View All

Where do immigrants come from?

Australia is a nation of immigrants. At Small Multiples, we a snapshot of our multicultural country - a colourful plethora of birth countries and ancestral heritage. The availability of the 2016 Census data provided a rare opportunity for us to look at how Australia has changed in the past five years. We hope by knowing who our neighbours are, we can have a better understanding about ourselves and ultimately become a kinder and stronger community.

What changed since we last made this map?

Sydney

While the main sources of immigration remained consistent since 2011, the areas that major immigrant groups dominate have expanded significantly. Overall, immigrants from China and India are becoming more established in all parts of Sydney.

  • Southern and Eastern Europe
  • North-West Europe
  • North Africa and the Middle East
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • South-East Asia
  • North-East Asia
  • Southern and Central Asia
  • Oceania and Antarctica
  • Americas

Melbourne

In Melbourne, immigrants from India expanded to the north, southeast and west; while immigrants from China continued to consolidate around the central and eastern regions.

  • Southern and Eastern Europe
  • North-West Europe
  • North Africa and the Middle East
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • South-East Asia
  • North-East Asia
  • Southern and Central Asia
  • Oceania and Antarctica
  • Americas

Interactive maps

Data represented in these maps was obtained from the 2016 Census.  Click on a suburb to see the top 3 countries of birth other than Australia

Sydney

Countries are colour-coded by Standard Australian Classification of Countries (SACC) regions

  • Southern and Eastern Europe
  • North-West Europe
  • North Africa and the Middle East
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • South-East Asia
  • North-East Asia
  • Southern and Central Asia
  • Oceania and Antarctica
  • Americas

Melbourne

Countries are colour-coded by SACC regions

  • Southern and Eastern Europe
  • North-West Europe
  • North Africa and the Middle East
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • South-East Asia
  • North-East Asia
  • Southern and Central Asia
  • Oceania and Antarctica
  • Americas