India becomes Australia’s largest foreign-born group

The Indian-born population is now Australia’s largest estimated foreign-born resident group for the first time in years.

The new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the Indian people reached an estimated 971,020 as of June 2025, overtaking the English-born, who were at 970,950.

The year prior, English-born residents in the country stood at 963,560, ahead of the Indian-born residents at 916,330.

The recent shift comes as the Indian-born saw a surge in population since 2015, whereas the English witnessed a decline.

As per the historical population data figures, since 1901, England has consistently remained Australia’s largest foreign-born group.

Estimated resident population

The ABS data showed that an estimated population of 731,540 Chinese-born migrants were residing in Australia.

They were recorded as the country’s second-fastest-growing population group.

The Kiwis were fourth in the list, comprising 2.3 per cent of the estimated resident population with 637,680.

The Philippines, Vietnam, South Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, in descending order, were the next largest foreign-born populations.

Australia is home to 8.8 million foreign-born residents, making up 32 per cent of its total Estimated Resident Population of 27.6 million.

“The median age of those born overseas has fluctuated over time, peaking at a median of 46 years in 2002 and decreasing to 44 years in 2019,” the ABS said in its release on Wednesday.

“In 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decrease in younger people (such as international students) migrating to Australia, the median age of the overseas-born population increased to 45 years.”

The median age for the Australian-born population was 35, up from 33 in the year 2005.

Australia ranks eighth globally for foreign-born residents. The United States has the most international migrants, with 52.4 million foreign-born residents accounting for 15% of the country’s population.

-Indian Express