Eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians

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FACT SHEET : Australian Muslims

Total number of Muslims in Australia: 281 578

Proportion of the Australian population who are Muslim: 1.5%

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2001 Census.

1. Birthplace

The major countries of birth of Australian Muslims are:

1. Australia: 36%

2. Lebanon: 10%

3. Turkey: 8%

4. Afghanistan: 3.5%

5. Bosnia-Herzegovina: 3.5%

6. Pakistan: 3.2%

7. Indonesia: 2.9%

8. Iraq: 2.8%

9. Bangladesh: 2.7%

10. Iran: 2.3%

11. Fiji: 2.0%

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.

2. Ancestry

• Around 30% of Australian-born Muslims claim Lebanese ancestry.
• Around 18% claim Turkish ancestry.

Australian Muslims are not all Arabs

Australian Muslims are a diverse group. While the largest proportion are Australian-born, a further:

• 28% of Australian Muslims were born in the Middle East or North Africa.
• 16% were born in Asia.
• 9% were born in Europe.
• 4% were born in Africa (excluding North Africa).
• 3% were born in Oceania (excluding Australia);

Australian Arabs are not all Muslim

A large proportion of Australians born in predominantly Muslim countries are not Muslim themselves.

Table 1: Proportion of select ethnic communities in Australia who are Muslim, 2001

Country of birth	No. born overseas	No. who are Muslim	Proportion who are Muslim
Lebanon	71 349	29 321	41%
Turkey	29 821	23 479	79%
Afghanistan	11 296	9 923	88%
Bosnia-Herzegovina	23 848	9 892	42%
Pakistan	11 875	9 238	78%
Indonesia	47 158	8 087	17%
Iraq	24 832	7 749	31%
Bangladesh	9 077	7 596	84%
Iran	18 789	6 353	34%
Fiji	44 261	5 772	13%

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.

3. Distribution

Figure 1: Australian Muslim population by state and territory

Source: ABS, 2001 Census. Click here for text only version.

Table 2: Geographic Distribution of Muslims in Australia, 2001

State/territory	Proportion of all Australian Muslims	Proportion of total state or territory population
New South Wales	50%	2.2%
Victoria	33%	2.0%
Western Australia	7%	1.1%
Queensland	5%	0.4%
South Australia	3%	0.5%
Australian Capital Territory	1%	1.1%
Northern Territory	0.3%	0.5%
Tasmania	0.3%	0.2%
Total	100%	1.5%

Source: ABS, 2001 Census.

4. Age and Sex

Of all Australian Muslims, 148 442 (53%) were male and 133 132 (47%) were female (compared with 49% male and 51% female for the Australian population as a whole). Compared with non-Muslim Australians, Australian Muslims have a higher proportion of young people and proportionately fewer people between the working ages of 25-64 or aged 65 and over.

Table 3: Australian Muslims and Non-Muslim Australians by age group, %, 2001

	Age 0-4	5-14	15-24	25-34	35-44	45-54	55-64	65+
Australian Muslims	10.6%	20.2%	18.7%	18.2%	15.3%	9.5%	4.8%	2.8%
Non-Muslim Australians	6.6%	14.2%	13.7%	14.5%	15.3%	13.7%	9.4%	12.6%

Source: ABS, 2001 Census, Unpublished data.

 

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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.