
10,471
6.0
887
0.5
South Africa
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Italian
17)Gladstone (R)
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
12.4
New Zealand
1950
3.4
England
1498
2.6
South Africa
581
1.0
Philippines
444
0.8
2366
4.1
282
0.5
Afrikaans
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
12.3
England
1066
3.0
New Zealand
693
2.0
Philippines
159
0.5
Germany
158
0.5
1720
4.9
185
0.5
Arabic
Persons
Population born overseas:
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
2609
12.1
England
810
3.7
New Zealand
555
2.6
Philippines
191
0.9
Germany
124
0.6
729
3.4
Tagalog
20)Bundaberg (R)
82
0.4
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
4315
19)Somerset (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
7184
18)Lockyer Valley (R)
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
England
%
10,750
12.0
3270
3.6
8
New Zealand
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
1863
2.1
Philippines
497
0.6
Germany
477
0.5
3286
3.7
382
0.4
Italian
(a) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province .
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing
LOTE
Language other than English
LGAs
Local Government Area s
(C)
City
(R)
Regional Council
Country of birth continued
Comparative data on the number and proportion of people born overseas across
all Queensland LGAs for 2006 and 2011 is shown in Table 3.
The data shows increases in both the number and percentage of the overseas born
population in most of Queensland’s local government areas. Some notable
increases between 2006 and 2011 in the number of people born overseas include
Ipswich (21,463 to 31,266 people), Mackay (9424 to 13,248 people), Rockhampton
(7565 to 10,097 people) and Townsville (17,990 to 23,182 people). Local government
areas are listed in alphabetical order.
Table 3: Born overseas by LGAs (ASGC 2011) (a), 2006 and 2011 Census (usual
residence counts)
2006
Census
2011
Census
LGA
In alphabetical order of
local government area
Born
overseas
% of
population
Born
overseas
% of
population
Aurukun (S)
0
0.0
0
0.0
Balonne (S)
178
3.8
221
4.7
Banana (S)
885
6.1
1167
8.1
Barcaldine (R)
143
4.4
177
5.5
Barcoo (S)
15
4.2
16
4.6
Blackall Tambo (R)
67
3.3
104
4.7
Boulia (S)
19
4.5
17
3.5
229,161
24.0
295,201
28.3
13
3.5
19
4.7
Bundaberg (R)
9007
10.9
10,750
12.0
Burdekin (S)
1342
7.9
1459
8.4
29
5.8
33
6.4
25,058
18.2
31,598
20.2
125
6.4
150
7.3
3317
11.9
3668
13.3
Brisbane (C)
Bulloo (S)
Burke (S)
Cairns (R)
Carpentaria (S)
Cassowary Coast (R)
9
Central Highlands (R)
2212
8.4
3120
10.9
Charters Towers (R)
651
5.7
722
5.9
3
0.3
0
0.0
Cloncurry (S)
202
6.4
266
8.2
Cook (S)
385
11.1
963
23.2
Croydon (S)
12
4.7
14
4.5
Diamantina (S)
27
9.6
24
8.5
Doomadgee (S)
0
0.0
22
1.7
Etheridge (S)
64
7.5
70
7.8
Flinders (S)
78
4.4
80
4.5
11,164
13.2
13,339
14.0
5344
10.5
7184
12.4
109,262
25.2
138,036
27.9
438
4.3
583
5.5
Gympie (R)
4299
10.3
4976
10.9
Hinchinbrook (S)
1280
11.1
1223
10.6
3
0.4
0
0.0
21,463
15.4
31,266
18.7
1467
7.4
2229
9.9
Kowanyama (S)
0
0.0
0
0.0
Lockhart River (S)
3
0.5
0
0.0
Lockyer Valley (R)
3,201
10.6
4,315
12.3
59,126
23.6
72,611
26.1
249
6.1
262
6.3
9424
9.3
13,248
11.7
McKinlay (S)
42
4.7
83
7.9
Mapoon (S)
0
0.0
0
0.0
452
3.7
781
6.0
54,260
16.7
71,710
19.0
0
0.0
4
0.4
2310
11.7
3099
14.6
240
5.2
344
7.4
3
0.4
0
0.0
664
6.5
830
8.2
Northern Peninsula Area (R)
0
0.0
13
0.6
Palm Island (S)
3
0.2
0
0.0
72
3.7
79
4.3
0
0.0
3
0.5
44
4.5
63
6.5
26,592
20.8
31,404
22.6
25
2.8
46
5.6
7565
7.5
10,097
9.2
Cherbourg (S)
Fraser Coast (R)
Gladstone (R)
Gold Coast (C)
Goondiwindi (R)
Hope Vale (S)
Ipswich (C)
Isaac (R)
Logan (C)
Longreach (R)
Mackay (R)
Maranoa (R)
Moreton Bay (R)
Mornington (S)
Mount Isa (C)
Murweh (S)
Napranum (S)
North Burnett (R)
Paroo (S)
Pormpuraaw (S)
Quilpie (S)
Redland (C)
Richmond (S)
Rockhampton (R)
10
Scenic Rim (R)
4558
