Largest Foreign-Born Group in Australia 2026
Australia recorded a genuinely historic demographic milestone in 2026: for the first time since records began, India has overtaken England as the country’s single largest source of overseas-born residents. This shift ends more than 120 years of English dominance as Australia’s top country of birth, marking one of the most significant markers of the nation’s ongoing transformation from a predominantly Anglo-European migrant base toward a more Asia-oriented pattern of settlement.
This report breaks down the latest Australia foreign-born population statistics for 2026, covering the top countries of birth, fastest-growing and declining migrant communities, state-by-state settlement patterns, and the historical context behind this landmark shift. For broader context on migration levels and policy driving this change, see our companion piece on Australia immigration statistics. Whether you’re researching Australia’s changing migration patterns, comparing source countries over time, or simply looking for the current, complete picture of who makes up Australia’s overseas-born population, this article lays out the fullest data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Interesting Facts About Australia’s Largest Foreign-Born Group in 2026
| Interesting Fact | Data (30 June 2025, Latest Available) |
|---|---|
| Largest Foreign-Born Group | India, with 971,020 people — the first time on record |
| Second Largest Foreign-Born Group | England, with 970,950 people |
| Margin Between India and England | Just 70 people — a near-tie |
| Third Largest Foreign-Born Group | China, with 732,000 people |
| Fourth Largest Foreign-Born Group | New Zealand, with 638,000 people |
| Fifth Largest Foreign-Born Group | Philippines, with 412,530 people |
| Total Overseas-Born Population of Australia | 8.8 million people (32.0% of the total population) |
| India’s Population Growth Since 2015 | +522,000 people — the largest increase of any country |
| Years England Held the Top Position (Until 2025) | Since at least 1901 |
| Median Age of English-Born Residents | 60 or over |
| Overseas-Born Share of Australia’s Population (2005, For Comparison) | 24.2% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia’s Population by Country of Birth, June 2025.
As a content writer analyzing this data, the most striking fact about Australia’s largest foreign-born group in 2026 is just how close the transition actually was. India’s 971,020 residents edged out England’s 970,950 by a margin of just 70 people — arguably one of the narrowest demographic “changeovers” in Australia’s modern population history, yet one carrying genuine symbolic weight given that England has held the top position since at least 1901, when country-of-birth records first became reliably available.
The second major theme is the broader Asian reshaping of Australia’s migrant intake sitting behind this single headline swap. With China in third place (732,000) and the Philippines rounding out the top five (412,530, nearly doubling since 2015), three of Australia’s top five source countries are now Asian nations, compared to a historical pattern dominated almost entirely by the UK, Ireland, and continental Europe. Meanwhile, both England and Italy — Australia’s classic post-war migration sources — recorded population declines over the past decade, with median ages of 60 or above, reflecting a generation of post-WWII migrants who are now ageing and, in growing numbers, passing away, rather than being replaced by fresh arrivals from those same countries.
Top 10 Countries of Birth for Australia’s Overseas-Born Population 2026
| Rank | Country of Birth | Population (30 June 2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 971,020 |
| 2 | England | 970,950 |
| 3 | China | 732,000 |
| 4 | New Zealand | 638,000 |
| 5 | Philippines | 412,530 |
| 6 | Vietnam | Top 10, exact figure not separately confirmed |
| 7 | South Africa | Top 10, exact figure not separately confirmed |
| 8 | Nepal | Top 10, exact figure not separately confirmed |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | Top 10, exact figure not separately confirmed |
| 10 | Malaysia | Top 10, exact figure not separately confirmed |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia’s Population by Country of Birth, June 2025; SBS News analysis of ABS data.
The top five countries of birth — India, England, China, New Zealand, and the Philippines — together account for the overwhelming majority of Australia’s most visible migrant communities, with the Philippines’ 412,530 residents representing an increase that has nearly doubled since 2015, one of the strongest growth rates of any established source country. Rounding out the top ten, Vietnam, South Africa, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia all maintain substantial and growing overseas-born populations in Australia, though the ABS’s public release did not separately break out their exact 2025 figures alongside the top five.
This ranking represents a considerable shift even from just a decade earlier: as recently as the 2021 Census, the top four countries of birth were listed as England, India, China, and New Zealand — meaning India’s rise from second to first place has occurred entirely within the past few years, driven by sustained, rapid growth rather than any single dramatic event, in contrast to the steady, multi-decade decline of England’s position at the top of the list.
Fastest-Growing and Declining Migrant Communities 2026
| Country of Birth | Change Since 2015 |
|---|---|
| India | +522,000 — largest increase of any country |
| China | +223,000 |
| Philippines | +171,000 |
| Nepal | +163,000 |
| Italy | -46,000 — largest decrease |
| England | -36,000 |
| Greece | -29,000 |
| Germany | -18,000 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia’s Population by Country of Birth, June 2025.
