Samoan Australians refers to

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

citizens or residents who are of ethnic Samoan descent or people born in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

but grew up in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. However, there are many New Zealand-born Samoans living in Australia, known as Samoan New Zealand Australians. Most Samoans in

live in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

and

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Most people of Samoan heritage speak Samoan as their first language.

History

After

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

missionaries from Australia began visiting

in 1857, Samoan ministers began traveling to Australia for more training and to find work. However, Samoan and other non-European immigration to Australia was halted due to the White Australia policy in 1901. The next significant wave of Samoans to move to Australia was in the 1970s, where Samoans participated in educational programs sponsored by the Australian Government.

Demographics

According to the 2006 Australian census, 15,244 Australians were born in Samoa and 193 in American Samoa Total count of persons: 19,855,288. while 39,992 claimed Samoan ancestry, either alone or with another ancestry. Total responses: 25,451,383 for total count of persons: 19,855,288. The 2011 Australian census showed an increase in both categories as Australians who claimed Samoan ancestry was 55,843 and Samoa-born residents were 19,092. According to the 2016 Australian census, there are a total of 75,755 Australians with Samoan ancestry. This number includes the 24,017 Australian residents who were born in the

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands () are an archipelago covering in the central Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Political geography, Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Samoa, Indep ...

. 41.3 percent of Samoan Australians live in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, 33.9 percent live in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, 21.1 percent live in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, and just 1.9 percent live in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Samoan Australians are the second largest Polynesian group behind

Māori Australians Māori Australians () are Australians of Māori people, Māori heritage. The Māori presence in Australia dates back to the 19th century when Māori travelled to Sydney to trade, acquire new technology, and learn new ideas. The Māori populatio ...

. In 2016, 49.3% of people claiming Samoan ancestry in New South Wales spoke Samoan at home and 47.0% spoke English at home.

Notable people

* List of Samoans

References

Polynesian diaspora in Australia Samoan diaspora {{ethno-stub

History

Demographics

Notable people

See also

References