13.9
5428
14.9
Somerset (R)
2087
11.2
2609
12.1
South Burnett (R)
2454
8.4
2908
9.4
Southern Downs (R)
2874
9.1
3348
9.9
49,977
18.1
60,780
19.8
5990
14.6
6348
14.5
12,882
9.1
15,785
10.4
36
1.1
239
7.3
9
0.2
16
0.4
17,990
11.6
23,182
13.3
283
10.0
361
10.8
Western Downs (R)
1398
4.9
2005
6.3
Whitsunday (R)
3826
13.0
4437
14.1
66
4.8
72
5.4
Woorabinda (S)
0
0.0
3
0.3
Wujal Wujal (S)
0
0.0
0
0.0
Yarrabah (S)
0
0.0
0
0.0
Sunshine Coast (R)
Tablelands (R)
Toowoomba (R)
Torres (S)
Torres Strait Island (R)
Townsville (C)
Weipa (T)
Winton (S)
(a) Census 2006 data have been concorded to latest local government area
boundaries.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing
Source: ABS 2006 Census of Population and Housing, unpublished data (concorded by Queensland
Treasury and Trade)
LGAs
(C)
(R)
(S)
(T)
Local Government Area s
City
Regional Council
Shire
Town
Overseas-born persons by suburb, South East Queensland, 2011
There were 20 suburbs across the Brisbane area where more than 40% of the
population was born overseas as shown in Table 4.
The Top 20 State Suburbs with highest proportion of people born overseas are shown
in Table 4.
Table 4: Top 20 State Suburbs (ASGS 2011) with highest proportion of people born
overseas (2011 Census usual residence counts)
1)Robertson
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
2747
56.4
China (a)
612
12.6
Taiwan
467
9.6
India
261
5.4
2672
54.9
1145
23.5
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
2)Stretton
%
Mandarin
Persons
%
11
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
2248
55.2
China (a)
289
7.1
Taiwan
284
7.0
New Zealand / Hong
Kong
162
4.0
2295
56.4
657
16.1
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Mandarin
3)Macgregor
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
3021
54.2
China (a)
837
15.0
Taiwan
348
6.2
India
258
4.6
2893
51.9
1125
20.2
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Mandarin
4)Sunnybank
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
50.8
1217
15.0
Taiwan
578
7.1
India
280
3.5
3846
47.5
China (a)
Mandarin
1653
5)Calamvale
50.8
1266
8.3
New Zealand
791
5.2
Taiwan
562
3.7
7098
46.4
1999
13.1
China (a)
Mandarin
6)Runcorn
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
50.7
1290
9.2
India
667
4.7
New Zealand
557
4.0
6546
46.5
1900
13.5
China (a)
Mandarin
7)Sunnybank Hills
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
8296
49.3
China (a)
1765
10.5
Taiwan
1110
6.6
725
4.3
7873
46.8
2992
17.8
New Zealand
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
%
7143
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
7762
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
20.4
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
4111
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
Mandarin
12
home:
8)Brisbane City
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
3835
48.6
South Korea
522
6.6
England
346
4.4
China (a)
308
3.9
2739
34.7
613
7.8
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Mandarin
9)Eight Mile Plains
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
48.5
1000
7.5
South Korea
789
5.9
Taiwan
573
4.3
5993
44.8
1597
11.9
China (a)
Mandarin
10)Darra
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
44.8
Vietnam
605
15.8
New Zealand
130
3.4
India
110
2.9
1865
48.6
889
23.2
Vietnamese
11)South Brisbane
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
44.1
England
202
3.7
New Zealand
200
3.7
China (a)
177
3.3
1714
31.6
299
5.5
Mandarin
12)Kuraby
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
43.9
India
308
4.0
New Zealand
297
3.8
South Africa
270
3.5
3184
41.0
409
5.3
Mandarin
13)Richlands
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
882
42.5
Vietnam
214
10.3
New Zealand
182
8.8
49
2.4
845
40.7
England
Population speaking LOTE at
%
3412
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