Over the decade since 2015, India’s overseas-born population in Australia grew by 522,000 people, comfortably the largest increase recorded for any single country of birth, followed by China (+223,000), the Philippines (+171,000), and Nepal (+163,000). This growth pattern reflects Australia’s shifting skilled migration, international student, and family reunification pathways, which have increasingly drawn from South and East Asia rather than the traditional European sources that dominated Australia’s post-war migration era.
At the opposite end, the same decade saw notable population declines among Australia’s classic European migrant communities: Italy recorded the largest decrease of any country of birth at -46,000, dropping out of Australia’s top ten countries of birth entirely for the first time since 1901 in 2024, followed by England (-36,000), Greece (-29,000), and Germany (-18,000). The ABS attributes these declines directly to the ageing and passing of the generation who migrated to Australia in the years immediately following World War II, a cohort now uniformly recording a median age of 60 or above with limited new arrivals from those countries to replace them.
Historical Context: How Australia’s Top Country of Birth Has Changed
| Milestone | Detail |
|---|---|
| England’s Reign as Top Country of Birth | Since at least 1901 — over 120 years |
| 1891 Overseas-Born Share (Historical Peak, For Comparison) | 32.4% of the population |
| 1947 Overseas-Born Share (Historical Low) | 10%, following WWI, the Depression, and WWII |
| 2023 Overseas-Born Share | Exceeded 30% for the first time since 1893 |
| 2025 Overseas-Born Share | 32.0% — approaching the 1891 historical peak |
| Average Annual Growth Rate, Overseas-Born Population (Since 2005) | 3.0% per year |
| Average Annual Growth Rate, Australian-Born Population (Same Period) | 1.0% per year |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia’s Population by Country of Birth, June 2025; ABS historical population records.
India’s rise to the top of Australia’s country-of-birth rankings represents the end of an era that stretched back more than 120 years, since England had held the number one position continuously since at least 1901, when reliable country-of-birth records first began. This makes the 2025 changeover one of the most historically significant single data points in the entire ABS country-of-birth time series, rather than simply an incremental year-over-year shift.
Placed in even longer historical context, Australia’s current 32.0% overseas-born population share is now approaching the country’s all-time historical peak of 32.4% recorded in 1891, during a period of intense late-19th-century immigration. In between, the overseas-born share collapsed to just 10% by 1947 amid the disruption of two world wars and the Great Depression, before climbing steadily through sustained post-war immigration. Since 2005, Australia’s overseas-born population has grown at an average of 3.0% annually, three times the 1.0% average annual growth of the Australian-born population — a compounding effect that has driven the overseas-born share from 24.2% in 2005 to 32.0% in 2025, and which underpins exactly the kind of shift that allowed India to overtake England in the space of just one decade.
State and City Settlement Patterns for Foreign-Born Residents 2026
| Location | Overseas-Born Statistic |
|---|---|
| Sydney (2016 Census, Highest of Any City) | 1,773,496 overseas-born residents |
| Melbourne (2016 Census) | 1,520,253 overseas-born residents |
| Perth (2016 Census) | 702,545 overseas-born residents |
| State With Highest Overseas-Born Share (2021) | Western Australia, at 34.1% (down from 35.0% in 2016) |
| State With Largest Increase in Overseas-Born Share (2016-2021) | Tasmania, from 13.1% to 16.3% |
| Share of Migrants Living in Victoria or NSW (2016 Census) | 6 in 10 |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Census 2016 and 2021; Wikipedia compilation of ABS country-of-birth data by state.
Australia’s overseas-born population remains heavily concentrated in its largest cities, with Sydney recording the highest number of overseas-born residents of any Australian city, followed closely by Melbourne, while Perth trails as a distant but still substantial third. At the state level, Western Australia has consistently held the highest overseas-born population share of any state or territory, though this proportion has actually declined slightly, from 35.0% in 2016 to 34.1% in 2021, even as the state’s total overseas-born population grew in absolute terms.
Tasmania stands out for the opposite trend, recording the largest percentage-point increase in overseas-born population share of any state between 2016 and 2021, climbing from 13.1% to 16.3% — reflecting a broader pattern of newer migrants increasingly settling outside the traditional magnet states. Still, as of the most recent Census data, roughly six in ten migrants continue to live in either Victoria or New South Wales, confirming that despite this modest geographic diversification, Australia’s two most populous states remain by far the dominant destination for the country’s overseas-born population.
Disclaimer: The data research report we present here is based on information found from various sources. We are not liable for any financial loss, errors, or damages of any kind that may result from the use of the information herein. We acknowledge that though we try to report accurately, we cannot verify the absolute facts of everything that has been represented.
