Indians overtake English as Australia’s top migrant group as foreign-born residents now a THIRD of population

Dan McDonald
Fri, 01 May 2026 00:56:08 +0000

For the first time in Australian history, India has overtaken England as the country’s largest source of migrants, marking a major demographic shift in the former British colony.

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show 971,020 Indian-born residents now live in Australia - narrowly surpassing the 970,950 people born in England.

The figures also reveal that almost one-third of Australia’s 27.6 million residents were born overseas.

A total of 8.83 million people - representing 32 per cent of the population - were born abroad, the highest proportion recorded since 1891 during the gold rush era.

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Australia’s population has grown by 3.8 million over the past decade, continuing a long-term post-war expansion.

English migration peaked in 2013 when more than one million England-born residents lived in Australia, but that figure has steadily declined.

Chinese-born residents now form the third-largest migrant group at 732,000.

New Zealand ranks fourth, with numbers rising from 618,000 in 2024 to 638,000 in 2025.

Filipino-born Australians complete the top five at 412,539 - a figure that has doubled over the past decade.

Growing migrant communities from Vietnam, South Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Malaysia are also reshaping Australia’s demographic landscape.

The data shows overseas-born residents are also getting younger on average, with their median age falling from 46 in 2005 to 43 today.

Australia now ranks eighth globally for the proportion of foreign-born residents.

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The bombshell new figures have intensified scrutiny of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's approach to migration.

Last year, an Australian National University report found just 12 per cent of places in the migration programme were allocated directly to skilled workers.

The majority instead went to family members of existing skilled migrants.

Australia’s 2025/26 permanent migration programme allows 185,000 entrants through the skilled stream, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirming no reduction for the current financial year.

Mr Burke has defended the approach, insisting: “Modern Australia and multicultural Australia are the same thing.”

However, opposition leader Angus Taylor insisted that the number migrants pouring into the country is "too high".

Economist Leith van Onselen also warned that rising concentrations of Indian and Chinese voters in major cities could reshape long-term political dynamics.

Australia’s population is now projected to hit 31.5 million by 2035.