Total population | |
---|---|
12,088 Nigerian-born (2022 Census) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Sydney, Melbourne | |
Languages | |
English · Fulfulde · Hausa · Igbo · Yoruba ·other Nigerian languages | |
Related ethnic groups | |
African Australians, Beninese Australians, Nigerien Australians, Chadian Australians, Cameroonian Australians |
Nigerian Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Nigerian origin or descent. The Nigerian-born form one of the fastest-growing migrant groups in Australia. [1]
The Nigerian population in Australia has been increasing rapidly. The 2011 Census noted there are 4,519 Nigerian-born people in Australia. [2] The population doubled since the previous census in 2006. [3] The vast majority are skilled and educated, with 82.4% of the Nigerian-born aged 15 years and over possessing higher non-school qualifications, compared to 55.9% of the Australian population. [4]
An NOIPolls survey found that 100% of Nigerians surveyed with relatives or friends living in Australia perceive Nigerians as having better living conditions in foreign countries. The only other continent with a similar response (of 100%) from Nigerians was South America. [5]
Students have become a rapidly growing source of Nigerian migrants to Australia. [6] Nigeria is predicted to become one of the top 10 sources of international students for Australian universities. [7] Australia’s streamlined visa processing for international students and its post-study work rights scheme have been given some credit for this. Many Nigerians come as engineering students planning to work in their country’s oil industry. Thus universities respected in engineering such as the University of NSW have seen massive growth in their Nigerian student numbers. [8]
In 2015 it was noted that Nigerians are one of the newer student populations experiencing huge growth in Australia, comparable to student populations from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. [9]
One third of Nigerians in Australia live in Sydney, and one quarter reside in Melbourne. [10] Half of Australia’s Igbo-speakers live in Sydney. [11] [12] There are many thousands of speakers of Nigerian languages, particularly Igbo, and Yoruba [13]
Nigerian cuisine can be found in restaurants in the more diverse Australian cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. [14] [15] [16]
Nigerian Canadians are a Canadian ethnic group of Nigerian descent. Nigerians began migrating to Canada during the 1967–1970 Nigerian Civil War. Nigerians were not broken out separately in immigration statistics until 1973. 3,919 landed immigrants of Nigerian nationality arrived in Canada from 1973 to 1991.
Sudanese Australians are people of Sudanese origin or descent living in Australia. The largest population of Sudanese Australians reside in Victoria (6,085).
Nigerian Americans are Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigrants residing in the United States is rapidly growing, expanding from a small 1980 population of 25,000. The 2022 American Community Survey (ACS) estimated that 712,294 residents of the US were of Nigerian ancestry. The 2019 ACS further estimated that around 392,811 of these (85%) had been born in Nigeria. This puts the American-born Nigerian American population a little over 400,000. Similar to its status as the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria is also the African country with the most migrants to the US, as of 2013. In a study which was carried out by consumer genetics company 23andMe which involved the DNA of 50,281 people of African descent in the United States, Latin America, and Western Europe, it was revealed that Nigeria was the most common country of origin for testers from the United States, the French Caribbean, and the British Caribbean.
Turkish Australians or Australian Turks are Australians who have emigrated from Turkey or who have Turkish ancestral origins.
British Nigerians have formed long-established communities in London, Liverpool and other industrial cities. Many Nigerians and their British-born descendants in Britain live in South London, and they are one of the larger immigrant groups in the country.
African Australians are Australians descended from any peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa, including naturalised Australians who are immigrants from various regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and descendants of such immigrants. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categorised within Sub-Saharan African ancestral groups as a proportion of the total population amounted to 1.3%. Note that Australian official statistics are based on country of origin not race, hence African immigrants of European descent and their descendants are included as African Australians.
Chilean Australians are Australians of Chilean descent or Chileans who have obtained Australian citizenship. Chileans are the second largest group of Hispanic and Latin American Australians residing in Australia. The biggest Chilean Australian communities are primarily found in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
Laotian Australians, also known as Lao Australians, refers to Australians who have either migrated from Laos and/or have Lao ancestry. The first Lao people that came to live in Australia arrived through the Colombo Plan in the 1960s, which gave a number of Laotians the opportunity to live and study in Australia. The migration of the Lao commenced with the Indochinese refugee crisis in 1975 following communist regime takeovers. According to the 2016 Census, there are 10,402 Laos-born Australians with the majority residing in New South Wales.
Indonesian Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Indonesian origin. 48,836 Australian residents declared Indonesian ancestry on the 2011 Australian Census, while 63,160 stated they were born in Indonesia.
Spanish Australians refers to Australian citizens and residents of Spanish descent, or people who were born in Spain and immigrated to Australia. There are approximately 123,000 Australians who are of full or partial Spanish descent, most of whom reside within the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne, with lesser but rapidly growing numbers in Brisbane and Perth. Of these, according to the 2011 Australian census, 13,057 were born in Spain.
Māori Australians are Australians of Māori heritage. The Māori presence in Australia dates back to the 19th century when Māori travelled to Sydney to trade, acquire new technology, and learn new ideas. The Māori population in Australia remained marginal until the 1960s. During the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries, thousands of Māori would emigrate from New Zealand to pursue employment opportunities in blue collar occupations such as shearing, construction, manufacturing, and mining. In 2013, there were approximately 140,000–170,000 people with Māori ancestry living in Australia. Māori Australians constitute Australia's largest Polynesian ethnic group.
Uruguayan Australians refers to Australians of Uruguayan ancestry or birth who reside in Australia.
South African Australians are citizens or residents of Australia who are of South African descent.
New Zealanders of African descent represent less than 0.3% of New Zealand's population, although the number has been growing substantially since the 1990s.
Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown is a Roman Catholic single-sex secondary day school for boys, located in Blacktown, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Trent Merrin is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a lock, prop and second-row forward for most of his playing career in the NRL.
Singaporean Australians are Australians of Singaporean descent. As Singapore is a multi-racial country, a Singaporean Australian could either be of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent, the main races of Singapore. According to the 2006 Australian census, 39,969 Australians were born in Singapore while 4,626 claimed Singaporean ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.
According to the 2022 census, there were 8,368 resident Nigerians in Ireland in 2022. 20,559 persons usually resident in the state in 2022 were born in Nigeria, an increase of 3,990 since 2016. They constitute the largest African group in the country.
Tongan Australians are Australians who are of ethnic Tongan descent or Tongans who hold Australian citizenship.
Ghanaian Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Ghanaian origin and descent. More than 50% of those who are Ghana-born live in Sydney.