2388
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
1719
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
6495
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
13
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Vietnamese
357
14)Heathwood
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
42.1
New Zealand
138
7.6
Vietnam
101
5.5
England
84
4.6
597
32.8
165
9.1
Vietnamese
15)St Lucia
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
41.6
China (a)
627
5.6
Malaysia
552
4.9
Singapore
459
4.1
3440
30.7
1105
9.9
Mandarin
16)Doolandella
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
41.4
Vietnam
369
11.9
New Zealand
172
5.5
88
2.8
1364
43.9
605
19.5
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Vietnamese
17)Spring Hill
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
41.2
South Korea
207
3.9
India
200
3.8
New Zealand
187
3.6
1496
28.4
176
3.3
Spanish
18)Mount Ommaney
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
39.8
England
106
4.5
Vietnam
80
3.4
Taiwan
78
3.3
689
29.5
150
6.4
Mandarin
19)Durack
Persons
Population born overseas:
Top overseas countries of birth:
%
928
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
2165
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
1287
India
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
4654
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
%
766
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
17.2
%
2445
39.6
Vietnam
884
14.3
New Zealand
239
3.9
14
England
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
Vietnamese
199
3.2
2487
40.3
1436
23.2
20)Logan Central
Persons
Population born overseas:
%
2440
Top overseas countries of birth:
New Zealand
590
9.6
Burma
196
3.2
England
155
2.5
1914
31.0
334
5.4
Population speaking LOTE at
home:
Most common LOTE spoken at
home:
39.5
Samoan
(a) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing
Note: Population born overseas includes 'Australian External Territories', 'Inadequately described', and 'At
sea'.
Note: Population speaking LOTE at home includes 'Inadequately described' and 'Non-verbal, so
described'.
Note: All percentages are based on the 2011 Census usual resident population for each State
Suburb.
Ancestry
Ancestry, when used in conjunction with a person’s country of birth and
their parent’s country of birth, provides a good indication of the ethnic
background of first and second generation Australians.
The ancestry data collected in the Census are a measure of self-identification of
ethnic or cultural background and therefore provides a broad measure of cultural
diversity.
The most common ancestries reported at the time of the 2011 Census in both
Queensland and Australia were English, Australian and Irish, representing 85.5% of
the Queensland population, higher than reported for the rest of Australia (74.1%) as
shown in Table 5.
German, New Zealand and Maori ancestries were more common in Queensland
compared with the rest of Australia, while Italian, Greek and Indian ancestries were
more common in the rest of Australia, reflecting the different settlement patterns of
these communities.
Table 5: Top 10 ancestries (a), Queensland and rest of Australia, 2011
Queensland
Ancestry(b)
Number
Rest of Australia
% Population
Ancestry(b)
Number
% Population
English
1,629,463
37.6
English
5,609,070
32.7
Australian
1,587,992
36.7
Australian
5,510,494
32.1
Irish
484,929
11.2
Irish
1,602,829
9.3
Scottish
421,004
9.7
Scottish
1,371,618
8.0
German
270,890
6.3
Italian
799,858
4.7
15
Italian
116,263
2.7
Chinese
771,360
4.5
Chinese
94,848
2.2
German
627,784
3.7
Dutch
69,217
1.6
Greek
350,583
2.0
New Zealander
60,621
1.4
Indian
344,753
2.0
Maori
48,283
1.1
Dutch
266,276
1.6
(a) Respondents to the Census are asked to report up to two ancestries on the Census form; therefore, the
percentages may sum to more than 100%.
