Leslie Massey
Greek migration to Australia began in the 1800s, with significant numbers arriving during the gold rush. There was further immigration in the years between the two World Wars as the Ottoman Empire expelled Greeks from Turkey. However, the biggest influx occurred in the post-war period after World War II up until the 1970s, with thousands of Greeks arriving over this time seeking better economic opportunities. This migration slowed once Europe had reconstructed and recovered from the war. At the 2021 census, 424,744 Australians self-identified as having Greek ancestry, with the Greek community of Australia being one of the largest in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of people with Greek ancestry in Australia | 424,750 (2021 census) or 420,000 (2016 census) |
| States with the largest numbers of people with Greek ancestry | Victoria (181,184), New South Wales (141,627), South Australia (40,704), Queensland (32,702), Western Australia (16,117) |
| Percentage of the Greek population in Victoria | 50.4% |
| Percentage of Greek Australians who are Christian | 91.4% |
| Percentage of Greek Australians who are Eastern Orthodox | 91.4% |
| Percentage of Greek Australians who are spiritual, secular or irreligious | 5.6% |
| Percentage of Greek Australians who did not answer the census question on religion | 2.6% |
| Median age of the Greek-born population in Australia | 67 |
| Percentage of the Greek community in Victoria living in Melbourne's south-eastern and northern suburbs | 21.2% |
| Number of Greek organisations in Australia by 1973 | 600 |
| Number of Greek-language newspapers published in Australia by 1926 | 2 |
| Number of Greek immigrants to Australia until the mid-20th century who were from the islands of Kastellorizo, Kythira and Ithaca | 42% |
| Number of Greek immigrants to Australia from 1925 to 1929 (per month) | 100 |
| Number of Greek Australians who are Rhodes Scholars | 1 |
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What You'll Learn
Greek migration to Australia began in the 1800s
During the post-war period, the Australian Government assisted tens of thousands of Greece-born people to migrate, particularly from 1961-1970, when a change in Greek law allowed families from mainland Greece to migrate. This wave of migration was largely made up of men, as Greek law limited the migration of single women overseas. Most Greek immigrants settled in the larger towns of Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, and these cities still host the majority of Australian Greeks. Melbourne has the largest number of Australian Greeks, followed by Sydney, and Greek Australians are well-organised socially and politically, with approximately 600 Greek organisations in the country by 1973.
Greek Australians generally hold strong ties to their homeland identity, culture, and language, with the Greek language press beginning in Australia in 1913. The Greek community is quite elderly, with a median age of 67, and the older generation in particular holds strongly to their Orthodox Christian faith. While younger Greek Australians are less fluent in the Greek language, they maintain a strong connection to their cultural heritage, creating a new Greek identity that is both transnational and characteristically Australian.
According to the 2021 census, 424,744 Australians self-identified as having Greek ancestry, with 85% of people born in Greece arriving before 1981. Greek Australians have the lowest rate of intermarriage out of the 54 most common ethnic groups in Australia, with 91.4% of those with Greek ancestry identifying as Christian. Greek is the seventh most commonly spoken language in Australia, with 237,588 residents speaking Greek at home as of 2016.
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The Greek community in Australia is well-organised socially and politically
The Greek community in Australia is quite elderly, with the median age being 67. The largest cohorts are over 65 years old (21.2%) and from 45-54 (17.4%)Greco-Australian dialect, an Australian-based dialect of Greek that is spoken by the local diaspora, including both immigrants and Australians of Greek descent. In 2016, the Greek language was spoken at home by 237,588 Australian residents, a 5.8% decrease from the 2011 census data. Greek Australians hold onto their culture and traditions as they have been passed down from their Greek ancestors.
Melbourne has the largest number of Australian Greeks, followed by Sydney. The Greek Cypriot community in Australia doubled following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Melbourne's south-eastern and northern suburbs are where most of the community live. The City of Monash has the largest Greek community in Victoria, with 13,221 people, closely followed by the City of Darebin, with 12,451 people.
Greek migration to Australia began in the 1800s, with significant numbers arriving during the gold rush. There was further immigration in the years between the two World Wars as the Ottoman Empire expelled Greeks from Turkey (Asia Minor). The biggest influx occurred in the post-war period after World War II until the 1970s, with thousands of Greeks arriving seeking better economic opportunities. This migration slowed once Europe had recovered from the war, and subsequent migration has been minimal as Greeks now prefer to migrate elsewhere in Europe.
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Greek is the seventh most commonly spoken language in Australia
The Greek community in Australia is one of the largest Greek diasporas in the world. Melbourne has the largest number of Greek Australians, followed by Sydney. The 2021 census recorded 424,750 people of Greek ancestry, of whom 92,314 were born in Greece. The Greek-born population in Australia is quite elderly, with a median age of 67, and their children may not have been formally taught the Greek language. Nevertheless, the Greek community generally holds strong ties to their homeland identity, culture, and language.
Greek Australians are well-organised socially and politically, with approximately 600 Greek organisations in the country by 1973. They have also established Greek-language media outlets, including newspapers, radio programs, and television shows. Greek Australians have been successful in various sectors, including business, law, medicine, and government.
