By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong’s proud cultural diversity was confirmed in the 2021 Census data, with two-thirds of residents being born overseas.
The figure, however, slightly dipped from 64.2 per cent in 2016 to 63.4 per cent last year.
It is roughly double the rate across Victoria (35 per cent) and Australia (33 per cent).
Greater Dandenong is regarded as the nation’s most diverse municipality, home to 157 nationalities.
According to census data, overseas-born residents most commonly hailed from Vietnam (9.3 per cent), India (7.5 per cent), Cambodia (5.5 per cent), Sri Lanka (4 per cent) and China (3 per cent).
In the suburbs of Dandenong, Doveton, Hallam and Eumemmerring, about one in 10 are born in Afghanistan.
In Lyndhurst, 19 per cent of residents were born in India.
A similar proportion of Vietnamese-born residents are in Springvale.
In Springvale South, about 15 per cent of residents were born in Cambodia, and 20 per cent in Vietnam.
Noble Park’s population includes 10 per cent born in Vietnam and 10 per cent in India.
Meanwhile, Bangholme is home to the highest rate of Australian-born residents – 59 per cent.
It also has the municipality’s oldest median age of 71 and highest rates of owning their homes outright (76 per cent).
The most common ancestries in Greater Dandenong are Chinese (12 per cent), Vietnamese (11 per cent). English (11 per cent), Australian (10 per cent) and Khmer (7 per cent).
About three-quarters of Greater Dandenong residents reported both of their parents were born overseas – compared to 41 per cent of Victorian respondents.
Just 11 per cent of residents had both parents born in Australia.
A high number of multilingual residents were also recorded. About 71 per cent of residents speak non-English languages at home.
As was the national trend, the marriage rate in Greater Dandenong dipped from 51 per cent to 48 per cent.
In Greater Dandenong, ‘No Religion’ became the most popular religious affiliation (21 per cent), plus 6.6 per cent were ‘not stated’.
About 18 per cent Identified as Catholic, 16 per cent Buddhist and 14 per cent Islam.