(b) Based on 4-digit ancestry codes from the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups
(ASCCEG) Second Edition, Revision 1, 2011.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
Year of arrival in Australia
Results from the 2011 Census show that of the 888,636 people born
overseas living in Queensland, 40.8% had arrived in Australia prior to
1990, 14.2% arrived between 1990 and 1999 and 40.2% arrived between
2000 and 20113.
The year of arrival in Australia of people born overseas varied considerably by
country of birth. Of those Queensland residents born in England, 59.7% (107,162
people) arrived before 1990, 9.3% (16,689 people) arrived between 1990 and 1999,
and 26.4% (47,386 people) arrived between 2000 and 2011. People born in New
Zealand arrived in Australia more recently, with 33.9% (65,054 people) arriving before
1990, while 17.8% (34,110 people) arrived between 1991 and 1999, and 43.0% (82,613
people) arrived between 2000 and 2011.
Figure 4 shows the year of arrival for the top 10 source countries of birth for
Queensland residents (after England and New Zealand). Year of arrival for people
from Europe (Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands) is skewed heavily toward the
period before 1990, with relatively few arrivals since 1991. In contrast, arrivals from
South Africa, India and China have been much greater since 2000, compared with
previous time periods.
Figure 4: Year of arrival, overseas-born Queenslanders by top 10 source birthplaces
(excluding England and New Zealand), 2011
Arrived before 1990
Arrived 1991 to 1999
Arrived 2000 to 2011(a)
South Africa
5992
5509
23252
India
3674
2271
23203
Philippines
7823
6070
14444
China(b)
3663
3458
18601
Scotland
15700
2209
4956
Germany
14456
1649
4078
Vietnam
7221
3636
4456
USA
5278
2419
7456
3
At the time of the 2011 Census, 41,819 (4.7%) Queensland usual residents who stated they were born overseas did not state their
year of arrival in Australia. These people are included in Queensland’s total usual resident overseas-born population.
16
Netherlands
11878
803
1818
8465
1687
3450
PNG
(a) 1 January 2000 to 9 August 2011.
(b) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
Table 6 highlights the composition of overseas arrivals into Queensland over time by
country of birth. The key point to note is the constancy of arrivals of people born in
New Zealand and England. However, other major countries of birth have changed
considerably over this time.
Table 6 Top 10 source birthplaces by year of arrival, overseas-born Queenslanders,
2011
Rank
Before 1970
1970–1979
1980–1989
1990–1999
2000–2011(a)
1
England
England
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand
2
Germany
New Zealand
England
England
England
3
Italy
PNG
Philippines
Philippines
South Africa
4
Netherlands
Scotland
Vietnam
South Africa
India
5
Scotland
USA
South Africa
Taiwan
China(b)
6
New Zealand
Germany
Scotland
Vietnam
Philippines
7
Greece
South Africa
Germany
China(b)
South Korea
8
Malta
Vietnam
Fiji
Fiji
USA
9
Ireland
Malaysia
PNG
Hong Kong(c)
Japan
10
PNG
Ireland
Malaysia
Samoa
Zimbabwe
(a) 1 January 2011 to 9 August 2011.
(b) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province.
(c) Special Administrative Region of China.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
Arrivals before 1970 were dominated by people from European countries. During the
1970s, there was an increase in arrivals of people born in Papua New Guinea
(following independence from Australia in 1975) and Vietnam (following the end of
the Vietnam War). Arrivals of people born in these two countries, together with those
from the United States, Germany, South Africa, Malaysia and Ireland, strongly
underpinned the migration landscape of the 1970s.
Throughout the 1980s, there was a shift to arrivals of people born in the Philippines
and Fiji. From the 1990s onwards there has been an increasing trend towards arrivals
of people born in Asian and Pacific Island countries, together with a large number of
arrivals of people born in South Africa, the United States of America and Zimbabwe.
Language other than English, and proficiency
in spoken English
17
The 2011 Census showed there were 423,838 Queensland residents who
spoke a language other than English at home—9.8% of the population4.
This was considerably lower than the proportion in the Northern Territory
(26.7%), Victoria (23.1%) and New South Wales (22.5%).
In Queensland, 1.4% of residents spoke a language other than English at home and
spoke English not well or not at all. This proportion was significantly lower than in
Victoria and New South Wales (4.0% and 3.9% respectively) as shown in Table 10.
