The provided chart illustrates the proportions of individuals born within Australia and overseas who resided in cities, towns, and rural areas in the years 1950 and 2010.
Overall, there was a notable increase in urban living for both groups over the six-decade period, with a corresponding decline in town and rural populations. People born outside Australia consistently displayed a higher tendency to live in cities compared to locally-born individuals.
In 1950, half of the Australian-born population lived in cities, while 30% were in towns and 20% in rural areas. Among those born overseas, a higher proportion (60%) inhabited cities, with 15% in towns and 25% in rural settings. Thus, foreign-born residents were more urbanized even at the start of the period.
By 2010, the urban share of Australian-born individuals had risen to 65%, while town dwellers fell to 15% and rural remained constant at 20%. For overseas-born people, the urban proportion surged to 80%, with towns and rural areas each accounting for 10%. This indicates a significant shift towards cities, especially among immigrants, whose rural presence halved from 25% to 10%.