Demographics of Brisbane

Brisbane /ˈbrɪzbən/^[1] is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland,^[2] and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of 2.3 million,^[3] and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred on Brisbane, encompasses a population of more than 3.4 million.^[3] The Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres (9 miles) from its mouth at Moreton Bay.^[4] The metropolitan area extends in all directions along the floodplain of the Brisbane River valley between Moreton Bay and the Great Dividing Range. The metropolitan area sprawls across several of Australia's most populous local government areas (LGA), including the City of Brisbane, which is by far the most populous LGA in the nation. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite.

Population

Brisbane's Greater Capital City Statistical Area includes the Local Government Areas of City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, Moreton Bay Region, Logan City and Redland City, as well as parts of Lockyer Valley Region, Scenic Rim Region and Somerset Region, which form a continuous metropolitan area. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that the population of Greater Brisbane is 2,274,600 as of June 2014.^[6] The 2011 census reported 2,065,996 residents within the Brisbane GCCSA, making it the third largest city in Australia.^[7] Brisbane recorded the second highest growth rate of all capital cities since the previous Census, growing by 11.5%.^[8]

The 2011 census showed that 2% of Brisbane's population were of indigenous origin and 29.7% were born overseas. Of those born outside of Australia, the four most prevalent countries of birth were the United Kingdom, New Zealand, India and Mainland China. About 17.9% of households spoke a language other than English, with the most common languages being Mandarin 1.5%, Vietnamese 0.9%, Cantonese 0.9%, Samoan 0.6% and Spanish 0.6%.

Areas with significant overseas-born populations predominate in the southern suburbs and inner Brisbane. By far the largest ethnic minority are Asian Australians. The area around Sunnybank, Sunnybank Hills, Stretton, Robertson, Calamvale, Macgregor, Eight Mile Plains, Runcorn, Rochedale and Upper Mount Gravatt is home to a large proportion of Brisbane's Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China-born population. Brisbane's ethnic Chinese population has traditionally been dominated by those with origins in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Ethnic Chinese with origins in Mainland China, Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries are more spread around the metropolitan area, with the area around St Lucia, Toowong and Indooroopilly forming a major ethnic Chinese hub in the inner-west, along with the area around Mount Ommaney and Middle Park in the south-west. Brisbane has the highest population of Taiwanese Australian citizens of any city in Australia, and the highest proportion of Korean Australians outside of Sydney. A significant portion of Brisbane's Vietnamese population reside in the area around Darra, Inala, Durack, Oxley, Richlands, Forest Lake and Jamboree Heights, Queensland. Moorooka is home to many residents of African descent, while the area around Logan Central and Woodridge is home to a large number of Aboriginal, Maori and Pacific Islanders of which Brisbane has the highest proportion of any Australian capital city. The inner southern suburbs are traditionally considered the most densely populated with people of Southern European heritage. There are also a large number of Indians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, German Australians, Papua New Guineans, Fijians and other Pacific Islander communities in the city.

Brisbane has a large Irish Australian population, the early years of Brisbane coincided with the significant rise in Irish immigration in the 1830s and 1840s. Some Irish already lived in Brisbane when it was incorporated as a city in 1837. In the next few years Irish numbers grew rapidly, particularly after the arrival of refugees from the Great Famine. By 1850 Irish immigrants accounted for about one-fifth of the city's population. The Irish laid the foundations for many of the city's Roman Catholic churches, schools and hospitals. The Irish are still very active in the city's politics.

English Australians people have also constituted a large portion of ethnic whites in Brisbane since the beginning of the city's history.

The Brisbane Metropolitan area is becoming a major center for Indian Australians and South Asian Australians. Brisbane has the third largest South Asian Australians population in the country, after Sydney and Melbourne. The Chermside on Brisbane's north side is one of the largest South Asian neighborhoods in Oceania. Around 37,000 Arabs live in Brisbane, with the majority located in the suburban parts.

Brisbane's Italian community has historically been based in New Farm and Kedron in the inner-north of the city. There are also significant Italian populations scattered throughout the city and surrounding suburbs.

The first Yugoslavs settled in Brisbane in the early 20th centuries, joining other immigrants seeking better opportunities and better lives. As the former Yugoslavia continued to find its identity as a nation over the last century, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought stability and new beginnings in the city of Brisbane many intending to return to their homeland. Bosnian Muslims were early leaders in the establishment of Brisbane’s Muslim community.

The Brisbane metropolitan area has the third largest rate of Africans, behind only Melbourne and Perth.

Religion

The most common responses for religion in Brisbane (Significant Urban Areas) were Catholic 24.3%, No Religion 22.9%, Anglican 16.9%, Uniting Church 5.9% and Presbyterian and Reformed 3.2%.

Median Age

The median age of people employed full-time in Brisbane (Significant Urban Areas) was 40 years and for people who were employed part-time was 37 years.

References