Table 7: Language other than English spoken at home by proficiency in spoken English, 2011
State or
territory
Speaks English
Speaks English
very well or well
not well or not at all
Number
% Population
Number
% Population
NSW
1,285,078
18.6
271,689
3.9
Vic.
1,023,923
19.1
212,634
4.0
Qld
366,866
8.5
62,404
1.4
SA
191,613
12.0
39,933
2.5
WA
280,476
12.5
46,838
2.1
Tas.
19,708
4.0
3249
0.7
NT
46,981
22.2
10,394
4.9
ACT
56,940
15.9
7825
2.2
3,272,385
15.2
655,382
3.0
Australia(a)
(a) Includes Other Territories.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
In 2011, the most common language other than English spoken at home in
Queensland was Mandarin, followed by Cantonese and Vietnamese (compared
with Mandarin, Italian and Arabic in the rest of Australia) as shown in Table 8.
Table 8: Top 10 languages other than English spoken at home, Queensland and rest of
Australia, 2011
Queensland
Language(a)
4
Rest of Australia
Number
% Population
Mandarin
38,117
0.9
Cantonese
22,258
Vietnamese
Language(a)
Number
% Population
Mandarin
298,293
1.7
0.5
Italian
278,122
1.6
21,852
0.5
Arabic
275,754
1.6
Italian
21,711
0.5
Cantonese
241,416
1.4
German
16,352
0.4
Greek
240,816
1.4
Spanish
15,602
0.4
Vietnamese
211,538
1.2
Hindi
13,188
0.3
Spanish
101,896
0.6
Japanese
13,086
0.3
Hindi
98,163
0.6
At the time of the 2011 Census, 232,939 usual residents of Queensland did not state their language spoken at home.
18
Samoan
12,810
0.3
Tagalog
69,046
0.4
Korean
12,733
0.3
Macedonian
67,653
0.4
(a) Based on 4-digit ancestry codes from the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups
(ASCCEG) Second Edition, Revision 1, 2011.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
9.8 % or 423,838 Queenslanders speak a language other than
English at home.
Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander
people
At the time of the 2011 Census, 155,824 people or 3.6% of Queensland’s
residents identified as being either Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. This figure represented 28.4% of
Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of 548,370.
Queensland had the second largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
population after New South Wales (172,621).
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Australia’s Torres Strait Islander population and about a
quarter (24.8%) of Australia’s Aboriginal population lived in Queensland at the time
of the 2011 Census.
The majority (78.9%) of Indigenous Queenslanders identified as being Aboriginal, with
a further 12.9% identifying as Torres Strait Islander and 8.2% identifying as being both
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
In the five years to 2011, Queensland’s count of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
residents increased by 28,246 or 22.1%. This growth reflects natural population
increase, improved data collection methods and the likelihood of people newly
identifying their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status in the Census.
Australian South Sea Islanders
At the time of the 2011 Census, there were 3093 Australian South Sea
Islander residents in Queensland, compared with 944 in the rest of
Australia
While the number of Australian South Sea Islanders in Queensland increased by 41
people over the five years from the 2006 Census, the number in the rest of Australia
decreased by 102 people. While Australian South Sea Islanders lived in 42 local
government areas across Queensland, more than half (55.4%) lived in five areas
only, including Mackay (R) (635 people), followed by Rockhampton (368 people)
and Brisbane (C) (338 people) as shown in Table 9.
It is likely the Census significantly undercounted the Australian South Sea Islander
population. The 1992 Call for Recognition report, published by the Human Rights and
Equal Opportunity Commission, estimated there were 15,000 to 20,000 descendants
of the original labourers in Australia, many with mixed ancestry and including some
19
who do not identify as Australian South Sea Islanders. The report estimated there
were between 10,000 and 12,000 self-identified Australian South Sea Islanders
Australia-wide5.
