Demography

Demography

Main articles: Demographics of Australia and Immigration to Australia

Nearly three quarters of Australians live in metropolitan cities and coastal areas. The beach is an integral part of the Australian identity.^[199]

For generations, the vast majority of immigrants came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still mainly of British or Irish ethnic origin. In the 2006 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestry was Australian (37.13 per cent),^[200] followed by English (32 per cent), Irish (9 per cent), Scottish (8 per cent), Italian (4 per cent), German (4 per cent), Chinese (3 per cent), and Greek (2 per cent).^[201]

Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I,^[202] much of the increase fromimmigration. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants, meaning that nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas.^[203] Most immigrants are skilled,^[204] but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees.^[204] By 2050, Australia's population is currently projected to reach around 42 million.^[205]

In 2001, 23.1 per cent of Australians were born overseas; the five largest immigrant groups were those from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China.^[197][206] Following the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism.^[207] In 2005–06, more than 131,000 people emigrated to Australia, mainly from Asia andOceania.^[208] The migration target for 2010–11 is 168,700, compared to 67,900 in 1998–99.^[209]

The Barossa Valley is a wine-producingregion in South Australia. Fewer than 15 per cent of Australians live in rural areas.

The Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was counted at 410,003 (2.2 per cent of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from 115,953 in the 1976 census.^[210] A large number of Indigenous people are not identified in the Census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status is not recorded on the form; after adjusting for these factors, the ABS estimated the true figure for 2001 to be around 460,140 (2.4 per cent of the total population).^[211]

Indigenous Australians experience higher than average rates of imprisonment and unemployment,^[212] lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 11–17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians.^{[197][213][214]} Some remote Indigenous communities have been described as having "failed state"-like conditions.^{[215][216][217][218][219]}

In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2004, theaverage age of the civilian population was 38.8 years.^[220] A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03)^[221] live outside their home country.