India and Nepal big movers among overseas-born living in Australia

The number of Indian-born people living in Australia has more than doubled in the last decade to over 750,000, pushing India above China and New Zealand as the second biggest country of origin.

Growing numbers of people born in India and Nepal are now living in Australia.

The number of Indian-born people living in Australia has more than doubled in the last decade to over 750,000, pushing India above China and New Zealand as the second-biggest country of ­origin for overseas-born, behind only England.

And those born in Nepal now living in Australia are the fastest growing cohort, increasing from 30,000 to over 150,000 since 2012, new Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows. Almost as many Nepalese people as Italians now live in Australia.

Western Australia has the largest proportion of overseas-born residents among states and territories at 34 per cent, the ABS data finds, with Tasmania the lowest at 16 per cent, but the Apple Isle has the fastest growing cohort of overseas-born in the last five years.

The ABS Australia’s Population by Country of Birth report shows 155,000 overseas-born were added to the Australian population in 2022, taking it to 29.5 per cent of the total, or almost three in every 10 people. Total overseas-born now sits at 7.7 million out of the 26 million population. By international standards, Australia has a high proportion of overseas-born residents, with the US at 15.3 per cent, Canada at 21.3 per cent, France at 13.1 per cent and the UK at 13.8 per cent.

“Those born in England, India, China and New Zealand were the largest groups of people born overseas nationally, together making up over one third of all migrants living in Australia in 2022,” ABS head of migration statistics Jenny Dobak said.

“People born in England continued to be the largest migrant group at 961,000, followed by people born in India, at 754,000.”.

While England remains highest, it is falling over time. The number of people born in ­England has been steadily declining since reaching a peak of more than a million in 2013.

The number for India has ­increased rapidly since 2012 when it sat at 355,000. After a rapid increase between 2012 and 2017, the number of Chinese-born living in Australia has declined in the last five years to just under 600,000.

“In 2022, of the top 10 countries of birth of the overseas-born population, the migrant group with the oldest median age was from Italy at 73 years, and the group with the youngest median age came from Nepal, at 29 years,” Ms Dobak said.

“This reflects the changing source countries of Australia’s migrants over many decades.”

At the first national census in 1891, 32 per cent of the population was born overseas. The lowest recorded was in 1947 when it fell to 10 per cent, the result of migration being curtailed during World War II. It has risen rapidly post-war, but Covid saw both the number and proportion of migrants decline in 2021 as a result of the strict travel restrictions which limited people coming in and also those Australian born leaving to live overseas.