More than 1.7 million people call South Australia home with almost 430,000 born overseas coming from more than 214 countries, speaking 248 languages and practicing 128 religions.
Our state’s multicultural diversity is reflective of our ancestries, countries of birth, religions, and languages spoken.
At a glance
- The top 10 ancestries nominated are English, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian, Chinese, Indian, Greek, Dutch and Vietnamese.
- The top 10 countries of birth are England, India, China, Vietnam, Italy, Philippines, New Zealand, Scotland, Germany and Malaysia.
- About 18% of South Australians speak a language other than English at home and the top ten languages are Mandarin, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Filipino/Tagalog, Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi and Nepali.
- The top religion nominated by South Australians was Christianity (40%). The major non-Christian religions nominated were Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
More detailed statistics about each of these areas of diversity are available in the drop-down sections below.
A snapshot and highlights of our state’s cultural and linguistic diversity including infographics is also available in our South Australian Multicultural Highlights (PDF, 5.8 MB).
The information on these pages has been prepared by Multicultural Affairs based on data from the 2021 Census conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
South Australia's population statistics
In the Census, ‘ancestry’ means where a person, their parents or grandparents were born, or the cultural group a person most strongly identifies with. When people respond to the Census question about their ancestry, they can choose to answer ‘No’ or select one or two ancestries.
In the last Census, while South Australians identify with over 300 different ancestries, the top 35 responses are included here.
Ancestry | 2021 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
English | 676,550 | 639,356 |
Australian | 578,825 | 56,0371 |
Scottish | 149,449 | 140,425 |
Irish | 136,035 | 134,436 |
German | 135,225 | 129,924 |
Italian | 103,914 | 96,011 |
Chinese | 58,895 | 52,273 |
Indian | 43,598 | 33,070 |
Greek | 40,704 | 38,184 |
Australian Aboriginal | 39,358 | 8,167 |
Dutch | 29,585 | 26,496 |
Vietnamese | 22,897 | 20,285 |
Filipino | 21,257 | 15,889 |
Polish | 20,394 | 18,708 |
Welsh | 12,820 | 12,099 |
Croatian | 10,178 | 8,179 |
Punjabi | 9,826 | 2,367 |
Nepalese | 8,740 | 3,473 |
French | 8,171 | 7,568 |
Maltese | 7,877 | 6,813 |
Serbian | 7,329 | 5,860 |
Hazara | 7,276 | 2,945 |
Russian | 6,924 | 6,169 |
New Zealander | 6,809 | 6,802 |
Khmer (Cambodian) | 6,369 | 5,407 |
South African | 6,288 | 4,706 |
Hungarian | 6,119 | 5,615 |
Afghan | 6,023 | 6,291 |
Lebanese | 5,941 | 5,228 |
Spanish | 5,801 | 5,416 |
Ukrainian | 5,643 | 5,035 |
Sikh | 5,626 | 1,219 |
Iranian | 5,174 | 4,419 |
Pakistani | 4,999 | 3,068 |
Korean | 4,812 | 4,391 |
In the last Census, most South Australians said they were born in Australia. The top 35 responses for other countries of birth are included here.
Country of birth | 2021 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
England | 95,248 | 97,392 |
India | 44,881 | 27,592 |
China (excludes SARs and Taiwan) | 25,709 | 24,609 |
Vietnam | 17,033 | 14,338 |
Italy | 16,653 | 18,537 |
Philippines | 15,503 | 12,460 |
New Zealand | 13,461 | 12,933 |
Scotland | 11,470 | 11,991 |
Germany | 9,489 | 10,118 |
Malaysia | 9,099 | 7,744 |
Afghanistan | 8,214 | 6,313 |
South Africa | 8,212 | 6,609 |
Greece | 8,145 | 8,681 |
Nepal | 7,250 | 2,853 |
Netherlands | 6,146 | 6,597 |
Pakistan | 5,666 | 3,442 |
Sri Lanka | 5,311 | 3,790 |
United States of America | 5,233 | 4,355 |
Iran | 5,213 | 4,526 |
Poland | 4,777 | 4,957 |
Hong Kong (SAR of China) | 4,252 | 3,575 |
Korea, Republic of (South) | 3,837 | 3,680 |
Cambodia | 3,716 | 3,196 |
Thailand | 3,604 | 2,845 |
Ireland | 3,295 | 3,301 |
Croatia | 2,829 | 2,865 |
Singapore | 2,789 | 2,488 |
Wales | 2,765 | 2,839 |
Canada | 2,623 | 2,224 |
Indonesia | 2,378 | 2,141 |
Myanmar | 2,348 | 1,575 |
Bangladesh | 2,246 | 1,967 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2,193 | 1,969 |
Kenya | 2,170 | 1,699 |
Brazil | 2,025 | 870 |
*SAR/SARs = Special Administrative Region/s of China
In the last Census, around half of South Australians either did not state their religion, had no religious affiliation, or had other spiritual beliefs. Of the many religions observed by South Australians, the top 35 responses are included here.
