After World War I Serbia and Montenegro became part of the �Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes� (later called �Yugoslavia�), and following World War II of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). �Serbia and Montenegro� was created by the Yugoslav parliament in February 2003 and Yugoslavia formally ceased to exist.

From its formation in 1918, the former Yugoslavia was overall the third-largest source of migration from Continental Europe, behind Italy and Greece.

There were four principal periods of migration: the period up to 1948; 1948-1960; 1960-1990 and after 1990. In the first period over 3,000 people arrived in Australia up to 1914 and more than 8,000 between the world wars. The majority were Croatians (80 percent), with significant numbers of Macedonians (8 percent) and Serbians (8 percent).

In the second period between 1948 and 1952 about 25,000 Yugoslav nationals arrived in Australia as Displaced Persons. Between 1953 and 1960 there was a steady stream of several thousand refugees annually leaving Yugoslavia or permitted to join families or sponsored by relatives in Australia.

During this period the majority were still Croatians, however, there were greater numbers of Serbians and Slovenes. There were also a number of Bosniaks and members of national minority groups in Yugoslavia, including Hungarians, Germans and Italians.

In the third period from the 1960s the migration increased for mainly economic reasons. It reached a peak of more than 50,000 over the two years from July 1969 to June 1971. The majority were Macedonians with significant numbers of Croatians, Bosniaks and Albanians. The fourth period followed the 1991 civil war and the succession of the Republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia, leaving only Serbia and Montenegro in the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The community today

Geographic distribution

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 55,310 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born persons in Australia, a decrease of 3 per cent from the 1996 Census*. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed New South Wales had the largest number with 19,680 followed by Victoria (19,630), Queensland (5,490) and Western Australia (4,580).

*The 1996 Census was the first time that the individual countries of the former Yugoslavia were separetely recorded. At that time, 'Former Yugoslavia nfd' was a substantial proportion of the total former Yugoslavia and therefore it is likely that the individual countries were understated. Hence, care should be taken when comparing with the 2001 Census.

Age and sex

The median age of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born in 2001 was 49.9 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 5.0 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 5.8 per cent were 15-24 years, 29.2 per cent were 25-44 years, 39.9 per cent were 45-64 years and 20.1 per cent were 65 and over.

Of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born in Australia, there were 28,630 males (51.8 per cent) and 26,690 females (48.2 per cent). The sex ratio was 107.3 males per 100 females.

Qualifications

In 2001, of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born people aged 15 years and over, 46.4 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born, 13.5 per cent had higher qualifications* and 19.7 per cent had Certificate level qualifications. Of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born with no qualifications, 8.7 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

* Higher qualification includes Postgraduate Degree, Graduate Diploma & Graduate Certificate and Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma & Diploma Level.

Employment

Among Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 49.1 per cent and the unemployment rate was 10.4 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Of the 22,600 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born who were employed, 45.1 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 28.3 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 26.6 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively.

Citizenship

At the 2001 Census, the rate* of Australian Citizenship for the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born in Australia was 95.4 per cent. The rate for all overseas-born was 75.1 per cent.

* Includes adjustments for people not meeting the residential requirement for citizenship, temporary entrants to Australia and underenumeration at the Census.

Language

The main languages spoken at home by Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born people in Australia were Serbian (44.6 per cent), English (18.1 per cent), and Hungarian (6.3 per cent).

Of the 45,200 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 77.3 per cent spoke English very well or well and 21.3 per cent spoke English not well or not at all.

Religion

At the 2001 Census the major religions amongst Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born were Serbian Orthodox (18,910 persons), Western Catholic (12,660 persons) and Greek Orthodox (4,260 persons).

Of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born, 6.1 per cent stated 'No Religion'. This was lower than that of the total Australian population (15.5 per cent)

Ancestry

In the 2001 Census, the top three ancestries that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-born persons reported were, Serbian (36,510), Hungarian (3,960) and Albanian (1,350).

Jointly produced by Multicultural Affairs Branch and the Economic and Demographic Analysis Section of DIMIA. All data listed in this summary are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing. sources for the Historical background are available at http://www.immi.gov.au/statistics/infosummary/source.htm

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born Community

Historical background

In the nineteenth century, young male Macedonians traditionally left their home-land to earn money, some of whom went to America. Following the introduction of quotas in America in the early 1920s, many of those who worked there came to Australia.

