About QuickStats Country of BirthThis QuickStats product is new for 2011 Census data and presents selected population characteristics based on a person's country of birth, as stated in responses on the 2011 Census form. It provides a wealth of information about people who were born overseas, and includes data for migrant families and households, as well as characteristics for Australian-born people. The product contains explanations for each classification via hover-over text and links to the 2011 Census Dictionary for users to obtain further definitions and concepts.
Available countriesNot all countries are represented in QuickStats Country of Birth; only the top 53 countries containing high population counts are available. Countries with smaller populations are excluded, because data is randomly adjusted to avoid release of confidential data and this has a significant impact on small counts. For further information please see the list of countries & geographies.
Available geographic areasThe QuickStats Country of Birth is limited to three types of geographic area:
- Australia
- State
- Greater Capital City Statistical Areas.
For further information please see the list of countries & geographies.
Reference Person DefinitionCountry of Birth QuickStats contains family and household tables which relate to a specific Reference Person. This Reference Person is determined by Person 1 on the Census form, and is the main determinant of the family relationships within the household. Please see Reference Person in the 2011 Census Dictionary for further information.
More information about Migrant and Ethnicity TopicsIf you require more information about migrants, you can explore this topic further by visiting the Topics @ a Glance – Migrant and Ethnicity page.
Dwelling and Household DefinitionsDwellings and Households are terms that are used extensively throughout QuickStats and, although similar in nature, their definitions are quite different as stipulated by the ABS.
DwellingsIn general terms, a 'dwelling' is a structure which has people living in it. For QuickStats we count occupied private dwellings, where at least one person was present on Census Night.
Private dwellings are those where families and relationships can be captured or counted; non-private dwellings such as hotels, motels, hospitals etc are excluded. When data on dwellings appears in QuickStats it is counting all types of private dwellings, regardless of the type of family characteristics within the dwelling.
For QuickStats Country of Birth the ABS provides data relating to migrant dwellings – that is, those dwellings that include at least one individual who was born overseas. This means that the migrant dwelling count captures all dwellings where any individual within that dwelling was born overseas, not just dwellings where a parent was born in a particular country.
Households'Household' indicates whether there is a family within a dwelling by using a household composition classification, as defined by the ABS. It includes categories such as 'one family household', 'two or more family households', 'group household', and 'lone person household'.
In QuickStats Country of Birth a migrant household is only counted when the Reference Person and/or their spouse or partner was born in a selected country. Family households will only be defined as a migrant household if one (or both) of the parents were born overseas, which means that the birthplace of other members of the family are essentially ignored.
When there is no identifiable family structure, as is the case with group households, a migrant household will be captured when any member of the household was born overseas, and will not necessarily be dependent on the Reference Person.
Households which consist of multiple families would have actually completed multiple Census forms (i.e. one for each family), and thus, multiple Reference Persons exist to then determine the migrant household classification.
People: definition of columns
| Born in 'selected country of birth' | All overseas born | Australian born | Total |
|---|
| This total includes the people whose stated country of birth matches the country of birth selected. | This is the total for all people who stated an overseas country of birth and includes the people born in the 'selected country of birth' column. | This is the total for people who stated that their country of birth was Australia. | This is the total of 'All overseas born', plus 'Australian born' plus those people who did not state a country of birth. |
Families: definition of columns
| Born in 'selected country of birth' | All overseas born | Australian born | Total |
|---|
The family is included where the Reference Person and/or their spouse or partner stated a country of birth matching the country of birth selected.
Where the Reference Person and their spouse or partner stated different countries of birth, the country of birth for the migrant family is determined by the Reference Person's response.
However, where the Reference Person stated their country of birth was Australia, or did not state their country of birth, but their spouse or partner's country of birth was overseas (i.e. a blended Australian born/overseas born partnership) this is regarded as a migrant family and the country of birth is determined by their spouse or partner's response. | This is the total for families where the Reference Person and/or their spouse or partner stated an overseas country of birth. It includes the 'selected country of birth' total.
However, where the Reference Person stated their country of birth was Australia, or did not state their country of birth, but their spouse or partner's country of birth was overseas (i.e. a blended Australian born/overseas born partnership) this is regarded as a migrant family. | An Australian born family is where both the Reference Person and their spouse or partner stated their country of birth was Australia.
It also includes families where either the Reference Person or their spouse or partner was born in Australia but the other person did not state their country of birth. | This is the total of 'All overseas born', plus 'Australian born' and will include families where both the Reference Person and their spouse or partner did not state a country of birth. |
Dwellings: Definition of columns (excluding Household composition table)
| Born in 'selected country of birth' | All birthplace responses | Total |
|---|
| The dwelling is determined where at least one person in the dwelling stated they were born in the country of birth matching the country of birth selected and is not restricted to the Reference Person or their spouse or partner's response. | The dwelling is determined where at least one person in the dwelling stated a country of birth was overseas or in Australia. It excludes dwellings where none of the occupants stated their country of birth.
It also includes the 'selected country of birth' total. | This is the total of dwellings where at least one person in the dwelling stated a country of birth but includes dwellings where everyone in the dwelling did not state a country of birth. |
Dwellings - Household composition: Definition of columns
| Born in 'selected country of birth' | All birthplace responses | Total |
|---|
The household is determined where the Reference Person and/or their spouse or partner stated a country of birth matching the country of birth selected.
Where the Reference Person and their spouse or partner stated different countries of birth, the country of birth is determined for the migrant household by the Reference Person's response.
However, where the Reference Person stated that their country of birth was Australia, or did not state their country of birth, but their spouse or partner's country of birth was overseas (i.e. a blended Australian born/overseas born partnership) this is regarded as a migrant household and the country of birth is determined by their spouse or partner's response. | This is the total for households where the Reference Person and/or their spouse or partner stated a country of birth was overseas or Australia. It includes the 'selected country of birth' total. It excludes households where none of the occupants stated their country of birth. | This total includes households for people who were born overseas or in Australia. It also includes households where none of the occupants stated their country of birth. |
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