Total population | |
---|---|
150,000 (2023) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
State / Territory | |
New South Wales | 21,527 |
Victoria | 17,452 |
Western Australia | 4,078 |
Queensland | 3,475 |
South Australia | 1,703 |
Australian Capital Territory | 1,416 |
Northern Territory | 280 |
Tasmania | 216 |
Languages | |
| |
Religion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Part of a series on |
Tamils |
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Tamilportal |
Tamil Australians refers to Australians with a Tamil background. It includes people who speak Tamil, those whose ancestors were Tamil or those who identify with Tamil culture. Most Tamil Australians are of Indian, Sri Lankan, Singaporean or Malaysian descent. [1]
The Census 2021 has found 95,404 people speaking Tamil at home. The total number of ethnic Tamils could be around 150,000 people well above the census data considering the possibility of refugee statuses being getting considered as Migrants as per refugee policy reform.[ citation needed ] This is the first time Indian Tamils have taken over as the majority over the Sri Lankan Tamils in a foreign country other than the United States. There are no exact figures for the number of Tamil Australians but according to the 2011 census there were 50,151 Australians, 0.23% of the population, who spoke Tamil at home. [2] Tamil speaking Australians are of Indian, Sri Lankan, Singaporean and Malaysian ancestry. [1] The Census 2016 shows an increase of 50% in Tamil population who speak Tamil at home.
There were 73,161 Tamil speakers according to the 2016 Census, with the largest proportion of people across Australia in the suburb of Westmead (1,425 people, or 3.6% of people in that suburb), followed by Toongabbie (NSW) (1,404 people, or 3.5% of people in that suburb). [3]
Ancestry | Language (first ancestry) | Language (second ancestry) | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tamil | English | Sinhala | Not stated | Other | Total | Tamil | English | Sinhala | Not stated | Other | Total | |
Tamil | 11,407 | 1,057 | 85 | 58 | 149 | 12,756 | 650 | 257 | 16 | 13 | 48 | 984 |
Indian Tamil | 406 | 50 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 478 | 21 | 12 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 32 |
Sri Lankan Tamil | 4,153 | 702 | 102 | 27 | 41 | 5,025 | 62 | 83 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 159 |
Sub-total Tamil | 15,966 | 1,809 | 191 | 88 | 205 | 18,259 | 733 | 352 | 22 | 13 | 55 | 1,175 |
Indian | 20,923 | 77,033 | 64 | 3,204 | 249,641 | 350,865 | 540 | 31,992 | 38 | 217 | 7,246 | 40,033 |
Sri Lankan | 8,534 | 23,792 | 27,862 | 442 | 1,551 | 62,181 | 300 | 11,541 | 679 | 47 | 389 | 12,956 |
Australian | 748 | 4,777,283 | 684 | 24,942 | 118,275 | 4,921,932 | 82 | 2,135,198 | 50 | 6,458 | 34,761 | 2,176,549 |
Sinhalese | 942 | 2,351 | 16,898 | 115 | 225 | 20,531 | 76 | 901 | 1,372 | 13 | 54 | 2,416 |
English | 862 | 7,062,120 | 809 | 33,676 | 125,990 | 7,223,457 | 7 | 13,136 | 8 | 107 | 1,821 | 15,079 |
Malay | 502 | 6,973 | 17 | 134 | 13,230 | 20,856 | 91 | 9,015 | 32 | 56 | 3,568 | 12,762 |
Singaporean | 178 | 1,930 | 0 | 123 | 1,302 | 3,533 | 25 | 2,083 | 0 | 13 | 498 | 2,619 |
Not stated | 856 | 391,451 | 913 | 979,843 | 102,167 | 1,475,230 | 47,984 | 10,434,941 | 45,710 | 1,060,759 | 3,465,645 | 15,055,039 |
Other | 640 | 4,164,549 | 754 | 42,924 | 3,202,008 | 7,410,875 | 313 | 3,870,132 | 281 | 17,808 | 300,557 | 4,189,091 |
Total | 50,151 | 16,509,291 | 48,192 | 1,085,491 | 3,814,594 | 21,507,719 | 50,151 | 16,509,291 | 48,192 | 1,085,491 | 3,814,594 | 21,507,719 |
As per the 2011 census, over 39.59% of Tamil speaking Australians were born in Sri Lanka, 34.89% in India and 13.05% in Australia. [1]
Country | Population | % |
---|---|---|
Sri Lanka | 19,855 | 39.59% |
India | 17,500 | 34.89% |
Australia | 6,547 | 13.05% |
Malaysia | 2,782 | 5.55% |
Singapore | 1,687 | 3.36% |
Not stated | 445 | 0.89% |
Other | 1,335 | 2.66% |
Total | 50,151 | 100.00% |
They live concentrated in Wentworthville, Pendle Hill, Girraween, Toongabbie and Strathfield in Sydney and in Glen Waverley and Dandenong North in Melbourne. [2]
State suburb | State | Tamils | % of suburb | % of Tamils |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wentworthville [4] | NSW | 1,073 | 10.13% | 2.14% |
Glen Waverley [5] | VIC | 945 | 2.41% | 1.88% |
Dandenong [6] | VIC | 935 | 3.75% | 1.86% |
Westmead [7] | NSW | 908 | 6.41% | 1.81% |
Toongabbie [8] | NSW | 853 | 6.56% | 1.70% |
Pendle Hill [9] | NSW | 849 | 12.74% | 1.69% |
Strathfield [10] | NSW | 815 | 3.45% | 1.63% |
Girraween [11] | NSW | 760 | 16.19% | 1.52% |
Auburn [12] | NSW | 659 | 1.99% | 1.31% |
Lidcombe [13] | NSW | 658 | 3.95% | 1.31% |
Seven Hills [14] | NSW | 650 | 3.45% | 1.30% |
Homebush [15] | NSW | 588 | 9.49% | 1.17% |
Dandenong North [16] | VIC | 531 | 2.42% | 1.06% |
More than 80% have completed high school education; the rate is only 50% for the general Australian population. [2] More than 59% own their houses, compared with more than 67% of the general population. [2]
Girraween is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Girraween is located 30 km west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Cumberland Council and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
The Municipality of Strathfield is a local government area in the West of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia.
