Iraq
A profile of Iraq-born South Australians
December 2014
Geography of Iraq
The Republic of Iraq is in the Middle East. It borders Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the
east, Jordan to the west, Saudi Arabia to the south and southwest, and Kuwait to the south. It also borders
the northern Persian Gulf.
Historical backgroundi
Australia's Iraq-born population includes Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, Turks, Turkmens and Jews. In 1976
when the Australian Census first recorded Iraqi residents, there were 2,273 Iraqis living across Australia. By
1986 there were 4,516 Iraqi Australians, and 5,186 by the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Main settlement
areas were in New South Wales and Victoria.
Many people who have recently come to Australia from Iraq have done so under the Humanitarian Program.
The Gulf War, coupled with unrest between Iraq’s Shi'a and Kurds, resulted in a large increase in the number
of Iraqis coming to Australia after 1991. During 1991 and 1992, Australia accepted about 2000 Iraqi refugees.
In 1996 alone, 2,617 Iraq-born people came to Australia. Since this time, an increasing proportion of the
people coming from Iraqi have done so under the Family and Skilled Migration Streams. Migration from Iraq
to Australia remains strong.
The Iraqi population in South Australiaii
At the 2011 Australian Census, 1,318 people who were born in Iraq were living in South Australia, 73% more
than in 2006 when there were 763 Iraqi South Australians. In 2011, 845 South Australians reported having
Iraqi ancestry.
In 2011 this community represented 0.1% of the South Australian population, and 0.4% of overseas-born
South Australians. As shown in Figure 1, the Iraqi South Australian population is younger than the total South
Australian population.
Figure 1: Age distribution (%) of South Australians born in Iraq and the total South Australian population, 2011
25%
Iraq-born
South
Australians
20%
15%
Total SA
population
10%
5%
0%
0-9 years
10-19 years 20-29 years 30-39 years 40-49 years 50-59 years 60-69 years 70-79 years 80+ years
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
1 | A profile of Iraq-born South Australians
Year of migrationii
Figure 2 shows the year in which Iraqi South Australians migrated to Australia. Among those born in Iraq and
living in South Australia in 2011, the earliest period of migration was the 1960s. The vast majority of people
migrated in the 1990s and in the 21st century.
Figure 2: Year of migration to Australia, among people born in Iraq and living in South Australia in 2011
1000
850
800
600
358
400
200
11
4
8
1961-1970
1971-1980
1981-1990
0
1991-2000
2001-2011
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
Languagesii
The most common languages spoken by Iraqi South Australians include Arabic (911 people), Kurdish (229
people) and Turkmen (52 people). Of South Australians born in Iraq, 3.3% reported that English was the
main language they spoke at home. Of 1,242 Iraqi people who reported speaking a language other than
English, 65.9% reported that they were able to speak English ‘well’ or ‘very well’, and 32.8% reported that
they spoke English ‘not well’ or ‘not at all’.
Religionsii
As shown in Table 1, 81.3% of Iraqi South Australians reported being affiliated with Islam, with 7.4% affiliated
with Christianity and 4.8% who reported having no religious affiliation.
Table 1: Religious affiliations of South Australians born in Iraq, 2011
Religion
Islam
Christianity
No religion
Other religions
Not stated
Total
Number
1,073
98
63
26
60
1,320
%
81.3%
7.4%
4.8%
2.0%
4.5%
100.0%
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
Employmentiii
At the 2011 Australian Census, 17.7% of Iraqi South Australians aged 15 years and over reported being
employed and 65.7% reported that they were looking for work or not in the labour force. Of those who were
employed, the most common industries in which to be employed were health care and social assistance
(24.7%), retail (14.1%) and professional, scientific and technical services (11.9%). The most common
occupations were professionals (27.4%), labourers (15.7%) and community and personal service workers
(12.6%).
2 | A profile of Iraq-born South Australians
Place of residenceiii
As shown in Table 2, the majority of Iraqi South Australians live in metropolitan areas, particularly Adelaide’s
northern suburbs. Areas with 50 or more Iraqi residents include Enfield/Blair Athol, Northgate/Oakden/Gilles
Plains, Ingle Farm and Pooraka, all in Adelaide’s northern suburbs; and The Parks in Adelaide’s western
suburbs.
Table 2: Areas of residence of Iraqi South Australians, 2011
Adelaide - Central and Hills
Adelaide - North
Adelaide - South
Adelaide - West
Regional South Australia
No Usual Address (SA)
Total
211
574
164
348
20
3
1,320
16.0%
43.5%
12.4%
26.4%
1.5%
0.2%
100.0%
(Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census)
Special holidays and events
Most Iraqi South Australians are of Muslim faith. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It
begins with the new moon, and celebrates the time when verses of the Qur’an were revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad, and peace was bestowed upon him. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat during daylight
hours. Ramadan is a time to strengthen family and community ties.
The main religious festivals of the year for contemporary Iraqi Muslim South Australians are Eid al-Fitr at the
end of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice. Both festivals last for three days. Eid al-Fitr is
celebrated with prayers at the mosque, joyous greetings and visits to the homes of family and friends. Eid alAdha has a special atmosphere of peace, respect, giving and receiving, as well as sharing and caring.
Other holidays in the Iraqi calendar include Independence Day, Republic Day and National Day.
Community organisations and clubsiii
Iraqi organisations and clubs in South Australia include:
 Iraqi Community Cultural Association of SA
 Iraqi Families United of South Australia
 House of Shia of SA
 Iraqi Women’s Voice of South Australia
There are several South Australian organisations that are open to Middle Eastern communities from a range
of backgrounds, supported by the Middle Eastern Communities Council of South Australia.
References
i
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (2012) Community Information Summaries. Accessible at https://www.dss.gov.au/ourresponsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/programs-and-publications/community-informationsummaries
ii
iii
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011) Census of Population and Housing. Accessible at http://www.abs.gov.au/census
Details of South Australian community organisations were informed by Multicultural SA’s Contacts Database of cultural organisations and clubs
throughout South Australia.
3 | A profile of Iraq-born South Australians