They later brought out their families to settle in Australia. Many Macedonians worked in the market garden industry, while others worked in the eucalyptus oil distillation plants near Canberra and dairy farming in Victoria and New South Wales.

In the 1960s, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in response to rising unemployment permitted its citizens to seek employment abroad. This resulted in the migration of almost 100,000 Yugoslavs to Australia between 1961 and 1976. Many of the Yugoslavs were Macedonian-speakers from the Bitola and Ohrid regions.

Prior to the 1996, the Australian Census data categorised Macedonians and other ethnic groups from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as Yugoslavia-born and not as Macedonia-born. With the break-up of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991, the region occupied by Macedonians was renamed the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The 2001 Census currently identifies Macedonian persons as Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born.

The 1996 Census recorded 42,181 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born persons in Australia and 71,352 Macedonian language speakers.

The community today

Geographic distribution

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 43,490 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born persons in Australia, an increase of 3 per cent from the 1996 Census. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 19,540 followed by New South Wales (19,040), Western Australia (3,250) and Queensland (820).

Age and sex

The median age of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born in 2001 was 48.1 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 2.7 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 6.0 per cent were 15-24 years, 33.0 per cent were 25-44 years, 44.9 per cent were 45-64 years and 13.4 per cent were 65 and over.

Of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born in Australia, there were 22,380 males (51.5 per cent) and 21,110 females (48.5 per cent). The sex ratio was 106.0 males per 100 females.

Qualifications

In 2001, of Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born people aged 15 years and over, 29.4 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born, 8.0 per cent had higher qualifications* and 11.9 per cent had Certificate level qualifications. Of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born with no qualifications, 5.2 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

* Higher qualification includes Postgraduate Degree, Graduate Diploma & Graduate Certificate and Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma & Diploma Level.

Employment

Among Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 57.7 per cent and the unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Of the 22,200 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born who were employed, 28.0 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 33.2 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 38.8 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively.

Citizenship

At the 2001 Census, the rate* of Australian Citizenship for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born in Australia was 95.9 per cent. The rate for all overseas-born was 75.1 per cent.

* Includes adjustments for people not meeting the residential requirement for citizenship, temporary entrants to Australia and underenumeration at the Census.

Language

The main languages spoken at home by Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born people in Australia were Macedonian (88.0 per cent), English (4.7 per cent), and Albanian (4.1 per cent).

Of the 41,430 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 70.0 per cent spoke English very well or well and 28.3 per cent spoke English not well or not at all.

Religion

At the 2001 Census the major religions amongst Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born were Macedonian Orthodox (28,480 persons), Islam (2,630 persons) and Greek Orthodox (2,400 persons).

Of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born, 0.9 per cent stated 'No Religion'. This was lower than that of the total Australian population (15.5 per cent)

Ancestry

In the 2001 Census, the top three ancestries that Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia-born persons reported were, Macedonian (38,610), Albanian (1,660) and Serbian (290).

The Croatia-born Community

Historical background

Croatian settlement in Australia began in the nineteenth century, prompted by strong hostility to Austro-Hungarian rule. In 1854 at least two Croatians were working in the Victorian gold fields. Another cause for emigration from Croatia was the phylloxera disease, which ravaged the wine industry in Dalmatia. By 1900, a substantial number of Croatian migrants had arrived in Australia, mainly from Dalmatia. Chain migration significantly contributed to consolidating and expanding the early Croatian community. The 1933 Census listed 2,826 Yugoslavia-born in Australia.

In the period immediately after World War 2, the Australian Yugoslavia-born population quadrupled - from 5,888 in 1947 to 22,856 in 1954. Many migrated under the Displaced Persons Scheme and a significant number of those were Croatian speakers. The migration of displaced persons peaked in 1958. However, unlike other displaced persons groups, the Yugoslavia-born (including Croatians) continued to increase in numbers through the next two decades.

In the 1960s, the Government of Yugoslavia opened its borders to allow citizens to seek employment abroad. Between 1961 and 1976 almost 100,000 Yugoslavia-born persons took advantage of this opportunity and migrated to Australia. Many of these settlers were Croatians. The Yugoslavia-born population reached 129,616 by the 1971 Census and 160,479 by the 1991 Census.

Almost 30,000 settlers from the republics of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia have migrated to Australia since 1991 due to the conflicts there. Most of these new arrivals have come under Australia's Humanitarian program. Many are Croatians. Separate data on the Croatia-born was not captured prior to the 1996 Australian Census.

