Demographics of Sydney

As of 2003 there were 4,198,543 people living in Sydney, commonly referred to as Sydneysiders, and a population density of 345.7 persons per square kilometre for the metropolitan area. Inner Sydney is the most densely populated place in Australia with 4023 persons per square kilometre.

In the 2001 census, the most common self-described ancestries identified for Sydney residents were Australian, English and Irish. The Census also recorded that 1% of Sydney’s population identified as being of indigenous origin and 31.2% were born overseas.

The three major sources of immigrants are the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand, significant numbers of immigrants also came from Vietnam, Lebanon, Italy and the Philippines.[citation needed] Most Sydneysiders are native speakers of English; many have a second language, the most common being Chinese languages, Arabic (including Lebanese) and Greek.

Some ethnic groups are associated with the suburbs where they first settled: the Italians with Leichhardt, Greeks with Rockdale and Hurstville, Lebanese with Lakemba and Bankstown, Koreans with Campsie and Strathfield, South Africans with St Ives, Russians and Jews with Bondi and Rose Bay, Chinese with Haymarket (where Sydney’s Chinatown has emerged), Vietnamese with Cabramatta, Filipinos with Blacktown and Assyrians with Fairfield.[citation needed] Redfern has a high concentration of indigenous Australians.

The median age of a Sydney resident is 34, 12% of the population is over 65 years.15.2% of Sydney residents have educational attainment equal to at least a bachelor’s degree, which is lower than the national average of 19%.

Approximately 67% of Sydney residents describe themselves as Christian, the most common denominations being Catholic and Anglican. About 9% of the population practice a non-Christian religion, the most common being Buddhism, and about 12% are not religious.