Indians become largest migrant group in Australia at 971,020, overtaking England-born residents

Highlights:

• Indians are now the largest migrant group in Australia
• 971,020 India-born people live in Australia
• Overseas-born residents make up 32 per cent of the population
• Migration from Asian countries has increased significantly
• Immigration debates are rising due to housing shortages

Indians have become the largest migrant group in Australia for the first time. They have overtaken people born in England, according to new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The data highlights major changes in migration patterns. It also comes at a time when immigration is a sensitive political issue in Australia. There are ongoing debates about housing shortages and population growth.

As of June 30, 2025, Australia had 8.8 million people who were born overseas. These individuals made up 32.0 per cent of the country’s total population.

India, England, China, and New Zealand were the top countries of birth among migrants. India recorded the largest increase in overseas-born residents since 2015.

A total of 971,020 people in Australia were born in India. This represents 5.2 per cent of the population. This number is slightly higher than the 970,950 people born in England.

The number of England-born residents has been declining over time. It reached a peak of just over 1 million in 2013. However, there has been a small increase in the past two years.

China is the third-largest migrant group, with 732,000 people. New Zealand follows with 638,000.

Migration continues to play a key role in Australia’s population growth. The country has long had more people arriving than leaving.

The overseas-born population has been growing faster than the Australian-born population for many years. Since 2005, it has increased at an average rate of 3.0 per cent each year. In comparison, the Australian-born population has grown at a rate of 1.0 percent.

Because of this trend, the share of overseas-born residents has steadily increased. It rose from 24.2 percent in 2005 to 32.0 percent in 2025.

Migration patterns have also changed over time. More migrants are now coming from Asian countries.

In 2025, India became the largest overseas-born group for the first time. This follows strong growth over the past four years.

Between 2015 and 2025, India added 522,000 people to Australia’s overseas-born population. China added 223,000 people. The Philippines increased by 171,000, and Nepal grew by 163,000.

At the same time, some European-origin populations have declined. Italy’s population dropped by 46,000 people. England declined by 36,000, Greece by 29,000, and Germany by 18,000.

These groups also have older populations. Their median age was 60 or above in 2025. This reflects earlier migration waves after the Second World War.

Italy dropped out of Australia’s top 10 countries of birth in 2024. This was the first time since 1901.

Globally, migration is also increasing. The United Nations estimated that 304 million people were living outside their country of birth in 2024. This is 3.7 percent of the global population.

The United States had the largest number of migrants at 52.4 million. This accounted for 15.2 percent of its population. Germany had 16.8 million migrants, and Saudi Arabia had 13.7 million.

Australia ranked eighth worldwide. It had about 8.6 million overseas-born residents in 2024, making up 31.5 percent of its population.

Migration has supported Australia’s economy for many years. It has helped the country avoid recession since the early 1990s, except during the pandemic.

The population declined in 2021 when borders were closed. Since then, the share of overseas-born residents has increased each year. It rose from 29.5 percent in 2022 to 32 percent in 2025.

At the same time, immigration has become a major political issue. This is especially due to a housing shortage in the country.

The issue has increased support for the One Nation party. Its leader, Pauline Hanson, has long campaigned against immigration.