Editing Demographics of Australia (section)

==Ancestry==
{{main|Australians}}
[[File:European Australians from 1947 to 1966.gif|thumb|upright=1.2|European Australians from 1947 to 1966 when racial data was collected in the country]]
The earliest accepted timeline for the first arrivals of humans to the continent of Australia places this [[human migration]] to at least 65,000 years ago,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Weule |first1=Genelle |author2=Felicity James |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-07-20/aboriginal-shelter-pushes-human-history-back-to-65,000-years/8719314 |title=Indigenous rock shelter in Top End pushes Australia's human history back to 65,000 years |journal=Nature |volume=547 |issue=7663 |pages=306–310 |doi=10.1038/nature22968 |pmid=28726833 |publisher=Abc.net.au |date=20 July 2017 |access-date=27 September 2017|hdl=2440/107043 |s2cid=205257212 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> most probably from the islands of [[Indonesia]] and [[New Guinea]].<ref name="University of Wollongong"/>

Captain [[James Cook]] claimed the east coast for [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] in 1770; the west coast was later settled by Britain also. At that time, the indigenous population was estimated to have been between 315,000 and 750,000,<ref name="ABS2008YBindigenous"/> divided into as many as 500 tribes speaking many different languages.

Between 1788 and the [[Second World War]], the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the [[Anglo-Celtic Australians|British Isles]] (principally [[English Australians|England]], [[Irish Australians|Ireland]] and [[Scottish Australians|Scotland]]), although there was significant immigration from [[Chinese Australians|China]] and [[German Australians|Germany]] during the 19th century. In the decades immediately following the Second World War, Australia received a [[Post-war immigration to Australia|large wave of immigration]] from across [[European Australians|Europe]], with many more immigrants arriving from [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and [[Eastern Europe]] than in previous decades. Since the end of the [[White Australia policy]] in 1973, Australia has pursued an official policy of [[multiculturalism]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/06evolution.htm|title=The Evolution of Australia's Multicultural Policy|access-date=18 September 2007|year=2005|publisher=Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060219130703/http://www.immi.gov.au/facts/06evolution.htm|archive-date=19 February 2006}}</ref> and there has been a [[Immigration to Australia|large and continuing wave]] of immigration from across the world, with [[Asian Australians|Asia]] being the largest source of immigrants in the 21st century.<ref name="homeaffairs.gov.au">{{cite web|url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-stats/files/report-migration-program-2018-19.pdf|title=2018-19 Migration Program Report|website=Department of Home Affairs|date=30 June 2019}}</ref>

The [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] no longer collects data on [[race (human categorization)|race]], but does ask each Australian resident to nominate up to two [[ancestry|ancestries]] each [[Census in Australia|census]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/detailed-methodology-information/information-papers/understanding-and-using-ancestry-data | title=Understanding and using Ancestry data &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics | date=28 June 2022 }}</ref> These ancestry responses are classified into broad standardised ancestry groups.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/classifications/australian-standard-classification-cultural-and-ethnic-groups-ascceg/latest-release | title=Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups (ASCCEG), 2019 &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics | date=18 December 2019 }}</ref> In the 2021 census, the most commonly nominated individual ancestries as a proportion of the total population were:<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/community-profiles/2021/AUS/download/GCP_AUS.xlsx|title=2021 Census Community Profiles: Australia}}</ref> <!-- Only ancestries with >1% are listed. -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=12em|
* [[English Australian|English]] (33%)
* [[Australian ancestry|Australian]] (29.9%)
* [[Irish Australian|Irish]] (9.5%)
* [[Scottish Australian|Scottish]] (8.6%)
* [[Chinese Australian|Chinese]] (5.5%)
* [[Italian Australian|Italian]] (4.4%)
* [[German Australian|German]] (4%)
* [[Indian Australian|Indian]] (3.1%)
* [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] (2.9%){{refn|group="N"|Those who nominated their ancestry as "Australian Aboriginal". Does not include [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. This relates to nomination of ancestry and is distinct from persons who identify as Indigenous (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) which is a separate question.}}
* [[Greek Australian|Greek]] (1.7%)
* [[Filipino Australian|Filipino]] (1.6%)
* [[Dutch Australian|Dutch]] (1.5%)
* [[Vietnamese Australian|Vietnamese]] (1.3%)
* [[Lebanese Australian|Lebanese]] (1%)
* [[Polish Australian|Polish]] (0.9%)
* [[Maltese Australian|Maltese]] (0.8%)
* [[Maori Australian|Maori]] (0.6%)
* [[Croatian Australian|Croatian]] (0.6%)
* [[South African Australian|South African]] (0.4%)
* [[Macedonian Australian|Macedonian]] (0.3%)
}}

At the 2021 census, 3.2% of the Australian population identified as being [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous]] — [[Aboriginal Australians]] and [[Torres Strait Islanders]].{{refn|group="N"|Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/AUS|title=2021 Australia, Census All persons QuickStats |website=Australian Bureau of Statistics }}</ref> In 2020, 7.5% of births were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons up from 5.7% in 2010; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fertility rates have stayed above replacement levels even as the nation's has declined rapidly.<ref>{{cite web |title=Births, Australia |date=12 August 2021 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/births-australia/latest-release |access-date=3 January 2022}}</ref>

