Zimbabwean Australians


Zimbabwean Australians are Australian citizens who are fully or partially of Zimbabwean descent or Zimbabwe-born people who reside in Australia. They include migrants to Australia of people from Zimbabwe, as well as their descendants. Today, over 30,000 people in Australia were born in Zimbabwe, while many more have Zimbabwean ancestry.
Australia's Zimbabwean community is now well established, with some of the highest incomes in the country, as well as with community institutions such as Zimbabwean language schools.

Background

The 2011 Census noted there are 30,252 Zimbabwe-born people living in Australia. The vast majority are skilled and educated, with 74.5% of the Zimbabwe-born aged 15 years and over possessing higher non-school
qualifications, compared to 55.9% of the Australian population. Some Zimbabweans had originally moved to the UK, but decided to settle in Australia instead.

Population distribution

Australia's Zimbabwean population is biggest in Sydney, although a large proportion of Zimbabweans in Australia reside in Western Australia. Many white Zimbabweans have settled in Queensland, whereas people of indigenous Shona and Ndebele ethnicities commonly settle in Sydney or Melbourne.

Language

New South Wales

Australians who speak a language indigenous to Zimbabwe at home are most numerous in Sydney. One in three of Australia's Ndebele-speakers and one in three of Australia's Shona-speakers live in Sydney.

Victoria

English, Shona and Afrikaans are the main languages Zimbabwean Australians in Victoria speak at home. 53% of Zimbawean Australians in Victoria speak English, while 36% speak Shona and 1% speak Afrikaans.

Notable Zimbabwean Australians