Total population | |
---|---|
92,000 [1] (2021) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide | |
Languages | |
Australian English, Thai | |
Religion | |
Theravada Buddhism, Christianity, Islam | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Thai people, Siamese, Isan people, Thai Chinese, Thai Malays, Indian Thais, Australian diaspora, Thai diaspora, Thai ethnic groups, Tai peoples, Shan people, Dai people, Zhuang people, Lao people, Asian Australians, Chinese Australians, Indian Australians, Malaysian Australians, Cocos Malays |
Thai Australians refers to Australians who trace their ancestry to Thailand or Thais who trace their ancestry to Australia. The Australian census recorded 45,635 Australians with Thai ancestry in the 2011 census. [2]
In 1911, the master of the Thai royal stables visited Australia and bought 126 horses. This started a trend of royal envoys from Thailand visiting Australia on horse-buying and other economic missions. [3]
Melbourne's Museum Victoria (2013) reveals that the first notable Thai to arrive in Australia was Butra Mahintra, sent by King Rama VI during the early 1920s to purchase racehorses. Connections with Thai royalty developed further with the arrival of Prince Purachatra in 1927, leading a group to observe Australian agriculture and infrastructure [4]
The number of Thais officially counted in New South Wales stayed under 50 until the 1950s. In January 1950, the Australian government launched the Colombo Plan, an aid program for sponsoring Asian students to study or train in Australian tertiary institutions. The main objectives of the plan were to dispel the negative impression of Asian countries toward the White Australia Policy [3] and to counter communism in Asia. Students from developing countries were brought to Australia to study. The idea was that when they had finished their studies students would return to use the skills and knowledge they had acquired to help their own people. Approximately 450 Thai students travelled to Australia on the Colombo Plan between 1954 and 1989. [5] Most did not settle in Australia permanently, but they increased awareness of Australia when they returned to Thailand. Between the 1950s and 1970s the majority of new arrivals from Thailand in Australia continued to be students, as well as spouses of Australians and those sponsored under military traineeships.
The number of migrants in Australia grew significantly when the Immigration Restriction Act was repealed in 1973. In 1975, Australia accepted many Vietnamese, Lao and Cambodian refugees for settlement. Included in this group of Indochinese refugees were non-Thais born inside Thailand. By 1986, the Thailand-born population in Australia had risen to 6,998 people, but only half of these were of Thai ancestry. [6] This means that the Thai-born population of Thai ancestry in Australia at that time was less than one-twelfth of today's figure.
The latest Census in 2011 recorded 45,465 Thailand-born people in Australia, an increase of 48.8 per cent from the 2006 Census. The 2011 distribution by state and territory showed New South Wales had the largest number with 17,541, followed by Victoria (10,766), Queensland (7,022) and Western Australia (5,662). Among the total Thailand-born in Australia at the 2011 Census, 23.1 per cent arrived between 2001 and 2006 and 32.8 per cent arrived between 2006 and 2011.
Region | 1996 | % | 2001 | % | 2006 | % | 2011 | % | 2016 | % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | 19,890 | 100% | 24,430 | 100% | 34,060 | 100% | 52,990 | 100% | 71,250 | 100% |
New South Wales | 7,890 | 40% | 10,170 | 42% | 13,710 | 40% | 20,530 | 39% | 28,740 | 40% |
Victoria | 4,600 | 23% | 5,580 | 23% | 7,810 | 23% | 12,450 | 23% | 17,210 | 24% |
Queensland | 2,360 | 12% | 3,080 | 13% | 4,980 | 15% | 8,140 | 15% | 10,780 | 15% |
South Australia | 1,150 | 6% | 1,350 | 6% | 1,880 | 6% | 2,510 | 5% | 2,990 | 4% |
Western Australia | 2,540 | 13% | 2,710 | 11% | 3,850 | 11% | 6,710 | 13% | 8,360 | 12% |
Tasmania | 290 | 1% | 280 | 1% | 350 | 1% | 560 | 1% | 650 | 1% |
Northern Territory | 410 | 2% | 520 | 2% | 600 | 2% | 900 | 2% | 1,110 | 2% |
ACT | 650 | 3% | 750 | 3% | 890 | 3% | 1,190 | 2% | 1,390 | 2% |
Year | Population | Change | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
1992 | 15,240 | – | |
1993 | 15,800 | 560 | 4% |
1994 | 16,850 | 1,050 | 7% |
1995 | 18,340 | 1,490 | 9% |
1996 | 19,890 | 1,550 | 8% |
1997 | 20,550 | 660 | 3% |
1998 | 21,250 | 700 | 3% |
1999 | 22,120 | 870 | 4% |
2000 | 23,040 | 920 | 4% |
2001 | 24,440 | 1,400 | 6% |
2002 | 26,390 | 1,950 | 8% |
2003 | 28,250 | 1,860 | 7% |
2004 | 29,700 | 1,450 | 5% |
2005 | 31,540 | 1,840 | 6% |
2006 | 34,060 | 2,520 | 8% |
2007 | 38,310 | 4,250 | 12% |
2008 | 43,200 | 4,890 | 13% |
2009 | 48,480 | 5,280 | 12% |
2010 | 51,570 | 3,090 | 6% |
2011 | 52,990 | 1,420 | 3% |
2012 | 55,200 | 2,210 | 4% |
2013 | 58,330 | 3,130 | 6% |
2014 | 61,910 | 3,580 | 6% |
This section includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(July 2024) |
The population of Australia is estimated to be 27,537,700 as of 30 November 2024. It is the 54th most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. Its population is concentrated mainly in urban areas, particularly on the Eastern, South Eastern and Southern seaboards, and is expected to exceed 30 million by 2029.