Westmead is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Westmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of Cumberland Council and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
Northmead is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Northmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta.
The City of Canada Bay is a local government area in the Inner West region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The city was formed on 1 December 2000, following the merger of Concord and Drummoyne councils. The city covers an area of 19.82 square kilometres (7.65 sq mi) and as at the 2021 census had a resident population of 89,177. The city is ultimately named after Canada Bay, a bay and suburb along the Parramatta River.
Toongabbie is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. One of the oldest suburbs in Sydney, Toongabbie is located approximately 30 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Toongabbie is split between the local government areas of the City of Parramatta, the City of Blacktown and Cumberland Council. The suburb is often locally referred to as "Toonie", "Toonga Bay" and "Bayside".
The Division of Greenway is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales.
Wentworthville is a suburb in Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wentworthville is located 27 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region. Wentworthville is split between the local government areas of the City of Parramatta and the Cumberland Council. Wentworthville is colloquially known as 'Wenty'.
Toongabbie railway station is located on the Main Western line, serving the Sydney suburb of Toongabbie. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 Western and T5 Cumberland line services.
The Division of Parramatta is an Australian electoral division in the state of New South Wales. The division was created in 1900 and was one of the original 65 divisions contested at the first federal election. It is named for the locality of Parramatta. The name Parramatta has been sourced to an Aboriginal word for the area. The Darug people had lived in the area for many generations, and regarded the area as a food bowl, rich in food from the river and forests. They called the area Baramada or Burramatta ("Parramatta") which means "the place where the eels lie down".
The City of Parramatta, also known as Parramatta Council, is a local government area located to the west and north-west of Sydney CBD in the Greater Western Sydney region. Parramatta Council is situated between the City of Ryde and Cumberland, where the Cumberland Plain meets the Hornsby Plateau, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in New South Wales, Australia. The city occupies an area of 84 square kilometres (32 sq mi) spanning across suburbs in Greater Western Sydney including the Hills District, and a small section of Northern Sydney to the far north east of its area. According to the 2016 census, City of Parramatta had an estimated population of 226,149. The city houses the Parramatta central business district which is one of the key suburban employment destinations for the region of Greater Western Sydney.
Pendle Hill is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Pendle Hill is located 29 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government areas of Cumberland Council and City of Parramatta and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region.
Sri Lankan Australians are people of Sri Lankan heritage living in Australia; this includes Sri Lankans by birth and by ancestry. Sri Lankan Australians constitute one of the largest groups of Overseas Sri Lankan communities and are the largest diasporic Sri Lankan community in Oceania. Sri Lankan Australians consist of people with Sinhalese, Tamil, Moor, Burgher, Malay and Chinese origins among others.
The Ponds is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Ponds is located approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) west-northwest (WNW) of the Sydney central business district in the Blacktown local government area. At the 2016 census, The Ponds had an estimated resident population of 11,731.
Seven Hills was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is represented by Mark Taylor of the Liberal Party.
Constitution Hill is a suburb of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Constitution Hill is located on a hill 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta and is part of the Western Sydney region. Constitution Hill overlooks the city of Parramatta from above and contains views of the inner Sydney city skyline.
Melbourne is Australia's largest city and has a diverse and multicultural population.
Toongabbie Anglican Church is an evangelical Anglican church in the Sydney Diocese of the Anglican Church of Australia. The church is located in the suburb of Pendle Hill in Sydney's west. Toongabbie Anglican Church is the sole church in the Anglican Parish of Toongabbie.
Cumberland Council, trading as Cumberland City Council, is a local government area located in the western suburbs of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Council was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of parts of the Cities of Auburn, Parramatta, and Holroyd.
Girraween is an undeveloped locality in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is in the Granite Belt and on the border with New South Wales. In the 2021 census, Girraween had a population of 5 people.