At the 1996 Census 47,015 people declared that they were Croatia-born. However, this number is likely to be somewhat understated, as some Croatia-born still felt inclined to answer that they were �Yugoslavia-born�, in some cases because they still held current passports issued by the former SFRY. By comparison, 69,173 people declared in the 1996 Census that they spoke Croatian at home.

The community today

Geographic distribution

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 51,860 Croatia-born persons in Australia, an increase of 10 per cent from the 1996 Census. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 19,000 followed by New South Wales (18,420), Western Australia (5,180) and Queensland (3,630).

Age and sex

The median age of the Croatia-born in 2001 was 53.9 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 2.9 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 4.2 per cent were 15-24 years, 23.3 per cent were 25-44 years, 48.5 per cent were 45-64 years and 21.1 per cent were 65 and over.

Of the Croatia-born in Australia, there were 27,130 males (52.3 per cent) and 24,730 females (47.7 per cent). The sex ratio was 109.7 males per 100 females.

Qualifications

In 2001, of Croatia-born people aged 15 years and over, 42.5 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Croatia-born, 9.3 per cent had higher qualifications* and 21.3 per cent had Certificate level qualifications. Of the Croatia-born with no qualifications, 6.2 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

* Higher qualification includes Postgraduate Degree, Graduate Diploma & Graduate Certificate and Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma & Diploma Level.

Employment

Among Croatia-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 47.7 per cent and the unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Of the 21,740 Croatia-born who were employed, 47.8 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 26.2 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 25.9 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively.

Citizenship

At the 2001 Census, the rate* of Australian Citizenship for the Croatia-born in Australia was 95.9 per cent. The rate for all overseas-born was 75.1 per cent.

* Includes adjustments for people not meeting the residential requirement for citizenship, temporary entrants to Australia and underenumeration at the Census.

Language

The main languages spoken at home by Croatia-born people in Australia were Croatian (70.9 per cent), English (14.6 per cent), and Serbian (7.3 per cent).

Of the 44,280 Croatia-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 75.8 per cent spoke English very well or well and 23.0 per cent spoke English not well or not at all.

Religion

At the 2001 Census the major religions amongst Croatia-born were Western Catholic (43,030 persons), Serbian Orthodox (3,350 persons) and Islam (300 persons).

Of the Croatia-born, 2.7 per cent stated 'No Religion'. This was lower than that of the total Australian population (15.5 per cent)

Ancestry

In the 2001 Census, the top three ancestries that Croatia-born persons reported were, Croatian (41,560), Serbian (4,270) and Serbian-Croatian (380).

The Bosnia-Herzegovina-born Community

Historical background

After World War I Bosnia became part of the �Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes� (later called �Yugoslavia�).

Prior to the mid-1960s very few Bosnian Muslims migrated to Australia, preferring to emigrate to Turkey (as many Bosnian Muslims have Turkish ancestors) and, in more recent years, to Germany. Immigration to Australia increased significantly in the 1960s.

Significant numbers of Bosnia-Herzegovina-born have arrived in Australia since 1991 due to conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Before the outbreak of civil war in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1992, the constituent republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina was populated by three major ethnic groups: Muslims about 40 per cent, Serbians 32 per cent and Croatians 18 per cent.

The social organisation of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born in Australia depends mainly on their ethnic/religious background. Bosnian Muslims are inclined to associate with other people of the Islamic faith. The Bosnian Muslim community currently has two mosques in Melbourne and another two in Sydney. Bosnians of Serbian Orthodox background tend to associate with other Serbian Orthodox people and those of Croatian background associate with other (Roman Catholic) Croatians.

At the 1996 Census there were 13,614 Bosnia-Herzegovina-born persons in Australia.

The Community Today

Geographic distribution

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 23,910 Bosnia-Herzegovina-born persons in Australia, an increase of 76 per cent from the 1996 Census*. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 8,570 followed by New South Wales (7,030), Queensland (2,910) and Western Australia (2,650).

Age and sex

The median age of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born in 2001 was 37.6 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 13.4 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 15.8 per cent were 15-24 years, 39.0 per cent were 25-44 years, 25.4 per cent were 45-64 years and 6.4 per cent were 65 and over.

Of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born in Australia, there were 12,160 males (50.8 per cent) and 11,750 females (49.2 per cent). The sex ratio was 103.4 males per 100 females.

