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Country and Comparative Data

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Comparing Migrant Stock: The Five Largest Foreign-Born Groups in Australia, Canada, and the United States

Australia, Canada, and the United States are all considered "traditional countries of immigration." All three countries also categorize their immigrants by place of birth, providing an opportunity to compare some aspects of their foreign-born populations. These graphs provide a window on the origins of immigrants in each of these countries to help explain the immigration patterns that give rise to unique immigrant populations.

Australia
  • Approximately one in every four migrants in Australia is from the United Kingdom, while one in every 11 migrants is from New Zealand. Combined, these two groups alone account for one-third of all migrants in Australia.
  • The five largest foreign-born groups in Australia, including those from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China, account for 46 percent of the total immigrant population.
  • The immigrant populations of both Australia and the United States are dominated by a single foreign-born group.
  • China is the only country to appear in the five largest source countries of Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Canada
  • Approximately one in every nine immigrants in Canada is from the United Kingdom.
  • The five largest foreign-born groups in Canada, including those from the United Kingdom, China, India, Italy, and the United States, account for 33 percent of the total immigrant population.
  • While immigrants from the United Kingdom represent the largest foreign-born group in Canada, unlike Australia and the United States, the immigrant population of Canada is not dominated by a single group.
  • In addition to China, Italy is one of the five largest source countries for both Canada and Australia, while India is one of the five largest source countries for both Canada and the United States.

United States
  • Approximately one in every three immigrants in the United States is from Mexico.
  • The five largest foreign-born groups in the United States, including those from Mexico, the Philippines, India, China, and Vietnam, account for 44 percent of the total immigrant population.
  • The immigrant population of the United States, like that of Australia, is dominated by a single foreign-born group.
  • In addition to China, Vietnam is one of the five largest source countries for both the United States and Australia, while India is one of the five largest source countries for both the United States and Canada.

Comparing Migrant Stock: The Five Largest Foreign-Born Groups in Australia, Canada, and the United States
Australia: 2001
Canada: 2001
United States: 2001
Country
Number Percent
Country
Number Percent
Country
Number Percent
Total 4,105,688 100.0 Total 5,647,125 100.0 Total 31,107,889 100.0
United Kingdom 1,033,647 25.2 United Kingdom 614,610 10.9 Mexico 9,177,487 29.5
New Zealand 355,765 8.7 China* 345,520 6.1 Philippines 1,369,070 4.4
Italy 218,718 5.3 India 322,215 5.7 India 1,022,552 3.3
Vietnam 154,830 3.8 Italy 318,095 5.6 China* 988,857 3.2
China* 142,781 3.5 United States 258,420 4.6 Vietnam 988,174 3.2
Greece 116,430 2.8 Hong Kong 240,045 4.3 Cuba 872,716 2.8
Germany 108,220 2.6 Philippines 239,160 4.2 Korea 864,125 2.8
Philippines 103,942 2.5 Poland 181,810 3.2 Canada 820,771 2.6
India 95,455 2.3 Germany 177,675 3.1 El Salvador 817,336 2.6
Netherlands 83,325 2.0 Portugal 155,770 2.8 Germany 706,704 2.3
All others 1,692,575 41.2 All others 2,793,805 49.5 All others 13,480,097 43.3
*Excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan

Notes:
1) The total population of Australia in 2001 was 18,972,350; for Canada in 2001, it was 30,007,094; and for the United States in 2000, it was 281,421,906.
2) For Canada, the number of foreign born for the total and each region category was rounded to end in either 0 or 5. Hence, the sum of all regions will not equal the value given for the total foreign-born population.

Source:
Census of Australia, 2001; Census of Canada, 2001; US Census 2000

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