Greek migration to Australia has been influenced by various factors, including economic crises, unemployment, and political and social issues in Greece. There was a significant increase in Greek immigration to Australia after World War II and the Greek Civil War, with around 160,000 Greeks arriving during this period. More recently, the economic crisis in Greece in the early 2010s led to an increase in Greek immigration to Australia.
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Melbourne has the largest number of Australian Greeks
Melbourne has the largest number of Greek Australians in the country, with the 2021 census showing that 181,184 people in Victoria have Greek ancestry, of which 46,623 were born in Greece. The Greek community in Melbourne is well-established, with many living in the city's south-eastern and northern suburbs, such as Monash and Darebin.
The Greek community in Australia is one of the largest in the world, with Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth hosting the majority of Australian Greeks. The Greek migration to Australia began in the 1800s, with significant numbers arriving during the gold rush and in the years between the two World Wars due to the expulsion of Greeks from Turkey. However, the biggest influx occurred in the post-World War II period until the 1970s, with thousands of Greeks arriving seeking better economic opportunities. This wave of migration was largely made up of men, as Greek law at the time limited the migration of single women.
During this period, the Australian government assisted tens of thousands of Greece-born people, and a change in Greek law in 1962 allowed families from mainland Greece to migrate together. As a result, the majority of the Greek population in Australia arrived between 1961 and 1970, with a smaller percentage arriving in the previous decade. This migration slowed down after the 1970s as Greeks began to prefer migrating to other European countries instead of Australia.
The Greek community in Australia is known for being well-organised socially and politically, with a strong sense of cultural identity. They hold on to their traditions, faith, and language, with Greek being the seventh most commonly spoken language in Australia. The Greek community also has a low rate of intermarriage, with the lowest rate of marrying outside their ethnicity compared to other ethnic groups in Australia.
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Greek Australians have the lowest rate of intermarriage
Greek Australians are one of the largest groups within the global Greek diaspora. The 2021 Australian census recorded 424,750 people with Greek ancestry, comprising 1.7% of the Australian population. Melbourne has the largest Greek population in Australia, followed by Sydney. Greek immigration to Australia has been one of the largest migratory flows in the country's history, especially after World War II and the Greek Civil War. The flow of migrants from Greece increased in 2015 due to the economic crisis in Greece, with Australia as one of the main destinations for departing Greeks.
The Greek community in Australia is extremely well-organised socially and politically, with approximately 600 Greek organisations in the country by 1973. Immigrants have strived to maintain their faith and cultural identity, with 91% of Greek Australians being members of the Greek Orthodox Church. The preservation of Greek culture and community is extremely important to Greeks, and this is reflected in the strong ties that the community holds to their homeland identity, language, and traditions.
One study investigating the 54 most common ethnic groups in Australia found that Greek Australians had the lowest rate of intermarriage (marrying outside their ethnicity) compared to every other ethnicity in the first, second, and third generations. This is likely due to the importance the community places on preserving their culture and identity. Intermarriage often results in a loss of culture in the subsequent generation, as children born to mixed marriages are much less likely to marry someone of a similar background. However, the Greek Orthodox Church in Australia has reported that the number of Greeks marrying non-Greek spouses is increasing in recent years.
The Greek language is also important to the community, with 88% of Greek Australians speaking Greek. Greek is the seventh most commonly spoken language in Australia, and the Greco-Australian dialect is commonly spoken by both Greek immigrants and Australians of Greek descent. The Greek language press in Australia began in 1913 with the publication of the first Greek weekly newspaper in Melbourne. Today, the Neos Kosmos newspaper serves the Greek community in Melbourne, and the city is home to three Greek Australian day schools and dozens of after-hours 'Greek schools'.
The Greeks of Melbourne have made a rich contribution to Victorian society, with a high level of educational attainment and business ownership. Melbourne's physical landscape has been shaped by Hellenic influence, with many landmarks featuring prominent Greek designs. The city also hosts various cultural, arts, and sporting events catering to Greek Australians, such as the annual Antipodes Festival and the Greek Film Festival.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several reasons why Greek people migrated to Australia. Firstly, the Greek genocide in Turkey caused many Greeks to leave and seek refuge elsewhere. Secondly, the Greek government was struggling with post-war reconstruction after World War II, which encouraged emigration. Thirdly, there were better economic opportunities in Australia, especially in Victoria, which drew in thousands of Greek immigrants.
Greek migration to Australia began in the 1800s, with a significant number arriving during the gold rush. However, the biggest influx occurred after World War II, from 1950-1970. After the 1970s, Greek migration to Australia declined, with people preferring to migrate to other European countries.
Greek immigrants settled in major towns and cities across Australia, with Melbourne hosting the largest number of Greek Australians, followed by Sydney. In Melbourne, Greek Australians tend to live in the city's south-eastern and northern suburbs. Other cities with large Greek communities include Adelaide and Perth.
According to the 2021 census, 424,744 Australians self-identified as having Greek ancestry. However, this number may be higher as some people with Greek ancestry may not have ticked the box on the census form. The Greek community in Australia is one of the largest in the world, and Greek is the seventh most commonly spoken language in the country.
Greek Australians have generally maintained strong ties to their homeland identity, culture, and language. They have also established numerous Greek organisations in the country and hold on to their Orthodox Christian faith. However, younger generations of Greek Australians are less fluent in the Greek language and are creating a new Greek identity that is more transnational and Australian.