Qualifications

In 2001, of Bosnia-Herzegovina-born people aged 15 years and over, 50.3 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born, 17.0 per cent had higher qualifications* and 20.0 per cent had Certificate level qualifications. Of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born with no qualifications, 30.0 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

* Higher qualification includes Postgraduate Degree, Graduate Diploma & Graduate Certificate and Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma & Diploma Level.

Employment

Among Bosnia-Herzegovina-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 47.8 per cent and the unemployment rate was 16.8 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Of the 8,210 Bosnia-Herzegovina-born who were employed, 40.2 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 26.4 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 33.4 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively.

Citizenship

At the 2001 Census, the rate* of Australian Citizenship for the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born in Australia was 89.6 per cent. The rate for all overseas-born was 75.1 per cent.

* Includes adjustments for people not meeting the residential requirement for citizenship, temporary entrants to Australia and underenumeration at the Census.

Language

The main languages spoken at home by Bosnia-Herzegovina-born people in Australia were Bosnian (51.1 per cent), Croatian (19.2 per cent), and Serbian (18.8 per cent).

Of the 22,980 Bosnia-Herzegovina-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 69.4 per cent spoke English very well or well and 29.5 per cent spoke English not well or not at all.

Religion

At the 2001 Census the major religions amongst Bosnia-Herzegovina-born were Islam (9,900 persons), Western Catholic (5,580 persons) and Serbian Orthodox (3,800 persons).

Of the Bosnia-Herzegovina-born, 9.8 per cent stated 'No Religion'. This was lower than that of the total Australian population (15.5 per cent)

Ancestry

In the 2001 Census, the top three ancestries that Bosnia-Herzegovina-born persons reported were, Bosnian (12,760), Serbian (4,600) and Croatian (3,780).

The Slovenia-born Community

The Community Today

Geographic Distribution

The latest Census in 2001 recorded 6,760 Slovenia-born persons in Australia, an increase of 1 per cent from the 1996 Census. The 2001 distribution by State and Territory showed Victoria had the largest number with 2,810 followed by New South Wales (2,270), Queensland (550) and South Australia (500).

Age and Sex

The median age of the Slovenia-born in 2001 was 63.0 years compared with 46.0 years for all overseas-born and 35.6 years for the total Australian population. The age distribution showed 1.3 per cent were aged 0-14 years, 1.6 per cent were 15-24 years, 10.8 per cent were 25-44 years, 43.8 per cent were 45-64 years and 42.6 per cent were 65 and over.

Of the Slovenia-born in Australia, there were 3,580 males (52.9 per cent) and 3,180 females (47.1 per cent). The sex ratio was 112.3 males per 100 females.

Qualifications

In 2001, of Slovenia-born people aged 15 years and over, 47.3 per cent held some form of educational or occupational qualification compared with 46.2 per cent for all Australians. Among the Slovenia-born, 8.4 per cent had higher qualifications* and 23.3 per cent had Certificate level qualifications. Of the Slovenia-born with no qualifications, 2.4 per cent were still attending an educational institution.

* Higher qualification includes Postgraduate Degree, Graduate Diploma & Graduate Certificate and Bachelor Degree Advanced Diploma & Diploma Level.

Employment

Among Slovenia-born people aged 15 years and over, the participation rate in the labour force was 34.6 per cent and the unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 63.0 and 7.4 per cent respectively.

Of the 2,070 Slovenia-born who were employed, 53.3 per cent were employed in a Skilled occupation, 24.8 per cent in Semi-Skilled and 22.0 per cent in Unskilled. The corresponding rates in the total Australian population were 52.6, 28.9 and 18.6 per cent respectively.

Citizenship

At the 2001 Census, 6,320 (94.6 per cent) Slovenia-born persons reported Australian Citizenship. 280 (4.2 per cent) reported a non-Australian citizenship and the remainder did not state their citizenship.

Language

Of the 4,680 Slovenia-born who spoke a language other than English at home, 90.0 per cent spoke English very well or well and 8.4 per cent spoke English not well or not at all.

Religion

At the 2001 Census the major religions amongst Slovenia-born were Western Catholic (5,840 persons), Jehovah's Witnesses (50 persons) and Lutheran (50 persons). Of the Slovenia-born, 4.0 per cent stated 'No Religion'. This was lower than that of the total Australian population (15.5 per cent)

Ancestry

In the 2001 Census, the top three ancestries that Slovenia-born persons reported were, Slovene (5,150), Serbian (190) and Austrian (100).

�tampaj stranicu Page last updated: 14-Jun-2006