Sudanese Australians ( ar, أستراليون سودانيون) are people of Sudanese origin or descent living in Australia. The largest population of Sudanese Australians reside in
Victoria (6,085).
Brief history
Early migration
Before the
First Sudanese Civil War, most Sudanese migrants arrived in Australia to pursue educational opportunities in both undergraduate and post graduate institutions across Australia. The large number of Sudanese migrant settled in the states like Victoria and New South Wales.
After the first civil war
A larger influx of Sudanese emigrated to Australia as a result of political and economic problems. The most noticeable exodus occurred among professional and middle class Sudanese who along with their children took advantage of education and employment opportunities in Australia to emigrate.
After the second civil war
Since 1983, fighting between Sudan's government and the rebels in the south has killed about two million people. The fighting in Sudan has interfered with the production and distribution of food and caused widespread hunger. Many civilians in southern Sudan had fled their region because of this crisis. Some Sudanese Australians returned to their ancestral homeland when the conflict officially ended in 2005.
Crime and social issues
Sudanese Australians have significant over-representation in many of Australia's crime statistics. Despite making up 0.16% of the total population of the state of
Victoria, Sudanese-born offenders made up 7% of individuals charged in home invasions, 6% of those in car theft offenses and 14% of individuals charged with aggravated robbery offenses in 2016. Australians born in Sudan also had the highest imprisonment rate of any immigrant group in Australia, with imprisonment rates at nearly three times the Australian average in 2014. Sudanese-born offenders continue to be significantly over-represented in crime statistics; in 2018 they were by far the immigrant group with the highest offending rate in the state of Victoria, relative to their population size. Between 2015-2018 Sudanese-born males aged 10-17 had the highest rate of 'crimes against a person' offenses of 60/1,000, compared to a rate of 20/1,000 for Indigenous and 2/1,000 for non-Indigenous Australian born youth.
Census data
The recorded 19,369 people born in
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. Of these, the largest number were living in the state of
Victoria, (6,085), followed by
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
(5,629),
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
(2,722) and then
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
(2,582). 17,186 people indicated that they were of full or partial Sudanese ancestry.
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship notes that
South Sudan
South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
became independent from the Republic of Sudan on 9 July 2011, shortly before the census, and that "country of birth figures as completed by individuals at the time of the 2011 Census may not fully reflect this change".
The census, held in August, included both Sudan and South Sudan amongst the country of birth and ancestry options.
According to the , there were 19,049 Sudanese-born Australian residents, many of whom had arrived very recently: 77% since 2000.
Between 1996 and 2005, the largest increase in Australian people born overseas were Sudanese, at 28% per year. Other fast-growing overseas-born groups were people from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
(12% average increase per year) and Iraq (10%). Australian residents from
sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the List of sov ...
increased on average by 6% per year over this period.
Australian Bureau of Statistics ''Australian Migration''
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In the 2006 Census 17,848 residents in Australia reported having Sudanese ancestry. People of Sudanese descent now live in almost every capital city in Australia, particularly Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
(5,911), Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
(5,335) and Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
(1,993)
Notable Sudanese Australians
*Yassmin Abdel-Magied
Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese–Australian media presenter and writer, who had an early career as a mechanical engineer. She was named Young Queenslander of the Year in 2010 and Queensland Australian of the Year in 2015 for her engagement ...
- Engineer, author, television presenter and activist
*Edmond Atalla
Edmond Atalla (born 17 July 1960) is an Australian politician and professional engineer. A member of the Australian Labor Party (New South Wales Branch), Labor Party, Atalla has represented Electoral district of Mount Druitt, Mount Druitt in the ...
- Labor politician
See also
* African Australians
African Australians refers to Australians who were born on the African continent and migrated to Australia, or who have or had an immediate ancestor who made such a migration. Large-scale immigration from Africa to Australia is only a recent ph ...
* South Sudanese Australians
South Sudanese Australians are people of South Sudanese ancestry or birth who live in Australia.
Demographics
Following South Sudan's independence in July 2011, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) included the country amongst the country ...
* Sudanese Americans
* Sudanese British
References
External links
Sudanese Stories - An oral history project recording the migration journeys and settlement experiences of southern Sudanese refugees now living in Blacktown, Western Sydney.
Australian Migration ABS migration statistics
{{Sudanese diaspora
Immigration to Australia
Sudanese diaspora
African Australian