Table 9: Top five local government areas (LGA), Australian South Sea Islanders(a),
Queensland, 2011
Number
% of Australian South Sea Islander
population
Mackay (R)
635
20.5
Rockhampton (R)
368
11.9
Brisbane (C)
338
10.9
Townsville (C)
189
6.1
Cairns (R)
184
5.9
LGA
Balance of
Queensland
1379
44.6
(a) Based on 4-digit ancestry codes from the Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups
(ASCCEG) Second Edition, Revision 1, 2011.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
Religion
In the 2011 Census, the most common religious affiliation was Christianity
(2,785,084 people or 64.3% of the total population), followed by
Buddhism (1.5%), Islam (0.8%) and Hinduism (0.7%) as shown in Figure
5.
While affiliates of religions other than Christianity remain a relatively small proportion
(4.5%) of Queensland’s population, there has been significant growth in the number
of people affiliated with some of these religions. Affiliates of Hinduism more than
doubled from 14,058 in 2006 to 28,641 in 2011. Affiliates of Islam also grew by 67.5% to
34,047 people and Buddhism by 38.8% to 65,941 people over the same period.
There were 955,782 people (22.1% of the total population) with no religious affiliation,
while 395,603 (9.1%) did not answer the question on religious affiliation (answering
the census question on religious affiliation is optional).
68.8 % or 2,981,353 Queenslanders followed more than 100 religions.
Figure 5: Religious affiliation, Queensland, 2011
Religious affiliation
Number
%
2,785,084
64.3
Buddhism
65,941
1.5
Islam
34,047
0.8
Hinduism
28,641
0.7
Christianity
5
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. The call for recognition – a report on the situation of Australian South Sea
Islanders. Canberra: Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission 1992.
20
Judaism
4442
0.1
63,198
1.5
No religion
955,782
22.1
Not stated
395,603
9.1
Other religions
Note: Percentages in Table 13 have been rounded to the nearest 10. As a result of rounding, discrepancies may occur
between sums of the component items and totals.
Source: ABS 2011 Census of Population and Housing.
Settler arrivals
Settler arrivals comprise:

holders of a permanent visa

holders of a temporary (provisional) visa where there is a clear intention to
settle

New Zealand citizens who indicate an intention to migrate permanently

those who are otherwise eligible to settle (e.g. overseas-born children of
Australian citizens).
Over the 20 years to 2010–11, Queensland consistently received the third highest
number of settler arrivals into Australia, after New South Wales and Victoria as shown
in Figure 6.
While the number of settler arrivals to Queensland declined sharply from a peak of
33,029 in 2008–09 to 24,946 in 2009–10, the number increased slightly to 25,827 in
2010–11.
Figure 6: Settler arrivals, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western
Australia(a), 1985-86 to 2010-11
Period
Qld
NSW
Vic.
WA
1985–86
11,772
36,760
23,848
11,572
1986-87
14,042
45,569
29,007
15,710
1987-88
20,988
57,286
35,050
20,054
1988-89
21,780
56,065
35,024
22,278
1989-90
15,922
47,153
31,788
17,512
1990–91
16,243
47,569
32,071
15,819
1991-92
15,189
44,066
27,547
11,712
1992-93
10,939
32,093
19,053
7928
1993-94
10,267
30,886
15,918
7743
1994-95
13,179
38,056
19,968
10,379
1995–96
15,284
44,327
22,269
11,318
1996-97
14,640
37,212
18,266
10,518
1997-98
15,095
31,694
16,233
9741
21
1998-99
16,028
35,141
17,291
10,672
1999-2000
17,286
39,311
19,319
11,512
2000–01
19,535
46,745
24,159
11,565
2001-02
15,825
35,301
21,374
10,954
2002-03
16,182
36,431
23,109
12,279
2003-04
20,284
40,561
28,028
15,411
2004-05
22,660
44,746
30,581
16,318
2005–06
24,862
44,661
32,297
17,638
2006-07
28,640
43,835
34,698
19,783
2007-08
32,496
43,520
37,213
22,738
2008-09
33,029
47,030
39,559
24,463
2009-10
24,946
42,267
36,725
20,976
2010-11
25,827
38,816
33,632
18,441
(a) Based on intended residence at time of arrival only. There can be no guarantee that the settler actually settled
in the nominated state.
Source: DIAC, Settler Arrivals 2008–09 to 2010–11.
20.3 % of the national total settler arrivals were in Queensland in 2010–
11.