Although the ABS does not collect data on race and ethnic background, various studies have put together results of the census to determine the ethnic composition of Australia, the [[Australian Human Rights Commission]] has estimated the European population at 76% of the Australian population in 2016,<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2018 |title=Leading for Change A blueprint for cultural diversity and inclusive leadership revisited |url=https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/Leading%20for%20Change_Blueprint2018_FINAL_Web.pdf |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=humanrights.gov.au}}</ref> while a media diversity study put it at 72% in 2021, the non-European proportion was 21% and 23% respectively, and the [[Aboriginal Australian]] population at 3% in both.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Groutsis |first1=Dimitria |last2=Martin |first2=Lee |last3=Lattouf |first3=Antoinette |last4=Soutphommasane |first4=TIm |last5=Lumby |first5=Catharine |last6=Young |first6=Nareen |last7=Crawford |first7=Joanne |last8=Robertson |first8=Adam |date=2022 |title=Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories? |url=https://www.mediadiversityaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Who-Gets-to-Tell-Australian-Stories_2.0_FINAL_pdf.pdf |access-date=2023-06-26 |website=mediadiversityaustralia.org}}</ref>

Immigration minister [[Andrew Giles]] had pledged to incorporate a question on ethnicity into the [[2026 Australian census]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-16/federal-government-to-measure-ethnicity-data-multiculturalism/101158038 | title='If you're not counted, you don't know that you exist': Federal government to collect data on Australians' ethnicity | newspaper=ABC News | date=16 June 2022 }}</ref> However in 2024 the ABS decided against collecting data on ethnicity in favor of ancestry. As recent studies indicate that the public does not have a consistent understanding of ethnic identity, or the difference between ethnic identity and ancestry. The ABS determined that due to these complexities, collecting both ethnic identity and ancestry on the same form is not feasible for the 2026 Census.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-25/abs-census-ethnicity-ancestry-australia-population-data/103638672 | title=The ABS has changed its mind about ethnicity in the next census. Here's what the experts say | newspaper=ABC News | date=24 April 2024 }}</ref>

===Immigration and country of birth===
{{Main|Immigration to Australia|Foreign-born population of Australia}}
[[File:Australian and foreign born population pyramid in 2021.svg|thumb|Australian and foreign born population pyramid in 2021|249x249px]]
In 2019, 30% of the Australian resident population, or 7,529,570 people, were born overseas.<ref name="Country of Birth">{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/log?openagent&34120do005_201819.xls&3412.0&Data%20Cubes&B95CDCBDF3B53509CA25855700002DC2&0&2018-19&28.04.2020&Latest|title=Table 5.1 Estimated resident population, by country of birth(a), Australia, as at 30 June, 1996 to 2019(b)(c)|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>

Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3105.0.65.0012006?OpenDocument |title=3105.0.65.001—Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2006 |access-date=18 September 2007 |date=23 May 2006 |format=[[Microsoft Excel|XLS]] |publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |quote=Australian population: (1919) 5,080,912; (2006) 20,209,993 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070908212308/http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs%40.nsf/DetailsPage/3105.0.65.0012006?OpenDocument |archive-date= 8 September 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy}}</ref> much of this increase from [[Immigration to Australia|immigration]]. Australia has the world's [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by immigrant population|eighth-largest]] immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the population, a higher proportion than in any other nation with a population of over 10 million.<ref name="Country of Birth"/><ref>United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, (2015). 'International Migration' in International migrant stock 2015. Accessed from [https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/data/estimates2/estimatesmaps.shtml?1t1 International migrant stock 2015: maps] on 24 May 2017</ref> Most immigrants are skilled,<ref name="immig">{{cite web |url=http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/20planning.htm |title=Fact Sheet 20 – Migration Program Planning Levels |access-date=17 June 2010 |date=11 August 2009 |publisher=Department of Immigration and Citizenship |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507054151/http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/20planning.htm |archive-date=7 May 2010 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and [[refugee]]s.<ref name="immig"/>

