The bar chart illustrates the shifts in the proportion of Australian-born and overseas-born residents living in urban, rural, and town areas between 1995 and 2010. Both groups exhibited notable changes in their population distribution across these three locations over the fifteen-year period.
Overall, a clear trend shows a consistent increase in the percentage of both Australian-born and overseas-born individuals residing in urban areas. Conversely, the proportion of people living in rural areas declined for both groups. The percentage of those living in towns remained relatively stable for Australian-born residents, while showing a slight decrease for overseas-born individuals.
Specifically, the percentage of Australian-born people living in urban areas rose significantly from approximately 68% in 1995 to over 75% in 2010. In contrast, the rural population of Australian-born individuals decreased from around 18% to under 12% during the same period. The percentage residing in towns remained relatively constant, fluctuating only slightly around 13%. For overseas-born residents, the urban population experienced a substantial increase, rising from roughly 60% in 1995 to almost 72% in 2010. Simultaneously, the proportion living in rural areas fell from about 15% to just over 8%, while the percentage in towns decreased marginally from approximately 25% to 20%.