Anglo-Celtic Australians is an ancestral grouping of Australians whose ancestors originate wholly or partially in the British Isles - predominantly in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as well as the Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
Chinese Australians are Australians of Chinese origin. Chinese Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Chinese diaspora, and are the largest Asian Australian community. Per capita, Australia has more people of Chinese ancestry than any country outside Asia. As a whole, Australian residents identifying themselves as having Chinese ancestry made up 5.5% of Australia's population at the 2021 census.
Asian Australians are Australians of Asian ancestry, including naturalised Australians who are immigrants from various regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants. At the 2021 census, the proportion of the population identifying as Asian amounted to approximately 17.4 percent with breakdowns of 6.5 percent from Southern and Central Asia, 6.4 percent from North-East Asia, and 4.5 percent from South-East Asia.
Vietnamese Australians are Australians of Vietnamese descent. Vietnamese Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Vietnamese diaspora.
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.
Lebanese Australians refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. The population is diverse, having a large Christian religious base, being mostly Maronite Catholics, while also having a large Muslim group of Sunni and Shia branches.
Romanian Australians may include those who have immigrated to Australia from Romania, and Australian-born citizens of Romanian descent. According to ABS figures, there are 15,268 people in Australia who were born in Romania and 28,103 people with Romanian ancestry in Australia.
Serbian Australians, are Australians of ethnic Serb ancestry. In the 2021 census there were 94,997 people in Australia who identified as having Serb ancestry, making it a significant group with the global Serb diaspora.
Malaysian Australians refers to Malaysians who have migrated to Australia or Australian-born citizens who are of Malaysian descent. This may include Malaysian Chinese, Malays, Malaysian Indians, Orang Asal, mixed Malaysians and other groups.
Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Australian. Australian law does not provide for a racial or ethnic component of nationality, instead relying on citizenship as a legal status, though the Constitutional framers considered the Commonwealth to be "a home for Australians and the British race alone", as well as a "Christian Commonwealth". Since the postwar period, Australia has pursued an official policy of multiculturalism and has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30 percent of the population in 2019.
English Australians, also known as Anglo-Australians, are Australians whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England. In the 2021 census, 8,385,928 people, or 33% of the Australian population, stated that they had English ancestry. It is the largest self-identified ancestry in Australia. People of ethnic English origin have been the largest group to migrate to Australia since the establishment of the Colony of New South Wales in 1788.
Jordanian Australians refers to Australians of Jordanian descent or a Jordan-born person who resides in Australia. According to Australia's 2011 Census there were a total of 4,621 Jordan-born people in Australia, an increase of 24.2 per cent from the 2006 Census (3,397). The vast majority of Jordanian Australians reside in the state of New South Wales.
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.
Ethiopian Australians are immigrants from Ethiopia to Australia and their descendants. However, as Ethiopia is a multi-ethnic country with significant inter-ethnic tensions, not all individuals from Ethiopia accept the label "Ethiopian", instead preferring to identify by their ethnic group. In particular, various Oromo people use the term 'Oromo Australian' instead. In contrast, there are many individuals who prefer to label themselves as Ethiopian Australians. This is because they oppose labelling themselves based on their ethnicity as they see it as divisive and politicising their ethnic identity. This is common among the Amharic-speaking community along with ethnically mixed individuals, compared to others who stand by their ethnic identity.
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.
Kenyan Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Kenyan origin and descent. They may be of indigenous African, European, or Indian heritage.
The 2016 Australian census was the 17th national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was counted as 23,401,892 – an increase of 8.8 per cent or 1,894,175 people over the 2011 census. Norfolk Island joined the census for the first time in 2016, adding 1,748 to the population.
Asian immigration to Australia refers to immigration to Australia from part of the continent of Asia, which includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.The first major wave of Asian immigration to Australia occurred in the late 19th century, but the exclusionary White Australia policy, which was implemented to restrict non-European immigration, made it difficult for many Asian immigrants to migrate to the country. However, with the passage of the Migration Act 1958, the White Australia policy began to be phased out and Asian immigration to Australia increased significantly. Today, Asian immigrants from a wide range of countries play an important role in the cultural and economic landscape of Australia.