Consultations Homepage || Media Pack Homepage || Fact Sheet
FACT SHEET: Australians of Arab, Middle Eastern and North African Birth and Ancestry
1. Definitions
Defining who is an 'Arab' or exactly which countries lie within the Middle East is a complex matter. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) regards Turkey as a Middle Eastern country, but Turkish people may not share this view. Afghanis are commonly thought to be Middle Eastern even though Afghanistan is geographically located in Central Asia. Iran is situated in the Middle East but most Iranians would not regard themselves as 'Arabs'.
The ABS defines the Middle East as: Bahrain, Gaza Strip and West Bank (Palestine), Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. North Africa is defined as: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and the Western Sahara. 'Arab' includes: Algerian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Libyan, Moroccan, Palestinian, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Tunisian.
This summary uses ABS definitions and highlights specific countries of origin for a significant number of Australians. These countries are: Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Israel. Other Middle Eastern, North African and Arab countries with much smaller representation in Australian are grouped into two categories:
- 'Other Middle East' (which includes Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)
- 'Other North Africa' (which includes Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Mauritania, Djibouti and Western Sahara)
2. Birthplace
Table 1: Main countries of birth of Australians of Middle Eastern & North African origin, 2001
| Country of birth |
Number |
|---|---|
| Lebanon |
71 349 |
| Egypt |
33 432 |
| Turkey |
29 821 |
| Iraq |
24 832 |
| Iran |
18 789 |
| Syria |
6 710 |
| Israel |
6 574 |
| Other Middle East
|
13 212 |
| Other North Africa |
8 918 |
| Other not further
defined |
303 |
| Total |
213 940 |
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.
3. Ancestry
According to the 2001 Census, 145 757 people identify as having Middle Eastern or Arabic ancestry - that is, one or both parents were born in Middle Eastern or Arabic countries. The largest ancestry group identified was Lebanese (89 021) followed by Turkish (22 501) and Egyptian (10 296). People of Middle Eastern or Arabic ancestry are a youthful group: over 75% of people who identified themselves as having Middle Eastern ancestry were under the age of 24, with a further 14% aged 25-34 years.
4. Distribution
Figure 1: State & territory distribution of Australians born in the Middle East & North Africa, 2001
Source: ABS, 2001 Census. Basic Community Profiles and Snapshots.
5. Age and Sex
Of the people born in Middle Eastern or North African countries, 53% were male and 47% were female compared with 49% male and 51% female for the total Australian population.
Compared with the total Australian population, people born in the Middle East and North Africa have proportionately fewer young and older people and higher proportions of people between the working ages of 25-64.
Table 2: Proportion of people born in the Middle East & North Africa in select age groups relative to Australian-born, 2001
Birthplace |
Age 0-4 | 5-14 | 15-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 65+ |
| Middle East & North Africa | 0.8% | 5.9% | 10.3% | 18.6% | 23.1% | 18.3% | 12.0% | 10.9% |
| Australia | 6.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% | 14.5% | 15.3% | 13.7% | 9.4% | 12.6% |
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.
6. Education
Table 3: Highest level of schooling of people aged 15+ born in the Middle East & North Africa relative to all Australians, 2001
| Birthplace | Bachelor Degree & Higher | Diploma or Certificate | Years 11-12 |
Years |
Year 8 or less | Still at school | Did not go to school | Not stated or described |
| Middle East & North Africa | 13.1% | 14.9% | 23.2% | 15.0% | 12.4% | 2.0% | 7.2% | 12.2% |
| Australia | 12.4% | 22.8% | 20.9% | 23.3% | 7.4% | 3.6% | 0.3% | 9.3% |
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.
7. Citizenship
At the 2001 Census, the estimated rate of Australian citizenship for people born in Middle Eastern and North African countries was generally above the average citizenship take-up rate (74%) for all overseas-born Australians eligible for citizenship (ABS, Year Book Australia 2003). The take-up rate varies across birthplace groups and is highest for longer established groups.
Table 4: Australian citizenship rates for select ethnic groups, 2001
| Country of birth |
% of ethnic group who are Australian
citizens |
Egypt |
91.6 % |
Lebanon |
91.3 % |
Syria |
86.2% |
Turkey |
84.2% |
Iran |
75.6% |
Iraq |
68.1% |
Other Middle East |
75.9% |
Other N Africa |
70.2% |
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.
Note: Non-citizens include those who are not eligible for citizenship because they have not yet met the two year residency requirement.
8. Year of Arrival
Table 5: Year of arrival in Australia for select birthplace groups, 2001
| Country of Birth | Pre-1986 | 1986-1995 | 1996-2000 | 2001 |
| Egypt | 69% | 20% | 6% | 1% |
| Lebanon | 61% | 24% | 8% | 1% |
| Syria | 46% | 34% | 13% | 2% |
| Turkey | 60% | 24% | 10% | 1% |
| Iran | 28% | 42% | 21% | 2% |
| Iraq | 15% | 33% | 43% | 3% |
| Other Middle East | 30% | 35% | 25% | 5% |
| Other North Africa | 35% | 23% | 31% | 6% |
Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.
Note: Numbers do not add to 100% because year of arrival was unstated in some cases.
9. Language
Around 10% of Australians born in the Middle East or North Africa speak English only. Around 70% speak English very well or well in addition to another language. These other languages include:
- Arabic (almost 50% of Australians born in the Middle East or North Africa can speak Arabic)
- Turkish (11%)
- Persian (9%)
- Kurdish (1%)
- Pashto (0.5%)
10. Religion
Australians of Arabic background or Middle Eastern origin are much less likely to be Muslims than residents in their countries of origin.
Table 6: Muslim population for select overseas-born groups, 2001
Country of Birth |
% who are Muslim in Australia |
% who are Muslim in country of
origin |
Egypt |
9 |
94 |
Iraq |
31 |
97 |
Iran |
34 |
99 |
Syria |
34 |
90 |
Lebanon |
41 |
70 |
Turkey |
79 |
99.8 |
Sources: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data & CIA World Fact Book, 2002.
Developed by the Race Discrimination Unit, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, March 2003.
ABS data used with permission from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.