Community Information Summary
United Kingdom-born
Historical Background
The British Government initiated European settlement of the Australian continent by establishing a penal
settlement at Sydney Cove in 1788. Between then and 1852, about 100 000 convicts (mostly tried in
England) were transported to eastern Australia. Scotland and Wales contributed relatively few convicts.
The convicts were augmented by free settlers, including large numbers who arrived during the gold-rush in
the 1850s. As late as 1861, people born in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland outnumbered even the
Australia-born population. The number of settlers in Australia who were born in the United Kingdom peaked
at 825 000 in 1891, from which point the proportion of British among all immigrants to Australia steadily
declined.
Following World War II the Australian Government entered into agreements with the British Government to
provide free and assisted passages to British ex-servicemen, selected civilians and their dependants.
Schemes to encourage British migration included the 'Bring Out a Briton' campaign launched in 1957, under
which employers and organisations were encouraged to sponsor particular families and assist in their
settlement. Between 1947 and 1973, immigrants from the United Kingdom constituted 41 per cent of
Australia's total immigration intake of more than 2.5 million. The results of a question on ancestry in the
1986 Census suggested that some 77 per cent of Australia's population at that time identified themselves
as Anglo-Celtic. This is estimated to be between 76 per cent and 86 per cent (if including Irish) today.
Despite the gradual withdrawal of government assistance to new settlers, the post-war immigration program
had the effect of pushing the United Kingdom-born population in Australia to 1 107 119 in 1991 or 30 per
cent of the total overseas-born population. Since that time, numbers have fluctuated but remain the largest
overseas-born group in Australia while the United Kingdom remains a top three source country of migrants
to Australia.
Today
Geographic Distribution
The latest Census in 2011 recorded
1 101 082 United Kingdom-born people
in Australia, an increase of 6.1 per cent
from the 2006 Census. The 2011 distribution
by state and territory showed New South
Wales had the largest number with 274 821
followed by Western Australia (230 418),
Queensland (214 329) and Victoria
(213 377).
Refer to Figure 1.
Figure 1
Age and Sex
The median age of the United Kingdom-born
in 2011 was 54 years compared with 45 years
for all overseas-born and 37 years for the total
Australian population.
The age distribution showed 5 per cent were
aged 0-14 years, 4.2 per cent were 15-24
years, 21.5 per cent were 25-44 years, 40.3
per cent were 45-64 years and 29 per cent
were 65 years and over.
Of the United Kingdom-born in Australia,
there were 555 111 males (50.4 per cent)
and 545 971 females (49.6 per cent). The
sex ratio was 101.7 males per 100 females.
Ancestry
In the 2011 Census, the top ancestry
responses* that United Kingdom-born
people reported were English (866 717),
Scottish (173 804), Irish (98 728) and
Welsh (36 364).
In the 2011 Census, Australians reported
around 300 different ancestries. Of the
total ancestry responses*, 7 238 533
responses were towards English ancestry,
2 087 758 towards Irish ancestry, 1 792 622
towards Scottish ancestry and 125 597
towards Welsh ancestry.
*At the 2011 Census up to two responses per person
were allowed for the Ancestry question; therefore
providing the total responses and not persons count.
Language
The main languages spoken at home by
United Kingdom-born people in Australia
were English (1 076 391), French (1927)
and Italian (1285).
Of the 24 690 United Kingdom-born who
spoke a language other than English at
home, 76.2 per cent spoke English very
well or well, and 3.8 per cent spoke English
not well or not at all.
Religion
At the 2011 Census the major religious
affiliations amongst United Kingdom-born
were Anglican (435 706) and Catholic
(142 799).
Of the United Kingdom-born, 26 per cent
stated 'No Religion' which was higher
than that of the total Australian population
(22.3 per cent), and 4.6 per cent did not
state a religion.
Arrival
Compared to 62 per cent of the
total overseas-born population, 74.7
per cent of the United Kingdom-born
people in Australia arrived in Australia
prior to 2001.
Among the total the United Kingdom-born
in Australia at the 2011 Census, 10.1
per cent arrived between 2001 and 2006
and 10.6 per cent arrived during 2007 and
2011.
Median Income
At the time of the 2011 Census, the median individual weekly income for the United Kingdom-born in
Australia aged 15 years and over was $632, compared with $538 for all overseas-born and $597 for all
Australia-born. The total Australian population had a median individual weekly income of $577.
Qualifications
At the 2011 Census, 60.2 per cent of
the United Kingdom-born aged 15
years and over had some form of
higher non-school qualifications
compared to 55.9 per cent of the
Australian population.
Of the United Kingdom-born aged
15 years and over, 2.7 per cent
were still attending an educational
institution. The corresponding rate
for the total Australian population
was 8.6 per cent.
Level Inad Desc/Not Stated = Education level inadequately described or not stated
No Quals - Attending Ed Ins = No qualifications and still attending educational institution
Employment
Among United Kingdom-born
people aged 15 years and over, the
participation rate in the labour force
was 59.4 per cent and the unemployment
rate was 4 per cent. The corresponding
rates in the total Australian population
were 65 per cent and 5.6 per cent
respectively.
Of the 587 686 United Kingdom-born
who were employed, 55.1 per cent were
employed in either a skilled managerial,
professional or trade occupation. The
corresponding rate in the total Australian
population was 48.4 per cent.
Comm & Per Wrks = Community & Personal Service Workers
Produced by Community Relations Section of DIAC
All data used in this summary is sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing.
Sources for the Historical Background available at http://www.immi.gov.au/media/publications/statistics/commsumm/source.htm
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