Pakistani Australian

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Pakistani Australians
Total population
31,277^[1] 0.14% of the Australian population
Regions with significant populations
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth & Gold Coast^[2]
Languages
English (Australian and Pakistani), Urdu, Saraiki , Punjabi, Pashto and others
Religion
Islam and Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Overseas Pakistani

Pakistani Australians refers to someone born in Australia of Pakistani descent or to someone who has immigrated to Australia from Pakistan or has Pakistani ancestry . Most Pakistani Australians are Muslims by religion though there is also a sizeable Christian minority.^[2]

History in Australia

Immigration to Australia from Pakistan mostly occurred in the 1970s, however Pakistani migrants can be dated back to the early 1950s. Early Muslim migrants (known as "Ghans") entered Australia as camel drivers in the late 1800s from areas which are now part of modern-day Pakistan.^[2] Since then the number of Pakistani immigrants increased dramatically, with thousands of Pakistanis entering the Australia each year since that time. Pakistani Australians tended to be urban, well-educated, and professional. Many of them had come from cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Hyderabad and Peshawar, and were familiar with Western culture and ways of living. Still most of the Pakistanis immigrating to the Australia are mainly students, professionals and economic migrants who do tend to have some sort of education.

‘Australia For Pakistanis’ by Syed Atiq ul Hassan, published in 2003, contains the story of Pakistanis who migrated to Australia. The author has documented his deep observations, research and investigatory revelations on the silent but growing Pakistani community in Australia. He met people who still hold the history of the last 60 years in their memories. During his study of early Muslim settlers in Australia he discovered that a significant number of cameleers, labourers and hawkers were from that part of the sub-continent that later became Pakistan. When he interviewed their descendants they claimed to be from Pakistani rather than Indian descent. The author traveled from city to city meeting people and visiting historical sites.

Demographics

Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics for 2009-10 indicate that there are about 31,277 Pakistani Australians.^[1] Sydney has one of the largest Pakistani communities in Oceania, and has been increasing since the point system was introduced to allow immigrants into Australia. According to the 2006 Census in Victoria there are an estimated 4,703 Pakistani born persons, with the majority living in Melbourne. The number has since tripled from the previous census which was in 1996. Those living in Victoria that are Pakistani born are highly educated with more than a third working in professional positions and about half working in 'clerical, production, service, transport and sales positions'.^[2]

There are many other shops with Pakistani and other South Asian related items for sale such as Pakistani clothing and entertainment. It is home to the largest South Asian marketplace in Oceania.

In 2012 7,400 Pakistani international students were studying in Australia, an increase from close to 5,000 in 2007. Under the Australia-Pakistan Scholarship Program, 500 scholarships were available to Pakistani students from 2005-2010 to facilitate postgraduate studies in Australia. Australia has become one of the largest markets for Pakistani students outside the United States and United Kingdom.^[3]

Notable people