The following table shows Australia's population by country of birth as estimated by the [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] in 2023. It shows only countries or regions or birth with a population of over 100,000 residing in Australia.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:right"
|-
! scope="col" colspan="2" | Source: [[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] (2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/migration-australia/2019-20/34120DO005_201920.xls|title=Table 5.1 Estimated resident population, by country of birth(a), Australia, as at 30 June, 1996 to 2024(b)(c)|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>
|-
! scope="col" | Place of birth
! scope="col" | Estimated resident population{{efn-ua|Only countries with 100,000 or more are listed here.}}
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| ''Total [[Australia|Australian-born]]''
| ''18,617,690''
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| ''Total [[immigration to Australia|foreign-born]]''
| ''8,576,680''
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|England}} [[English Australians|England]]{{efn-ua|name=uk|The Australian Bureau of Statistics source lists England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately although they are all part of the [[United Kingdom]]. These should not be combined as they are not combined in the source.}}
| 963,650
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|India}} [[Indian Australians|India]]
| 916,330
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|China}} [[Chinese Australians|China]]{{efn-ua|name=cn|In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, [[Mainland China]], [[Taiwan]] and the Special Administrative Regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]] are listed separately.}}
| 700,120
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[New Zealand Australians|New Zealand]]
| 617,960
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Philippines}} [[Filipino Australians|Philippines]]
| 394,380
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Vietnam}} [[Vietnamese Australians|Vietnam]]
| 318,760
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|South Africa}} [[South African Australians|South Africa]]
| 224,160
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Nepal}} [[Nepalese Australians|Nepal]]
| 197,800
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Malaysia}} [[Malaysian Australians|Malaysia]]
| 183,490
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Sri Lanka}} [[Sri Lankan Australians|Sri Lanka]]
| 172,800
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Italian Australians|Italy]]
| 156,070
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Pakistan}} [[Pakistani Australians|Pakistan]]
| 134,720
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Scottish Australians|Scotland]]
| 124,880
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} [[Hong Kong Australians|Hong Kong]]{{efn-ua|name=cn}}
| 124,550
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Indonesia}} [[Indonesian Australians|Indonesia]]
| 120,160
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|South Korea}} [[Korean Australians|South Korea]]
| 119,190
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|United States}} [[American Australians|United States]]
| 118,000
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Thailand}} [[Thai Australians|Thailand]]
| 114,280
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Iraq}} [[Iraqi Australians|Iraq]]
| 109,600
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Ireland}} [[Irish Australians|Ireland]]
| 103,080
|-
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[German Australians|Germany]]
| 102,960
|}
{{notelist-ua}}

As of 2020, 29.8% of Australia's population was born overseas and 76% as of 2016 had European ancestry. The percentage of Australians with European backgrounds has been declining since the 1960s and 1970s, which is around the time the White Australia policy was abolished.

===Quarterly migration data, 2013-present===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Date !! Immigration ('000) !! Emigration ('000) !! Net Migration ('000)
|-
| Jun-2013 || 482.09 || -251.76 || 230.33
|-
| Sep-2013 || 484.31 || -263.10 || 221.21
|-
| Dec-2013 || 478.68 || -270.31 || 208.38
|-
| Mar-2014 || 472.63 || -270.44 || 202.19
|-
| Jun-2014 || 464.68 || -276.90 || 187.78
|-
| Sep-2014 || 459.84 || -276.11 || 183.74
|-
| Dec-2014 || 458.76 || -276.41 || 182.35
|-
| Mar-2015 || 460.64 || -279.56 || 181.08
|-
| Jun-2015 || 465.25 || -281.22 || 184.03
|-
| Sep-2015 || 469.39 || -285.16 || 184.23
|-
| Dec-2015 || 473.25 || -286.52 || 186.73
|-
| Mar-2016 || 481.33 || -285.35 || 195.98
|-
| Jun-2016 || 489.28 || -283.04 || 206.23
|-
| Sep-2016 || 507.11 || -277.60 || 229.51
|-
| Dec-2016 || 519.65 || -275.82 || 243.83
|-
| Mar-2017 || 536.66 || -277.08 || 259.59
|-
| Jun-2017 || 540.15 || -276.80 || 263.35
|-
| Sep-2017 || 540.06 || -280.64 || 259.43
|-
| Dec-2017 || 531.37 || -289.71 || 241.66
|-
| Mar-2018 || 527.23 || -289.23 || 238.00
|-
| Jun-2018 || 527.52 || -289.30 || 238.22
|-
| Sep-2018 || 530.94 || -288.62 || 242.32
|-
| Dec-2018 || 534.40 || -282.18 || 252.22
|-
| Mar-2019 || 536.60 || -285.93 || 250.67
|-
| Jun-2019 || 550.40 || -309.06 || 241.34
|-
| Sep-2019 || 566.35 || -324.32 || 242.04
|-
| Dec-2019 || 607.87 || -360.25 || 247.62
|-
| Mar-2020 || 618.36 || -379.11 || 239.25
|-
| Jun-2020 || 506.85 || -314.16 || 192.70
|-
| Sep-2020 || 361.95 || -286.34 || 75.61
|-
| Dec-2020 || 235.35 || -240.32 || -4.97
|-
| Mar-2021 || 113.00 || -207.34 || -94.34
|-
| Jun-2021 || 146.00 || -230.93 || -84.94
|-
| Sep-2021 || 162.49 || -218.63 || -56.14
|-
| Dec-2021 || 216.11 || -209.24 || 6.87
|-
| Mar-2022 || 336.24 || -208.35 || 127.89
|-
| Jun-2022 || 426.73 || -223.14 || 203.59
|-
| Sep-2022 || 571.41 || -229.93 || 341.48
|-
| Dec-2022 || 646.11 || -223.88 || 422.23
|-
| Mar-2023 || 694.61 || -221.53 || 473.08
|-
| Jun-2023 || 737.17 || -219.08 || 518.09
|-
| Dec-2023 || 740.90 || -205.91 || 534.99
|-
| Mar-2024 || 714.16 || -211.19 || 502.97
|-
| Jun-2024 || 666.81 || -221.17 || 445.64
|}