Cultural Development and Diversity

The 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census shows that the population of Greater Shepparton is 65,076 with over 12% of the population came from countries where English was not their first language. 2.1% of the population speaks Italian at home followed by Arabic at 1.9%. The three largest ancestries in the City of Greater Shepparton in 2016 were Australian, English and Irish followed by Scottish, Italian and German respectively.

In the City of Greater Shepparton, the number of non-religious persons experienced the greatest change (+5,241) compared to Christians and non-Christians in 2016. 24.6 % of the population is Roman Catholic, followed by Anglican, Uniting Church and Islam at 11.5%, 6.1% and 5.5%.

The original inhabitants of the Shepparton area were the Yorta-Yorta Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 3.4% of the Greater Shepparton population, around 2,186 people.

Greater Shepparton is an attractive place to a wide range of migrants for a variety of reasons. These include our history of migration and reputation of welcoming new arrivals, social factors such as family or community members already living in the region, the lifestyle of a country town with the economic and employment opportunities of a city and the agricultural industry.

Greater Shepparton City Council is committed to continuing to promote the diversity of our region and strengthening the sustainability and culture of communities which reside in the area.