ISTANBUL

The latest population census figures released on Tuesday revealed that almost half of total Australians are “first or second-generation migrants.”

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data showed that 48.2% of Australians had an overseas-born parent, and 27.6% were born outside Australia, SBS news reported.

Around 3.2% of the population identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

The census of more than 25.4 million Australians was conducted last year.

It also revealed Australia’s “growing social and cultural diversity,” which has been welcomed by community leaders.

The number of people who speak a language other than English at home has increased by nearly 800,000, to more than 5.5 million.

The ABS said: “The data showed Australia is a fast-changing, growing and culturally diverse nation.”

More than 25.4 million people in Australia, excluding overseas visitors, were counted during the census.

“This is more than double the number counted 50 years ago, with the 1971 census covering 12,493,001 people,” the report added.

Hass Dellal, executive director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation (AMF), said the nation’s “growing diversity presents incredible opportunities for Australia’s future social, cultural and economic wellbeing.”

“This increasingly diverse social and cultural landscape present in the 2021 census is a great strength for Australian society,” he added.