Asia born population grows in Australia
Australia is on the verge of overtaking European-born population for
the first time in its history recording a steep rise in its Asia born
residents with people of Indian origin figuring at 3,40,000.
According to new figures released by Bureau of Statistics, the number
of Asian-born residents in Australia has virtually doubled in the past
decade from 1.03 million in mid-2000 to 2.01 million in mid-2010 with
Indian born residents trebling during the similar period.
During the period, the Asian origin population have made up a third
of Australia's population growth of which around half have come as
students and half as skilled workers and family members settling here to
fill gaps in the country's workforce.
Bureau estimates reveal that in that decade alone, the number of
Chinese-born people living in Australia has more than doubled from
148,000 to 380,000 by the middle of last year.
The number of Indian-born residents has more than trebled in that
time from 96,000 to 340,000, 'The Age' said. The largest number live in
Melbourne, where they now outnumber Italians to form the city's largest
non-Anglo community.
Bureau figures exclude West Asia (from Iran westwards), which the
Bureau classifies as part of the Middle East. Migration from that area
too has risen sharply, partly due to refugees from the Iraq war.
In 1947, only 0.3 per cent of Australia's population had been born in
Asia. But their numbers have roughly doubled with every decade since,
rising to 2.5 per cent of the population by 1981, 5.5 per cent by 2000,
and 9 per cent by mid-2010.
British migrants now make up roughly half that total, numbering just
under 1.2 million in mid-2010. Within the two or three years, the number
of Asian-Australians is likely to overtake the number of
European-Australians.
New Zealanders remain the second biggest migrant community and just
keep coming. By mid-2010 there were 544,000 living here and in 2010-11
they have been the main source of migrants. Migrants from China
(380,000) and India (340,000) are now the biggest non-Anglo communities
by a large margin. Vietnamese (204,000) are closing the gap on Italians
(219,000) to be the next largest.
Net migration overall slumped to 215,500 in 2009-10, down from
300,000 a year earlier.
The financial crisis cut the need for skilled workers and the closing
of immigration loopholes, the rising dollar and violence against Indian
students all cut student numbers.
Courtesy: Indian Express
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