Religion | 2021 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
Western Catholic | 273,882 | 299,393 |
Anglican Church of Australia | 127,973 | 167,652 |
Uniting Church | 84,797 | 118,231 |
Christian, nfd | 47,112 | 46,527 |
Lutheran | 43,305 | 51,703 |
Islam | 40,302 | 28,547 |
Hinduism | 38,105 | 22,921 |
Greek Orthodox | 36,149 | 34,998 |
Buddhism | 33,788 | 31,287 |
Baptist | 26,226 | 26,478 |
Pentecostal, nfd | 18,693 | 17,335 |
Sikhism | 17,259 | 8,812 |
Presbyterian | 12,687 | 17,420 |
Jehovah's Witnesses | 6,033 | 5,827 |
Serbian Orthodox | 3,817 | 3,473 |
Churches of Christ (Conference) | 3,196 | 3,967 |
Atheism | 3,029 | 2,862 |
Christadelphians | 2,996 | 2,901 |
Seventh-day Adventist | 2,952 | 2,742 |
Salvation Army | 2,930 | 4,095 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | 2,772 | 3,152 |
Methodist, so described | 2,605 | 3,047 |
Own Spiritual Beliefs | 2,206 | 1,731 |
Agnosticism | 2,202 | 1,893 |
Other Protestant, nfd | 2,010 | 1,650 |
Paganism | 1,641 | 1,322 |
Baha'i | 1,520 | 1,516 |
Russian Orthodox | 1,345 | 1,292 |
Druse | 1,259 | 791 |
Judaism | 1,145 | 1,030 |
Syro Malabar Catholic | 883 | 664 |
Coptic Orthodox Church | 882 | 775 |
Born Again Christian | 795 | 717 |
Brethren | 783 | 815 |
Australian Christian Churches (Assemblies of God) | 743 | 899 |
In the last Census, over 1.3 million of South Australians reported that they speak English at home. Of the other languages spoken by South Australians, the top 35 responses are included here.
Languages spoken at home | 2021 | 2016 |
---|---|---|
Mandarin | 32,133 | 28,780 |
Italian | 23,828 | 29,103 |
Greek | 21,882 | 22,997 |
Vietnamese | 21,855 | 19,022 |
Punjabi | 20,004 | 9,309 |
Arabic | 11,033 | 9,293 |
Cantonese | 10,166 | 9,666 |
Hindi | 9,884 | 7,311 |
Nepali | 9,671 | 4,501 |
Hazaraghi | 7,447 | 3,925 |
Gujarati | 7,412 | 4,351 |
Spanish | 7,273 | 5,665 |
Tagalog | 6,433 | 5,490 |
German | 5,451 | 6,455 |
Persian (excluding Dari) | 5,407 | 4,747 |
Polish | 5,130 | 5,682 |
Urdu | 5,039 | 2,942 |
Malayalam | 4,809 | 3,690 |
Filipino | 4,775 | 3,859 |
Khmer | 4,602 | 4,255 |
Serbian | 4,302 | 4,179 |
Sinhalese | 4,227 | 2,643 |
Korean | 3,695 | 3,596 |
Russian | 3,563 | 3,288 |
Tamil | 3,342 | 2,699 |
Dari | 2,988 | 3,408 |
Afrikaans | 2,903 | 3,288 |
Croatian | 2,900 | 3,076 |
Bengali | 2,863 | 2,942 |
French | 2,755 | 2,719 |
Portuguese | 2,672 | 2,699 |
Swahili | 2,638 | 2,643 |
Thai | 2,430 | 2,556 |
Telugu | 2,385 | 2,408 |
Japanese | 2,303 | 2,201 |
These migration overview tables show the Local Government Areas with the highest percentage of their population born overseas and where these populations come from (including the number of residents born overseas).
Migration overview – top 10 Local Government Areas: metropolitan
Local Government Area | Percentage of population born overseas | Largest overseas-born communities (number of residents born) |
---|---|---|
City of Adelaide | 45% | China (3,004), England (1,003), India (850), Malaysia (720) and Hong Kong (525) |
Campbelltown City Council | 36% | Italy (3,025), China (2,844), India (2,709), England (1,716) and Malaysia (966) |
City of Port Adelaide Enfield | 36% | India (10,200), Vietnam (5,157), England (4,508), China (2,918) and Afghanistan (2,224) |
City of Salisbury | 34% | England (7,004), India (6,614), Vietnam (4,032), Afghanistan (3,720) and Philippines (2,665) |
City of Burnside | 33% | China (2,838), England (2,065), India (1,399), Malaysia (891) and Italy (580) |
City of West Torrens | 32% | India (3,606), England (1,805), China (1,492), Nepal (1,271) and Greece (1,248) |
City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters | 31% | China (1,585), England (1,517), Italy (1,315), India (1,305) and Malaysia (428) |
Town of Walkerville | 30% | England (375), India (276), China (242), Malaysia (123) and Vietnam (119) |
City of Marion | 29% | England (5,758), India (2,829), China (2,364), Nepal (1,558) and Philippines (1,052) |
City of Prospect | 29% | India (1,304), England (763), Vietnam (514), China (371) and Italy (370) |
* Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. As per the 2021 Census, China figures exclude Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Taiwan, and while Hong Kong is a SAR of China it is reported separately.
Migration overview - top Local Government Areas: regional
Local Government Area | Percentage of population born overseas | Largest overseas-born communities (number of residents born) |
---|---|---|
Alexandrina Council | 22% | England (2,605), New Zealand (249), Scotland (227), Netherlands (202) and Germany (196) |
Adelaide Hills Council | 21% | England (2,888), Germany (346), New Zealand (331), South Africa (252) and United States of America (227) |
Victor Harbor City Council | 19% | England (1,715), Scotland (163), New Zealand (151), Germany (145), Netherlands (117) |
Whyalla City Council | 18% | England (1,367), Scotland (461), Philippines (328), India (194) and South Africa (163) |
Port Augusta City Council | 17% | England (257), India (186), New Zealand (62), Timor-Leste (60) and Germany (60) |
Mount Barker District Council | 15% | England (2,434), South Africa (348), New Zealand (327), Germany (266) and Scotland (221) |
Naracoorte Lucindale Council | 15% | New Zealand (165), England (161), Afghanistan (149), Philippines (139) and China (101) |
* Percentages have been rounded to the nearest whole number. As per the 2021 Census, China figures exclude Special Administrative Regions (SARs) and Taiwan.