Damon Mcknight
Australia is a diverse country with a rich multicultural society, influenced by its long history of immigration. The country has seen waves of immigration from across the world, primarily from Europe, Asia, and other parts of Oceania. The population is predominantly urban, with a large proportion living near the coastlines. Australia's population is estimated to be around 28 million people, with a median age of 38-39 years. The country has a low population density, with most people concentrated in a few major cities. The Australian culture is known for its strong emphasis on mateship and a passion for nature and the outdoors, with a thriving beach culture.
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What You'll Learn
Indigenous Australians
It is estimated that Indigenous Australians have been living in Australia for upwards of 65,000 years. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, they belonged to a wide range of societies, with diverse economies spread across at least 250 different language groups. Aboriginal Australians were deeply connected with the land and the environment, with stories of The Dreaming maintained through oral tradition, songs, dance and paintings. Certain groups engaged in fire-stick farming, fish farming, and built semi-permanent shelters. The Torres Strait Islander people, on the other hand, were seafarers who obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas.
The colonisation of Australia by Europeans had a devastating impact on the Indigenous population, which declined sharply in the years following the arrival of the First Fleet of British settlers in 1788. The main causes of this decline were infectious diseases, massacres, frontier conflicts, and competition over resources. During this period, the British colonial authorities did not sign any treaties with Aboriginal groups. Numerous scholars have classified elements of the colonisation process as constituting genocide against Indigenous Australians.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the government policy of removing mixed-heritage children from Aboriginal communities further contributed to the disruption of Indigenous cultures. Speaking traditional languages was discouraged, resulting in some languages being lost or merging with others. Today, only a small number of Indigenous languages are still in daily use, with most Aboriginal people speaking English.
According to the 2021 Australian Census, 812,728 people self-identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, representing 3.2% of the total population of Australia. This was an increase from previous years, with the proportion of First Nations people increasing at each census since 2001. The First Nations population has a relatively young age structure, with larger proportions of people aged 29 and under when compared to the non-Indigenous population.
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Anglo-Celtic Australians
Australia has a diverse range of cultures, which is a result of its history of immigration. Since 1788, Australian culture has primarily been a Western culture strongly influenced by early Anglo-Celtic settlers. Anglo-Celtic Australians are those whose ancestors originate wholly or partially in the British Isles, including England (including Cornwall), Ireland, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands.
While Anglo-Celtic Australians do not constitute an official ethnic grouping in the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Australian Standard Classification of Cultural and Ethnic Groups, the term is commonly used as an informal ethnic identifier. The precise number of Anglo-Celtic Australians is unknown due to the way in which ancestry data is collected in Australia. For instance, many census recipients nominated two Anglo-Celtic ancestries due to the long history of these ancestries in Australia, tending towards an overcount.
Conversely, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most people nominating "Australian" ancestry have at least partial Anglo-Celtic European ancestry despite "Australian" ancestry being classified as part of the Oceanian ancestry group, tending towards an undercount. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses from Anglo-Celtic groups as a proportion of the total Australian population amounted to 51.7%. The United Kingdom remains a significant source of immigrants to Australia, with 22,143 people born in the UK settling in Australia in 2005-06, representing 21.4% of all migrants.
Tasmania could have the nation's highest proportion of citizens of Anglo-Celtic origin, possibly as high as 85%. Melbourne and Sydney have the lowest rates of Anglo-Celtic Australians, particularly in certain regions such as Western Sydney.
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Asian Australians
The term 'Asian Australian' was first coined in the 1950s by European Australians to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties with Asia. However, the term was not initially used by Asian Australians themselves, who only began to adopt it in the late 1980s and 1990s to address issues of racial vilification and discrimination. Despite progress, Asian Australians continue to face discrimination, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic when some were subjected to anti-Asian racism.
