People in Australia who were born in Italy

2016 Census Country of birth QuickStats
Area code 0 by 3104
People 174,044
Male 88,870
Female 85,174
Australian citizen 74.8%
Not an Australian citizen 23.0%
Families 84,840
Couples with children 26,430
Couples without children 47,761
One parent families 9,737
Other families 920
All private dwellings 121,893
Median monthly mortgage repayment $1,600
Median weekly rent paid $375

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People

demographics & education | cultural & language diversity | employment

Demographics & education

People Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Male 88,870 51.1 2,997,173 48.6 7,735,362 49.5 11,546,638 49.3
Female 85,174 48.9 3,166,493 51.4 7,880,175 50.5 11,855,248 50.7

In the 2016 Census, there were 174,044 people in Australia who were born in Italy. Of these 51.1% were male and 48.9% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Country of birth of person (BPLP)

Age
People
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
0-14 years 1,654 1.0 366,872 6.0 3,777,875 24.2 4,364,607 18.7
15-24 years 2,953 1.7 612,643 9.9 2,197,847 14.1 2,988,390 12.8
25-34 years 9,224 5.3 1,130,884 18.3 1,994,601 12.8 3,368,449 14.4
35-44 years 5,874 3.4 1,021,528 16.6 1,911,355 12.2 3,144,935 13.4
45-54 years 12,972 7.5 961,980 15.6 1,920,340 12.3 3,105,007 13.3
55-64 years 27,305 15.7 840,595 13.6 1,704,198 10.9 2,753,734 11.8
65 years and over 114,070 65.5 1,229,161 19.9 2,109,310 13.5 3,676,765 15.7
Median age 70 -- 44 -- 34 -- 38 --

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Australia, 1.0% were aged 0 - 14 years and 65.5% were aged 65 years and over. The median age of people in Australia who were born in Italy was 70 years.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)
Registered marital status
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Married 103,777 60.2 3,362,174 58.0 5,158,710 43.6 9,148,218 48.1
Separated 4,194 2.4 178,867 3.1 376,863 3.2 608,059 3.2
Divorced 12,592 7.3 464,766 8.0 1,021,844 8.6 1,626,890 8.5
Widowed 33,587 19.5 326,987 5.6 560,940 4.7 985,204 5.2
Never married 18,233 10.6 1,463,996 25.3 4,719,302 39.9 6,668,910 35.0

Of people in Australia aged 15 years and over who were born in Italy, 60.2% were married, 2.4% were separated, and 7.3% were divorced.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)
Education Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Pre-school 146 0.1 21,982 0.4 323,754 2.1 347,621 1.5
Primary 914 0.5 197,196 3.2 1,717,830 11.0 1,926,880 8.2
Secondary 985 0.6 224,770 3.6 1,211,676 7.8 1,446,506 6.2
University or tertiary institution 1,502 0.9 440,789 7.2 713,008 4.6 1,160,630 5.0
Technical or further education 1,513 0.9 152,909 2.5 267,689 1.7 424,870 1.8
Other 1,300 0.7 97,890 1.6 98,429 0.6 198,383 0.8
Institution attended, type not stated 5,221 3.0 117,292 1.9 329,449 2.1 1,707,023 7.3
Not attending an educational institution 162,471 93.3 4,910,840 79.7 10,953,685 70.1 16,189,980 69.2

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Australia, 6.7% were attending an educational institution. There were 0.5% in primary school, 0.6% in secondary school and 1.7% in a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational institution attendee status (TYSTAP)
Level of highest educational attainment
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Bachelor Degree level and above 13,244 7.7 1,830,410 31.6 2,320,141 19.6 4,181,406 22.0
Advanced Diploma and Diploma level 10,137 5.9 587,176 10.1 1,079,954 9.1 1,687,893 8.9
Certificate level IV 1,505 0.9 120,064 2.1 425,836 3.6 551,767 2.9
Certificate level III 20,923 12.1 565,803 9.8 1,831,323 15.5 2,442,203 12.8
Year 12 13,396 7.8 1,051,623 18.1 1,902,337 16.1 2,994,097 15.7
Year 11 5,061 2.9 200,856 3.5 724,761 6.1 941,531 4.9
Year 10 15,561 9.0 418,929 7.2 1,588,715 13.4 2,054,331 10.8
Certificate level II 94 0.1 3,313 0.1 9,848 0.1 13,454 0.1
Certificate level I 18 0.0 863 0.0 1,266 0.0 2,176 0.0
Year 9 or below 64,257 37.3 458,176 7.9 1,027,299 8.7 1,529,897 8.0
No educational attainment 10,103 5.9 114,870 2.0 26,748 0.2 145,844 0.8
Not stated 14,414 8.4 264,618 4.6 570,419 4.8 1,974,794 10.4

