Short answer: the largest country-of-birth group of overseas-born Australian residents in 2025 is India. India overtook England as the largest single source country in the 2020-2022 period (Australian Bureau of Statistics, “Migration, Australia” series). The second-largest is China; third is England (UK as a whole); fourth is the Philippines; fifth is Vietnam.
The shift from England to India as the largest single source country is one of the most-significant demographic changes in Australia’s history.
The Top 10 Country-of-Birth Groups
Per ABS Migration, Australia 2024 (estimates from 2021 Census plus annual updates):
- India — approximately 850,000 residents
- China — approximately 670,000
- England — approximately 950,000 (note: total UK is over 1.1 million when Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are included)
- The Philippines — approximately 320,000
- Vietnam — approximately 280,000
- New Zealand — approximately 580,000
- Italy — approximately 175,000
- Sri Lanka — approximately 165,000
- South Africa — approximately 220,000
- Malaysia — approximately 175,000
Note: ABS data presents England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland separately. When combined as the UK, the UK remains the second-largest source country behind India.
Why India Has Overtaken England
Several factors drove the shift:
- Skilled migration program priorities — Australia’s points-based skilled migration system has favoured Indian applicants in IT, accounting, engineering, and healthcare since the late 2010s
- Student migration — large numbers of Indian international students at Australian universities, with pathways to permanent residency
- Family reunion — established Indian Australian community drives chain migration
- English-language proficiency — Indian applicants meet language requirements at high rates
- Demographic trends in source countries — UK net migration to Australia has slowed since 2010; Indian net migration has accelerated
The UK’s Continuing Importance
Despite being overtaken by India, UK-born residents remain a significant Australian community. The combined UK figure (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) is over 1.1 million. UK-born Australians are concentrated in:
- Bayside Melbourne (Brighton, Sandringham)
- Inner-east Melbourne (Kew, Camberwell, Hawthorn)
- North Shore Sydney (Mosman, North Sydney, Lane Cove)
- Eastern Suburbs Sydney (Bondi, Coogee, Vaucluse)
- Adelaide Hills and inner-north Adelaide
- Perth’s western suburbs (Cottesloe, Subiaco)
The UK community has the deepest historical roots and the strongest cultural infrastructure (cricket clubs, lawn bowls, GPS schools, Anglican churches).
Annual Migration Numbers
Net overseas migration to Australia in 2023-2024:
- Around 500,000 net overseas arrivals (a record high, partly post-COVID rebound)
- India: approximately 80,000 net arrivals
- China: approximately 50,000
- The Philippines: approximately 30,000
- The UK: approximately 25,000
The UK contribution is smaller than India’s or China’s but remains in the top 5 source countries annually.
Where Migrants Settle
The top 5 settlement destinations:
- Sydney (around 35% of all new arrivals)
- Melbourne (around 30%)
- Brisbane (around 12%)
- Perth (around 9%)
- Adelaide (around 6%)
Within Melbourne and Sydney, settlement patterns differ by source country:
- Indian-Australian community concentrates in Melbourne’s outer east (Glen Waverley, Mount Waverley, Wheelers Hill) and Sydney’s Hills District (Castle Hill, Parramatta)
- Chinese-Australian community concentrates in Melbourne’s outer east (Box Hill, Glen Waverley) and Sydney’s Hurstville/Chatswood
- UK community concentrates in inner-east Melbourne and North Shore Sydney (already detailed above)
- Vietnamese community concentrates in Melbourne’s Footscray/Richmond and Sydney’s Cabramatta
- Filipino community concentrates in Sydney’s Western Suburbs (Blacktown, Liverpool)
Indigenous Australians
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (around 3.8% of national population, ABS 2021) are not “immigrants” in the demographic sense — they have continuous occupation of the continent for over 65,000 years. Indigenous population is younger, more dispersed, and concentrated in northern Australia, regional NSW, and regional QLD.
Historical Context
Pre-1970s, the dominant migration source was the UK and Ireland. Post-WWII saw substantial Italian, Greek, Yugoslav and German migration; the post-1975 period added Vietnamese and Lebanese; the post-2000 period has been dominated by Indian, Chinese and Filipino migration.
The “White Australia Policy” was formally dismantled in 1973. The transition to a non-discriminatory migration program has produced the modern multicultural composition.
What This Means for You
For UK migrants moving to Australia in 2026: you’re joining a smaller, more-established community that’s been in Australia for 200+ years rather than a recent migration wave. UK migrants typically settle in the established UK-aesthetic suburbs (Brighton in Melbourne, North Shore in Sydney) and integrate into existing British-Australian community infrastructure (cricket clubs, schools, professional networks).
For UK migrants choosing where to settle, see where do most Brits live in Australia, Living in Brighton as a British Expat, and Living in Kew as a British Expat.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au) “Migration, Australia” series and “Estimated Resident Population” data are the authoritative sources for the figures cited.