Half (13,018) of all permanent arrivals to Queensland in 2010–11 were
New Zealand citizens arriving under the Trans-Tasman Travel
Arrangement, and indicated an intention to migrate permanently to
Australia as shown in Table 10.
The skill category provided the second largest source of settler arrivals to
Queensland (5702 people) in 2010–11, followed by the family category (5364
people) and the humanitarian program (1354 people).
Over the two years from 2008–09 to 2010–11, there was a significant decrease in the
number of migrants arriving under the skilled category, down from a peak of 10,810
in 2008–09 to 5702 in 2010–11, a decrease from 32.7% to 22.1% of all settler arrivals.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of New Zealand citizens
intending to settle in Queensland in recent years, up from 10,559 in 2005–06 to 13,018
in 2010–11, an increase from 42.5% to 50.4% of all settler arrivals.
Table 10: Settler arrivals (a) by eligibility category, Queensland (b), 2002-03 to 2010-11
Eligibility category
Year
Family
Skill
Humanitarian
New Zealand
citizen
Other(c)
Total
Total permanent settlers
2002–03
3453
5204
950
6331
244
16,182
2003–04
3893
7421
990
7681
299
20,284
22
2004–05
4185
7243
1506
9443
283
22,660
2005–06
4,511
8101
1432
10,559
259
24,862
2006–07
4969
8899
1398
12,979
395
28,640
2007–08
5054
10,132
976
15,973
361
32,496
2008–09
5790
10,810
1159
14,890
380
33,029
2009–10
5775
7963
1284
9608
316
24,946
2010–11
5364
5702
1354
13,018
389
25,827
% of total permanent settlers
2002–03
21.3
32.2
5.9
39.1
1.5
100.0
2003–04
19.2
36.6
4.9
37.9
1.5
100.0
2004–05
18.5
32.0
6.6
41.7
1.2
100.0
2005–06
18.1
32.6
5.8
42.5
1.0
100.0
2006–07
17.3
31.1
4.9
45.3
1.4
100.0
2007–08
15.6
31.2
3.0
49.2
1.1
100.0
2008–09
17.5
32.7
3.5
45.1
1.2
100.0
2009–10
23.2
31.9
5.1
38.5
1.3
100.0
2010–11
20.8
22.1
5.2
50.4
1.5
100.0
(a) Settler arrival statistics presented in this table are derived from passenger card and other data relating to
overseas arrivals, where arriving persons have indicated an intention or legal entitlement to permanently settle in
Australia. Not all persons intending to stay, or with legal entitlement to permanently stay, will actually do so. In
addition, these data do not include those persons granted a permanent visa while residing in Australia.
(b) Based on Queensland as intended residence at time of arrival only. There can be no guarantee that the settler
actually settled in Queensland.
(c) Includes the Special eligibility category made up of former citizens of Australia, former residents of Australia and
family (dependents) of New Zealand Citizens, and other non-program migration which refers primarily to the arrival
in Australia of children born to Australian citizens overseas. It also includes residents of Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Norfolk Island and persons granted Australian citizenship overseas.
Source: DIAC Settler arrivals, 2010–2011, and Immigration Update, 2002–2003 to 2010–2011.
Table 11 shows the country of birth of settler arrivals by migration stream for people
residing in Queensland who arrived in Australia in 2010–11. Both the skilled and family
categories included people born in China, India, the Philippines, South Africa and
the United Kingdom.
The top 10 countries of birth in the humanitarian category reflect those countries at
the centre of recent global conflicts, such as Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, as well as a
number of Asian nations, including Burma, Laos, Thailand and Bhutan. The
Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia also make the top 11.