Of the population born in Italy who usually live in Australia, 7.8% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 13.0% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 5.9% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

Cultural & language diversity

Year of arrival Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Before 1941 1,331 0.8 9,289 0.2 -- -- -- --
1941 - 1950 7,170 4.1 84,378 1.4 -- -- -- --
1951 - 1960 66,381 38.1 321,721 5.2 -- -- -- --
1961 - 1970 55,261 31.8 590,106 9.6 -- -- -- --
1971 - 1980 10,892 6.3 541,319 8.8 -- -- -- --
1981 - 1990 3,824 2.2 768,312 12.5 -- -- -- --
1991 - 2000 2,848 1.6 766,940 12.4 -- -- -- --
2001 - 2005 1,863 1.1 559,084 9.1 -- -- -- --
2006 - 2010 3,516 2.0 985,332 16.0 -- -- -- --
2011 - 2016 12,134 7.0 1,324,426 21.5 -- -- -- --
Born in Australia -- -- -- -- 15,615,531 -- -- --

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, 7.0% arrived in Australia from 2011 - 2016 and 2.0% from 2006 - 2010.

View the data quality statement for Year of arrival in Australia (YARP)
Citizenship Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Australian citizen 130,238 74.8 3,652,290 59.3 15,304,785 98.0 19,278,834 82.4
Not an Australian citizen 39,985 23.0 2,402,591 39.0 86,884 0.6 2,507,458 10.7

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, 74.8% were Australian citizens.

View the data quality statement for Australian citizenship (CITP)
Birthplace of spouse or partner Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Spouse or partner born overseas 73,229 70.4 2,533,692 72.3 874,386 14.5 3,432,017 35.9
Spouse or partner born in Australia 29,032 27.9 874,386 25.0 4,975,104 82.7 5,872,893 61.4

In Australia of people who were born in Italy and had a spouse or partner, 70.4% had a spouse or partner who was born overseas and 27.9% had a spouse or partner born in Australia.

Note: Total does not include those spouses or partners who did not state their country of birth.

View the data quality statements for: Country of birth of person (BPLP) Relationship in household (RLHP) Family/household reference person indicator (RPIP)

Religious affiliation, top responses
Results may include 'nfd' for 'not further defined'
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Catholic 149,899 86.1 1,306,565 21.2 3,895,007 24.9 5,291,834 22.6
No Religion, so described 12,122 7.0 1,647,084 26.7 5,197,438 33.3 6,933,708 29.6
Jehovah's Witnesses 1,502 0.9 24,747 0.4 56,118 0.4 82,510 0.4
Christian, nfd 1,271 0.7 211,734 3.4 391,430 2.5 612,371 2.6
Pentecostal 895 0.5 91,349 1.5 165,897 1.1 260,558 1.1

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses to the religion question were Catholic 86.1%, No Religion, so described 7.0%, Jehovah's Witnesses 0.9%, Christian, nfd 0.7% and Pentecostal 0.5%.

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)
English language proficiency Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Speaks English only 33,836 19.4 2,581,282 41.9 14,190,672 90.9 17,020,421 72.7
Speaks other language and speaks English:  null  null  null  null  null  null
Very well or well 107,675 61.9 2,885,219 46.8 1,122,966 7.2 4,068,598 17.4
Not well or not at all 30,158 17.3 648,470 10.5 157,704 1.0 819,925 3.5

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, 19.4% spoke English only at home. A further 61.9% spoke another language but also spoke English very well or well.

