Where the Italian community lives in Gold Coast

Broadbeach has the largest Italian community: 5.5% of residents reported Italian ancestry, 0.9% were born in Italy, and 1.2% speak Italian at home. Clear Island Waters and Mermaid Beach follow. These 15 suburbs came from a field of 64 eligible Gold Coast suburbs.

This page ranks Gold Coast suburbs by where the Italian community is most established, using the 2021 Census. Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who reported Italian ancestry, and each one also shows the share who were born in Italy and speak Italian at home. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are ranked.

No single number captures a community on its own — ancestry is the broadest (it includes Australian-born second and third generations), country of birth captures migrants, and language spoken at home tracks the actively speaking core. We show every angle the 2021 Census publishes for the Italian community so you can see the full picture. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry" rather than an exclusive count. Percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool. This is descriptive demographic information, not a recommendation.

Where the Italian community lives in Gold Coast

Ranked by the share of residents who reported Italian ancestry in the 2021 Census, among suburbs with at least 2,000 residents. Each suburb also shows the share who were born in Italy and speak Italian at home — the angles the census publishes on where the Italian community is established.

Broadbeach

QLD 4218 · 6,786 residents

6% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Clear Island Waters

QLD 4226 · 4,395 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Mermaid Beach

QLD 4218 · 7,329 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Surfers Paradise

QLD 4217 · 26,412 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Mermaid Waters

QLD 4218 · 13,088 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Broadbeach Waters

QLD 4218 · 8,164 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Miami

QLD 4220 · 7,445 residents

5% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Bundall

QLD 4217 · 4,895 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Palm Beach

QLD 4221 · 16,349 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Coolangatta

QLD 4225 · 6,491 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Burleigh Heads

QLD 4220 · 10,572 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Tugun

QLD 4224 · 7,175 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Tallai

QLD 4213 · 4,465 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Varsity Lakes

QLD 4227 · 16,493 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 0% born in Italy · 0% speak Italian

Main Beach

QLD 4217 · 3,998 residents

4% Italian ancestry · 1% born in Italy · 1% speak Italian

Ranked from 64 qualifying suburbs.

How we ranked these

Ranked on the share of residents who reported this ancestry (the broadest signal — it includes Australian-born second and third generations) in the 2021 Census, percentile-ranked within Gold Coast's candidate pool. Every suburb also shows all three census angles — ancestry, country of birth, and language spoken at home — because no single number captures a community on its own. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents qualify. Ancestry is a multiple-response question, so shares read as "residents who reported this ancestry", not an exclusive count. Descriptive ABS Census data, not a recommendation. See how we calculate for the full methodology.

Common questions about this ranking

How is this ranking put together?

Suburbs are ordered by the share of residents who reported Italian ancestry. Ancestry is the broadest measure — it includes Australian-born second and third generations, not just migrants. Only suburbs with at least 2,000 residents are included, and percentile ranks are computed within Gold Coast's pool, so the list reflects concentration relative to other metro suburbs.

What do the percentages on each suburb mean?

They are different census angles on the Italian community: ancestry is the broadest, since it includes people born here, country of birth counts only those who migrated, and language at home counts the actively speaking core. They rarely match, and seeing them together tells you whether a suburb's community is long-established, newly-arrived, or somewhere in between.

Why don't the percentages add up?

They measure different things and come from different census questions. Ancestry is a multiple-response question (a person can report up to two), so it isn't a clean share of population; birthplace counts only people born overseas; and language counts only those who still speak it at home. This is descriptive demographic data, not a recommendation to seek out or avoid anywhere.

How current is it?

The figures are from the 2021 Census, the most recent available until results from the August 2026 Census are released in 2027. The top 15 is recomputed whenever we refresh the census data.

Same list in other cities

Related

Rankings last computed 12 October 2026. Recomputed after each ACARA schools data refresh.