Table 11: Settler arrivals (a), top 10 countries of birth by migration stream (b),
Queensland (c), 2010–11 (d)
Skilled
Country of birth
United Kingdom
Family
Number
1470
Country of birth
United Kingdom
Humanitarian
Number
846
Country of birth
Number
Afghanistan
228
23
India
1469
China(e)
676
Iran
182
Philippines
1019
Philippines
641
Burma
146
South Africa
1001
India
391
Laos
141
China(e)
845
Thailand
369
Bhutan
113
South Korea
435
Vietnam
297
Iraq
112
Australia
425
United States of
America
294
Congo,
Democratic
Republic of
95
Ireland
354
South Africa
229
Thailand
72
Sri Lanka
272
Japan
191
Nepal
72
New Zealand
245
Canada
180
Somalia
70
Total(f)
11,328
Total(f)
6997
Total(f)
1818
(a) Settler arrival statistics presented in this table are derived from various departmental systems used to process
migration applications both in Australia and overseas and external sources including Medicare Australia. It should be
noted that not all persons intending to permanently stay, or with legal entitlement to permanently stay, will
actually do so. (b) Excludes persons in the non-program migration category, such as New Zealand citizens who
indicate an intention to migrate permanently and those who are otherwise eligible to settle (e.g. overseas-born
children of Australian citizens). (c) State of residence. The numbers of migrants in this location may not be an
accurate reflection of all current residents due to limitations in the collection of residential information. (d) Arrival
date. For migrants granted a permanent visa while residing in Australia, ‘arrival date’ refers to the arrival date
entry prior to permanent visa grant. For those granted a permanent visa while outside of Australia, ‘arrival date’
refers to their next date of entry into Australia after the visa grant. (e) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of
Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province.
(f) Includes other countries of birth.
Source: DIAC Settlement Database (extracted 30 July 2012). This database is updated on the 4th of each month,
and the figures presented in this table were current at the time of extraction only and contains the following
records:

Permanent visas issued and arrivals of visaed settlers processed overseas.

Permanent residence grants processed in Australia.
Temporary entrants
At 30 June 2011, there were 145,160 temporary entrants nominating
Queensland as their intended primary place of residence as shown in Table
12.
Of these, one-third (49,110) were students and a further 20.5% were visitors. These
categories were followed by working holiday makers (15.3%) and business (long
stay) visa holders (15.2%).
The top 10 source countries for temporary entrants intending to reside in Queensland
include India (11.7%), followed by United Kingdom (10.9%), China (9.1%), South
Korea (8.7%) and the United States (5.0%).
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Table 12 Stock of temporary entrants(a) by visa type and top 10 countries of
citizenship, Queensland(b), 30 June 2011
Number
% temporary entrants
Visa type
Student(c)
49,110
33.8
Visitor
29,830
20.5
Working Holiday
Maker
22,280
15.3
Business (Long stay)
22,000
15.2
Other
21,940
15.1
Total
145,160
100.0
Country of citizenship
India
17,000
11.7
United Kingdom
15,750
10.9
China(d)
13,140
9.1
South Korea
12,630
8.7
USA
7270
5.0
Japan
6890
4.7
Taiwan
5660
3.9
Philippines
4570
3.1
Ireland
4420
3.0
Canada
3890
2.7
a) Notes on temporary entrant stock data: these data exclude all provisional and selected other (e.g. humanitarian)
visa subclasses; revised data are based on latest visa in effect and may not be consistent with data based on latest
visa granted; unlawful stay cases excluded. (b) State of intended residence. (c) Student includes student guardian.
(d) Excludes Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, and Taiwan Province.
Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Table components may not sum consistently to totals due to
rounding.
Source: DIAC, unpublished data (received 9 August 2011).
Copyright
© The State of Queensland (Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs)
December 2012.
Licence
This document is licensed by the State of Queensland (Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and
Multicultural Affairs) under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 3.0 Australia licence. To view a copy of this
licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en.
In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt this information as long as you attribute the work to the
State of Queensland (Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs) and abide by
the other licence terms.
Diversity Figures 2011 is a joint project of the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural
Affairs and Queensland Treasury and Trade. For more information please contact Government Statistician ,
25
Queensland Treasury and Trade on (07) 3035 6418. Information about Queensland’s diversity is also outlined in the
Diversity Figures snapshot available from Multicultural Affairs Queensland at www.multicultural.qld.gov.au.
This document uses data primarily from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2011 Census of Population and
Housing and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to provide a snapshot of the geographical
distribution of Queensland’s diverse population. The Census data are on a usual residence basis, which is where people
usually live rather than the place where they were counted on Census night. There were 251,987 people who were
usual residents of Queensland who did not state their birthplace at the time of the 2011 Census. These people are
included in Queensland’s total usual resident population when calculating the percentage of Queenslanders born
overseas. The boundaries shown are based on the ABS 2011 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS).
26