New South Wales 5,737 Queensland 1,223 | Victoria 3,640 Western Australia 620 | |
Argentine Australians are Australian citizens of Argentine descent or birth. According to the 2011 Census there were 9,879 Australians who claimed full or partial Argentine ancestry and 11,985 Argentina-born citizens who were residing in Australia at the moment of the census.
Contents
Argentines are the fifth largest Latin American group in Australia after Chileans, Salvadorans, Colombians and Brazilians.
Demographics
According to the Australian census 11,985 Australians were born in Argentina while 9,875 claimed Argentine ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry.
History and cultural background
Immigration from Argentina to Australia dates back to 1891, when the colonial census conducted that year recorded 25 Argentines living in Australia, indicating an old constant presence in the country. The Argentine community remained small and there wasn't much immigration from the South American country until many years later. In 1947, there were 249 Argentina-born people residing in Australia and by 1971 the number had increased to 1,805.
Argentine immigration since the 1970s reflected Argentina's economic difficulties and political instability. Between January 1974 and mid-1985, 6,572 Argentines immigrated to Australia and most are assisted immigrants rather than political refugees. Over 80% of Argentine immigrants to Australia between 1974 and 1982 received Australian Government assistance to immigrate.
Most Argentine Australians live in Sydney and Melbourne.