As Australia navigates its place in the Asia-Pacific region, Asian Australians play a crucial role in bridging cultural gaps. They facilitate business deals, introduce Australian society to Asian cuisines, and foster understanding between diverse cultural groups. Embracing complexity and diversity, Asian Australians are constantly evolving their identities to reflect the changing face of Australia.
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European Australians
The largest statistical grouping of European Australians are Anglo-Celtic Australians, whose ancestors originate wholly or partially in the British Isles. Other significant ancestries include Italian, German, Greek, Dutch, European New Zealanders, Polish, Maltese, and Scandinavian. The majority of European Australians are of British Isles ancestry, including English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh.
The cultural evolution that has occurred over the centuries since European settlement has resulted in a distinctive Australian culture. Since the early 19th century, people of European descent have formed the majority of the population in Australia. Historically, European immigrants have had a significant influence on Australian culture and society, resulting in the perception of Australia as a European-derived country. The primary language is Australian English, and the largest religion is Christianity.
European contact with Australia began in the 17th century, with the Dutch East India Company ship captained by Willem Janszoon making the first documented European landing in 1606. Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (later Tasmania) and New Zealand, and to sight Fiji. In 1839, the Polish scientist and explorer Count Paul Edmund Strzelecki conducted surveying work in the Australian Alps and became the first European to ascend Australia's highest peak, which he named Mount Kosciuszko. Between 1788 and the Second World War, the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the British Isles, although there was also significant immigration from China and Germany during the 19th century. Following World War II, Australia received a large wave of immigration from across Europe, particularly Southern and Eastern Europe.
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Multiculturalism
Australia is a multicultural country with a diverse range of people and cultures. The country has a long history of immigration, dating back to the first European settlers in 1788, who were mostly from the British Isles (England, Ireland, and Scotland). Since then, Australia has welcomed immigrants from all over the world, including significant numbers from China, Germany, and Southern and Eastern Europe. Today, Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the total population, or 7,529,570 people in 2019. The population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, largely due to immigration.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reported that at the 2021 census, 57.2% of Australians identified as having European ancestry, including 46% North-West European and 11.2% Southern and Eastern European. 33.8% identified as Oceanian, which includes 29.9% Australian. 17.4% of the population identified as Asian, with 6.5% Southern and Central Asian, 6.4% North-East Asian, and 4.5% South-East Asian. Other ancestries include 3.2% North African and Middle Eastern, 1.4% Peoples of the Americas, and 1.3% Sub-Saharan African.
The Indigenous population of Australia, including Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, makes up a smaller proportion of the total population. Almost 60% of Indigenous Australians live on the east coast of Australia, with 208,476 in New South Wales and 188,954 in Queensland, representing 2-5% of those states' populations. The Northern Territory has an Indigenous population of 61,115, which is 26.3% of the territory's population. There were 24,737 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered in 2023, an increase from the previous year, and their total fertility rate was 2.17 births per woman.
Australia's multiculturalism is reflected in various aspects of its society, including its food, celebrations, and language. English is the primary language, but there are also over 250 Indigenous Australian languages, with around 12% of the Indigenous population speaking an Indigenous language at home. Auslan, Australia's own sign language, is used by about 16,000 deaf people. The country's diverse landscapes and outdoor lifestyle, as well as its sporting culture, also contribute to its multicultural identity.
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Frequently asked questions
The population of Australia is estimated to be 28,153,000 as of 15 August 2025. This does not include Australians living overseas.
The majority of people in Australia are of European descent, with 57.2% of people identifying as having European ancestry in the 2021 census. 33.8% of people identified as Oceanian, 17.4% as Asian, 3.2% as North African and Middle Eastern, 1.4% as Peoples of the Americas, and 1.3% as Sub-Saharan African.
Australia has a rich multicultural society, with a diverse range of cultures, religions, and languages. The primary language is Australian English, and the majority religion is Christianity. Australians are known for their love of nature and the outdoors, and for their passion for sports. Mateship is also a key part of Australian culture, with people taking a friendly and welcoming attitude towards others.