View the data quality statement for Proficiency in spoken English/language (ENGLP)

Employment

Employment
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Worked full-time 29,764 55.7 2,052,828 58.4 4,491,739 57.5 6,623,065 57.7
Worked part-time 18,276 34.2 1,025,198 29.2 2,421,402 31.0 3,491,503 30.4
Away from work 3,091 5.8 158,027 4.5 397,088 5.1 569,276 5.0
Unemployed 2,312 4.3 277,586 7.9 498,013 6.4 787,452 6.9
Not in the labour force 114,902 66.7 2,221,922 38.3 3,913,066 33.1 6,297,600 33.1

In Australia of people who were born in Italy and who were in the labour force, 55.7% worked full-time, 34.2% worked part-time and 4.3% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)
Employment - hours worked
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
1-15 hours per week 5,672 11.1 313,561 9.7 890,779 12.2 1,218,823 11.4
16-24 hours per week 6,762 13.2 358,890 11.1 706,291 9.7 1,079,236 10.1
25-34 hours per week 5,848 11.4 352,748 10.9 824,331 11.3 1,193,445 11.2
35-39 hours per week 9,529 18.6 705,848 21.8 1,300,092 17.8 2,031,263 19.0
40 hours or more per week 20,243 39.6 1,346,985 41.6 3,191,643 43.7 4,591,801 43.0

In Australia of people who were born in Italy and who were employed, 39.6% worked 40 hours or more per week and 18.6% worked 35-39 hours per week.

View the data quality statement for Hours worked (HRSP)
Occupation, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Technicians and Trades Workers 9,717 19.0 405,055 12.5 1,021,688 14.0 1,447,414 13.5
Managers 8,218 16.1 403,585 12.5 970,340 13.3 1,390,047 13.0
Professionals 7,245 14.2 815,695 25.2 1,536,662 21.0 2,370,966 22.2
Clerical and Administrative Workers 6,033 11.8 393,619 12.2 1,040,953 14.2 1,449,681 13.6
Labourers 5,992 11.7 354,542 11.0 638,102 8.7 1,011,520 9.5

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses for occupation were Technicians and Trades Workers 19.0%, Managers 16.1%, Professionals 14.2%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 11.8% and Labourers 11.7%.

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)
Industry of employment, top responses
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Cafes and Restaurants 4,195 8.2 121,097 3.7 130,007 1.8 253,385 2.4
Aged Care Residential Services 973 1.9 90,571 2.8 117,174 1.6 211,621 2.0
Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 943 1.8 141,550 4.4 265,609 3.6 411,808 3.9
Hairdressing and Beauty Services 899 1.8 27,502 0.8 59,893 0.8 88,901 0.8
Supermarket and Grocery Stores 824 1.6 63,537 2.0 187,929 2.6 254,275 2.4

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, the most common responses for industry of employment were Cafes and Restaurants 8.2%, Aged Care Residential Services 1.9%, Hospitals (except Psychiatric Hospitals) 1.8%, Hairdressing and Beauty Services 1.8% and Supermarket and Grocery Stores 1.6%.

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)
Median weekly income
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Personal 436 -- 615 -- 688 -- 662 --
Family 1,254 -- 1,725 -- 1,834 -- 1,734 --
Household 1,014 -- 1,562 -- 1,539 -- 1,438 --

In Australia of people who were born in Italy, the personal weekly median income was $436. Family median weekly income was $1,254 and Household median weekly income was $1,014.

Median personal weekly income for persons aged 15 years and over born in the selected country. Excludes those who did not state an income.

Family for the selected country of birth is determined by the reference person and/or their spouse/partner's response to country of birth. Median family income excludes families where at least one family member aged 15 years and over did not state an income.

Household for the selected country of birth is determined by the response of any household member (enumerated in the dwelling) to country of birth. Median household income excludes households where at least one member aged 15 years and over did not state an income.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP) Total family income (FINF) Total household income (HIND)

Travel to work
Employed people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Car 32,780 64.1 1,986,872 61.4 5,009,484 68.5 7,090,101 66.4
Bus or train 4,106 8.0 453,292 14.0 454,116 6.2 915,328 8.6
Other 6,732 13.2 381,664 11.8 672,865 9.2 1,066,965 10.0

In Australia 64.1% of employed people who were born in Italy travelled to work on census day by car, while 8.0% travelled by bus or train.

