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Country of birth

At the 2021 Census:

  • 32.5% of Boroondara residents were born overseas, compared with 35.7% of Greater Melbourne residents
  • Boroondara residents named more than 150 countries as their place of birth
  • 43.6% of Boroondara residents had both parents born overseas, compared with 49.3% of Greater Melbourne residents.

The top overseas countries of birth in Boroondara in 2021 were:

  • China (8% of Boroondara residents)
  • United Kingdom (3.4%)
  • India (2.4%).

Map 1: Balwyn and Balwyn North, have the highest proportions of residents born overseas, with some areas exceeding 48%. In contrast, Ashburton and Glen Iris generally have lower proportions. 

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

Map 1 shows the percentage of the population born overseas across the City of Boroondara at the SA1 level. The map is shaded in four categories: less than 26% (light cream), 26% to 37% (light brown), 38% to 48% (medium brown), and over 48% (dark brown). Higher proportions of residents born overseas are concentrated in the northern and northeastern areas, particularly Balwyn and Balwyn North. Lower proportions are seen in the southern and southeastern areas, including Ashburton and parts of Glen Iris.

Most of Boroondara’s population growth is due to overseas migration. During 2023–24, net overseas migration accounted for around 4,629 new Boroondara residents. Boroondara lost around 1,200 residents to other parts of Australia over the same period (see Australian Bureau of Statistics page on regional population).

The countries of birth which saw the largest increase between 2016 and 2021 were:

  • China (+ 2,330 Boroondara residents)
  • Australia (+1,078)
  • Malaysia (+ 416).

These figures will have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated international border closures, which likely resulted in some loss of overseas born residents from Boroondara.

Various waves of migration have resulted in differing age profiles among Boroondara populations born in different regions (Figure 2). 

For more information on country of birth, see the Informed Decisions Boroondara birthplace page.

Language 

One in 3, or 32.6% of Boroondara households, use a language other than English. Of the more than 120 languages other than English spoken in Boroondara households, the most common are:

  • Mandarin (10.4% of Boroondara residents)
  • Cantonese (3%)
  • Greek (2.7%).

Corresponding with the increase in overseas-born Boroondara residents, the percentage of residents who speak a language other than English has grown over time (Figure 3). 

Most Boroondara residents who speak a language other than English at home are proficient in spoken English (Figure 4) and females have the most limited English proficiency (Figure 5).

Bar chart shows that 86% of all Boroondara residents who speak a language other than English at home speak English well or very well. For Mandarin speakers the proportion is 77%, for Cantonese speakers it is 85% and for Greek speakers it is 89%.

Figure 4: Most Boroondara residents who speak a language other than English at home are also proficient in spoken English. The proportion varies depending on the language. Data source: ABS Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Greek are among Boroondara’s most commonly used languages and at the 2021 Census more than 10% of residents who use them at home reported low English proficiency. Maps 2 through 5 show the distribution of Boroondara residents who use these languages at home.

Map 2: Balwyn, Balwyn North, Deepdene and Canterbury have the highest proportions of residents who speak Mandarin, with several neighbourhoods exceeding 21% of the population. 

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

: Map 2 shows the percentage of the population at an SA1 level who speak Mandarin. The map is shaded in four categories: less than 7% (light cream), 7% to 13% (light brown), 13% to 21% (medium brown), and over 21% (dark brown). Higher proportions of who speak Mandarin are concentrated in the northern and northeastern areas, particularly Balwyn, Balwyn North, Deepdene and Canterbury. Lower proportions are seen in Hawthorn, Hawthorn East, Glen Iris and Ashburton and parts of Glen Iris.

For more information about language spoken, see the Informed Decisions Boroondara languages page. 

Map 3: Balwyn and Balwyn North, have the highest proportions of residents who speak Cantonese, with several neighbourhoods exceeding 8% of the population. 

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

Map 3 shows the percentage of the population at an SA1 level who speak Cantonese. The map is shaded in four categories: less than 2% (light cream), 2% to 4% (light brown), 4% to 8% (medium brown), and over 8% (dark brown). Higher proportions of who speak Cantonese are concentrated in the northern and northeastern areas, particularly Balwyn and Balwyn North. Lower proportions are seen in the southeastern areas, including Ashburton and parts of Glen Iris.

Map 4: Balwyn North, Kew and Kew East, have the highest proportions of residents who speak Greek, with several neighbourhoods exceeding 6% of the population. 

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

Map 4 shows the percentage of the population at an SA1 level who speak Greek. The map is shaded in four categories: less than 2% (light cream), 2% to 3% (light brown), 3% to 6% (medium brown), and over 6% (dark brown). Higher proportions of residents who speak Greek are concentrated in the northern and northeastern areas, particularly Kew, Kew East and Balwyn North.

Map 5: Balwyn, Balwyn North and Kew East have the highest proportions of residents who speak Vietnamese, with several neighbourhoods exceeding 4% of the population. 

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics Tablebuilder Pro, 2021 Census.

Map 5 shows the percentage of the population at an SA1 level who speak Vietnamese. The map is shaded in four categories: less than 1% (light cream), 1% to 2% (light brown), 2% to 4% (medium brown), and over 4% (dark brown). Higher proportions of residents who speak Vietnamese are particularly concentrated in Balwyn and Balwyn North.

Ancestry

Ancestry is an indicator of the size of cultural groups in Boroondara regardless of birthplace or spoken language. The Census allows respondents to nominate up to 2 ancestries. The 10 ancestries most frequently reported by Boroondara residents in 2021 are shown in Figure 6. 

For more information on ancestry, see the Informed Decisions Boroondara ancestry page. 

Citizenship

Each year, ceremonies are held in Boroondara to welcome new Australian citizens. While the proportion of the Boroondara community who were born overseas has increased, the proportion who are Australian citizens trended gradually downward until the 2021 Census. 

Religion

Just over half the Boroondara population (50.5%) report a religious affiliation. Christianity is the most common religion in Boroondara, with 41.5% of residents identifying as Christian. This has declined over time (Figure 8). The largest Christian denominations are Roman Catholic (19.9% of residents) and Anglican (7.9%).

While fewer people are reporting their religion as Christian, more are reporting ‘no religion’. Other religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism, are growing very gradually in Boroondara and in 2021 made up 8.5% of the population. 

Figure 8 is a line chart showing that the proportion of Boroondara residents who report no religion has increased every Census between 2001 and 2021, inclusive, from 19% to 45%. The proportion reporting a Christian religion has dropped from 63% to 42% and the proportion reporting a non-Christian religion has increased from 6% to 8%. The proportion choosing not to report on their religion dropped from 10% to 4%.

Figure 8: The 2021 Census was the first in which the proportion of Boroondara residents who reported no religion was greater than the proportion who reported being Christian. Data source: Informed Decisions Boroondara birthplace profile

The religion profile of the Boroondara population varies by age group (Figure 9). 

More information on Boroondara's religious profile can be found on the Informed Decisions Boroondara religion page.

Attitudes to multiculturalism

The Victorian Population Health Survey asks respondents if multiculturalism makes life in their area better. In 2023, 72% of Boroondara adults responded 'yes, definitely', higher than the rate for metropolitan Melbourne (Figure 10).

Column chart showing that the number of Boroondara residents who agree that multiculturalism makes life in their area better was 72% in 2023. In metropolitan Melbourne it was 69%.

Figure 10: The majority of Boroondara residents agree that multiculturalism definitely makes life in their area better. Data source: 2023 Victorian Population Health Survey, unpublished data.

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