Kurdish Australians

Kurdish Australians
Total population
7,000
Languages
Kurdish, Australian English, (some knowledge of Turkish, Arabic and Persian)
Religion
Majority Sunni Islam
Related ethnic groups
Kurdish Americans, Kurdish British

Kurdish Australians refers to Australians of Kurdish origin or descent. Approximately 10,000 people in the Australia claim to be of Kurdish ancestry according to 2016 Census by Australian Bureau of Statistics. Nearly 6,200 people in Australia claim to be speaking Kurdish at home in the same Census data.

History

In Australia, Kurdish migrants first arrived in the second half of the 1960s, mainly from Turkey.[1] In the late 1970s families from Syria and Lebanon were also present in Australia.[1] Since the second half of the 1980s, the majority of Kurds arriving in Australia have been from Iraq and Iran; many of them were accepted under the Humanitarian Programme.[1] However, Kurds from Lebanon, Armenia and Georgia have also migrated to Australia.

Distribution

The majority live in SydneyandMelbourne.[1] In Sydney, they are mainly found in the suburbs of Auburn, Lakemba, Lidcombe, Bankstown, Punchbowl and the surrounds, which are suburbs in the LGA areas of Cumberland Council and Canterbury-Bankstown Council.

Religion among Kurdish Speakers (2016)[2]

  Islam (61.1%)
  No Religion (31.5%)
  Other (7.4%)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jupp 2001, 550.
  2. ↑ "Census Explorer". Statistics of Australia. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
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