View the data quality statement for Method of travel to work (MTWP)
Unpaid work
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Did unpaid domestic work (last week) 106,102 61.5 3,964,948 68.4 9,000,198 76.0 13,143,914 69.0
Cared for child/children (last two weeks) 27,860 16.2 1,677,392 28.9 3,507,061 29.6 5,259,400 27.6
Provided unpaid assistance to a person with a disability (last two weeks) 23,897 13.9 613,990 10.6 1,489,817 12.6 2,145,203 11.3
Did voluntary work through an organisation or group (last 12 months) 13,987 8.1 941,091 16.2 2,634,097 22.3 3,620,726 19.0

In Australia 61.5% of people who were born in Italy did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, and 16.2% cared for a child or children in the two weeks before the census.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP) Unpaid child care (CHCAREP) Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP) Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Unpaid domestic work, number of hours
People aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Less than 5 hours per week 27,834 16.1 1,234,900 21.3 3,013,177 25.5 4,298,593 22.6
5 to 14 hours per week 38,360 22.3 1,509,217 26.0 3,371,602 28.5 4,944,578 26.0
15 to 29 hours per week 21,742 12.6 678,501 11.7 1,479,061 12.5 2,189,776 11.5
30 hours or more per week 18,162 10.5 542,335 9.4 1,136,359 9.6 1,710,970 9.0

In Australia of people who were born in Italy and who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the census, 22.3% worked 5 to 14 hours, 12.6% worked 15 to 29 hours and 10.5% worked 30 hours or more.

View the data quality statement for Unpaid domestic work, number of hours (DOMP)

Families

family composition | employment status of couple families

Family composition

For information on how migrant families are classified, see the User guide for QuickStats

Family composition Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Couple family without children 47,761 56.3 1,012,440 39.3 1,240,422 36.6 2,291,987 37.8
Couple family with children 26,430 31.2 1,248,241 48.4 1,434,939 42.3 2,716,224 44.7
One parent family 9,737 11.5 282,463 11.0 648,590 19.1 959,543 15.8
Other family 920 1.1 34,059 1.3 65,896 1.9 102,559 1.7
Families with a child under 5 2,678 3.2 446,733 17.3 591,182 17.4 1,037,904 17.1
Families with a child aged 0-15 years 8,691 10.2 977,697 37.9 1,379,763 40.7 2,357,465 38.8

These statistics are for families in Australia. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Italy. Of these families, 31.2% were couple families with children, 56.3% were couple families without children and 11.5% were one parent families.

Note: Totals for families with a child under 5 and for families with a child aged 0-15 years does not include those families where the reference person and/or their spouse/partner did not state their country of birth.

View the data quality statement for Family composition (FMCF)

Employment status of couple families

Employment status of couple families
Labour force, people aged 15 years and over
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Both employed, worked full-time 7,825 10.5 475,278 21.0 600,260 22.4 1,084,006 21.6
Both employed, worked part-time 3,052 4.1 97,948 4.3 103,266 3.9 203,596 4.1
One employed full-time, one part-time 9,376 12.6 424,478 18.8 652,771 24.4 1,086,460 21.7
One employed full-time, other not working 7,642 10.3 390,307 17.3 352,203 13.2 749,886 15.0
One employed part-time, other not working 5,537 7.5 156,274 6.9 141,852 5.3 302,037 6.0
Both not working 34,951 47.1 492,423 21.8 488,403 18.3 1,006,697 20.1
Other (includes away from work) 2,578 3.5 107,664 4.8 152,346 5.7 264,145 5.3
Labour force status not stated (by one or both parents in a couple family) 3,230 4.4 116,299 5.1 184,264 6.9 311,381 6.2

These statistics are for families in Australia. They are for families where the reference person and/or their spouse or partner was born in Italy. Of these families, 10.5% of families had both parents working full-time, 12.6% of families had one parent working full-time and one parent working part-time, and 47.1% of families stated that both parents were not working.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status of parents / partners in families (LFSF)

Dwellings

dwelling structure | mortgage & rent | household composition

Dwelling structure

For information on how migrant households are classified, see the User guide for QuickStats

Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households

Dwelling structure
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Separate house 98,960 81.2 2,212,954 67.1 5,074,866 76.9 6,041,788 72.9
Semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc 11,771 9.7 466,800 14.1 779,497 11.8 1,055,016 12.7
Flat or apartment 10,223 8.4 585,471 17.7 668,862 10.1 1,087,434 13.1
Other dwelling 544 0.4 20,721 0.6 48,617 0.7 64,425 0.8

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 81.2% were a separate house, 8.4% were a flat or apartment, and 9.7% were a semi-detached, row or terrace house, townhouse etc.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)
Number of bedrooms
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
None (includes bedsitters) 336 0.3 17,187 0.5 23,956 0.4 39,769 0.5
1 bedroom 3,632 3.0 176,922 5.4 254,884 3.9 411,252 5.0
2 bedrooms 15,968 13.1 658,470 20.0 1,119,772 17.0 1,562,759 18.9
3 bedrooms 58,262 47.8 1,264,755 38.3 2,787,246 42.2 3,403,190 41.1
4 or more bedrooms 40,464 33.2 1,110,865 33.7 2,287,725 34.7 2,670,758 32.2
Number of bedrooms not stated 3,234 2.7 71,635 2.2 126,102 1.9 198,351 2.4

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 13.1% had two bedrooms, 47.8% had three bedrooms and 33.2% had four or more bedrooms.

View the data quality statement for Number of bedrooms in a private dwelling (BEDD)

Mortgage & rent

Mortgage and rent
Occupied private dwellings
Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
Owned outright 80,794 66.3 970,425 29.4 2,013,505 30.5 2,565,695 31.0
Owned with a mortgage 20,029 16.4 1,122,252 34.0 2,474,999 37.5 2,855,222 34.5
Rented 16,114 13.2 1,099,840 33.3 1,907,007 28.9 2,561,302 30.9
Other tenure type 722 0.6 25,380 0.8 59,681 0.9 78,994 1.0
Tenure type not stated 4,241 3.5 81,928 2.5 144,494 2.2 224,869 2.7
Median monthly mortgage repayment 1,600 -- 1,950 -- 1,742 -- 1,755 --
Median weekly rent paid 375 -- 370 -- 330 -- 335 --

These statistics are for occupied private dwellings in Australia. For the dwellings that were occupied on census night by a person or persons who were born in Italy, 66.3% were owned outright, 16.4% were owned with a mortgage and 13.2% were rented. The median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,600 and the median weekly rent paid was $375.

Median monthly mortgage repayment relates only to occupied private dwellings that are owned with a mortgage (including those being purchased under a rent/buy scheme). It excludes 'visitor only' and 'other non-classifiable' households and dwellings that did not state a monthly repayment value.

Median weekly rent paid relates to occupied private dwellings being rented (including rent-free accommodation). It excludes 'visitor only' and 'other non-classifiable' households and dwellings that did not state a weekly payment value.

View the data quality statements for: Tenure type (TEND) Rent weekly payments (RNTD) Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED)

Household composition

Household composition Born in Italy % Born in Italy All overseas born % All overseas born Australian born % Australian born Total % Total
One family households 85,349 70.0 2,465,248 74.7 4,809,352 72.9 5,751,635 69.4
Multiple family households 3,355 2.8 101,470 3.1 137,593 2.1 155,992 1.9
Single (or lone) person households 29,674 24.3 559,665 17.0 1,403,935 21.3 2,023,542 24.4
Group households 3,525 2.9 173,452 5.3 248,803 3.8 354,917 4.3

All occupants of a private dwelling complete one census form and are counted as a household. 'Born in Italy' includes households in Australia where at least one person was born in Italy. Of those households, 70.0% were one family households and 24.3% were lone person households.

View the data quality statement for Household composition (HHCD)

Small random adjustments have been made to all cell values to protect the confidentiality of data. These adjustments may cause the sum of rows or columns to differ by small amounts from the table totals. For further information, go to the User Guide for QuickStats.

Data reported for Australia and Other Territories now includes Norfolk Island, following an amendment to the Acts Interpretation Act, 1901. Because Norfolk Island has not previously been included in the Census, any 2011 benchmarks will not include Norfolk Island.