Latin American Migrants in Australia: A Systematic Review of the Data and Literature

Abstract

ABSTRACT Australia’s rapidly growing Latin American community is attracting increasing scholarly interest. This article builds a statistical and thematic profile of what we know from the scholarship about Latin Americans in Australia, and identifies key areas requiring further attention. Two methods were employed: (1) the first systematic review of the literature published to date on Latin American people in Australia; (2) a quantitative study of Latin Americans in Australia, using data extracted from the Australian Census 2016, and immigration information from 2016 to December 2019. Both focused on the question: “What do we know about the characteristics and adaptations of Latin American migrants in Australia, and what remains to be researched?” While there is considerable literature, many areas have been neglected. The most significant gaps are in the areas of political engagement; health and wellbeing (especially for children, men, and students); student experiences and pathways; gender; and trade and economics.