Samoan Australians

Samoan Australians

Tim Cahill Digby Ioane Ben Tapuai Daniel Vidot Matt Toomua Frank Pritchard Josh Papalii Cruze Ah-Nau Kyle Stanley
Total population
55,843 (by ancestry, 2011) 19,092 (by birth, 2011).
Regions with significant populations
Sydney,Brisbane,Melbourne
Languages
English,Samoan
Religion
Christianity,Polytheism
Related ethnic groups
OtherPolynesians

Samoan Australiansrefers toAustraliancitizens or residents who are of ethnicSamoandescent or people born inSamoa.Most Samoans inAustralialive inSydney,BrisbaneandMelbourne.

History

AfterChristianmissionaries from Australia began visiting Samoan in 1857, Samoan ministers began traveling to Australia for work and more training. However, Samoan and other non-European immigration to Australia was halted due to theWhite Australia policyin 1901. The next significant wave of Samoans to move to Australia was in the 1970s, where Samoans participated in educational programs sponsored by the Australian Government. InVictoria,the number of Samoa-born residents increased from 49 in 1976 to 493 in 1986. By 2011, the number of Samoa-born Victorians was 4,021.

Demographics

According to the 2006 Australian census, 15,244 Australians were born in Samoa and 193 in American Samoawhile 39,992 claimed Samoan ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.According to the 2016 Australian census, there are a total of 75,755 Australians with Samoan ancestry. This number includes the 24,017 Australian residents who were born in Samoa. 41.3 percent of Samoan Australians live inNew South Wales,33.9 percent live inQueensland,21.1 percent live inVictoria,and just 1.9 percent live inWestern Australia.Other than Australians ofMāoriancestry, Samoan Australians remain the largestPolynesiangroup in Australia.

See also

• Samoan New Zealanders
• Samoan Americans