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Kenyan Australians
Total population
13,832 (by birth) [1]
3,786 (by ancestry) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Western Australia4,397 [1]
Victoria2,850 [1]
New South Wales2,764 [1]
Queensland2,062 [1]
Languages
English · Swahili ·  · Kalenjin · Gujarati · Kikuyu · Dinka · Luo · Languages of Kenya
Religion
Christianity · Islam · Hinduism · Other
Related ethnic groups
African Australians, Ugandan Australians, Tanzanian Australians, South Sudanese Australians, Ethiopian Australians, Somali Australians

Kenyan Australians are Australian citizens and residents of Kenyan origin and descent. They may be of indigenous African, European, or Indian heritage. [2]

Background

Uncertainties about the future of colonial-run Kenya prompted many Kenyan-born settlers of both European and Indian backgrounds to migrate to other countries, including Australia. There are also many Swahili-speaking Kenyans of indigenous African ancestry. [2] The majority of such migrants had no difficulty getting work and settling into the Australian community. [2]

The majority of Kenyan Australians are skilled and educated, with 72.5% of the Kenyan-born aged 15 years and over possessing higher non-school qualifications, compared to 55.9% of the Australian population. [2]

Population

The 2016 Census noted there are 17,652 Kenya-born people in Australia. [3] [2] About one in five Australians who claim Kenyan ancestry live in Sydney. [4]

Languages

The languages most commonly spoken at home by Kenyan-born Australians are English and Swahili, however Kikuyu, Luo, Kalenjin, Gujarati, Dinka and other languages are not uncommon. [2] Kikuyu is a Kenyan language spoken by over one hundred Australians at home, and Luo is also spoken by about one hundred Australians. [5]

About 5,000 Kenyan-born Australians speak a language indigenous to Africa at home. [6] Some of the over 10,700 Australian-born who speak an African language may also speak a language of Kenya. [6]

The 74 languages the Special Broadcasting Service broadcasts in includes Swahili and Dinka, both languages spoken by many Kenyan-born Australians. [7]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "The Kenya-born Community: Historical Background (2011 census)". Australian Government, Department of Immigration and Border Protection. 19 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Community Information Summary: Kenya-born (2011 census)" (PDF). Department of Immigration & Citizenship. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2014.
  3. ^ "2016 QuickStats Country of Birth". quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  4. ^ 2006 Census
  5. ^ The People of Australia: Statistics from the 2011 Census (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Immigration and Border Protection. 2014. ISBN  978-1-920996-23-9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b "SBS Census Explorer". SBS Online. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  7. ^ "SBS unveils new Radio Schedule". SBS News. Retrieved 27 April 2018.