Migrants from the United Kingdom have long been Australia’s primary immigrant group and in 2023 there were roughly 960 thousand English-born people living in Australia. India and China held second and third place respectively with regard to Australia’s foreign-born population. The relative dominance of Asian countries in the list of top ten foreign-born residents of Australia represents a significant shift in Australia’s immigration patterns over the past few decades. Where European-born migrants had previously overshadowed other migrant groups, Australian migration figures are now showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific. A history of migration Australia is often referred to as an ‘immigrant nation’, alongside the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. Before the Second World War, migrants to Australia were almost exclusively from the UK, however after 1945, Australia’s immigration policy was broadened to attract economic migrants and temporary skilled migrants. These policy changes saw and increase in immigrants particularly from Greece and Italy. Today, Australia maintains its status as an ‘’Immigrant nation’’, with almost 30 percent of the population born overseas and around 50 percent of the population having both that were born overseas. Australian visas The Australian immigration program has two main categories of visa, permanent and temporary. The permanent visa category offers three primary pathways: skilled, family and humanitarian. The skilled visa category is by far the most common, with more than a million permanent migrants living in Australia on this visa category at the last Australian census in 2021. Of the temporary visa categories, the higher education visa is the most popular, exceeding 180 thousand arrivals in 2023.

In 2019 there were 1,262,204 migrants from the United Kingdom in Australia. The next largest migrant groups were people from China and New Zealand at over 600,000 migrants each. More recently Australian migration figures are showing greater migration numbers from neighboring countries in Asia and the Pacific and reduced numbers of European-born migrants.

This dataset, released August 2017, contains the top ten birthplaces of people born in non-English speaking countries, 2016. The data comprise residents of Australia who were born overseas in one of the predominantly non-English speaking countries which are in the top ten for Australia in terms of high numbers of migrants. These are, from highest to lowest: China, India, Philippines, Vietnam, Italy, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Germany, Republic of Korea (South), and Greece. The data is by Primary Health Network (PHN) 2017 geographic boundaries based on the 2016 Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). There are 31 PHNs set up by the Australian Government. Each network is controlled by a board of medical professionals and advised by a clinical council and community advisory committee. The boundaries of the PHNs closely align with the Local Hospital Networks where possible. For more information please see the data source notes on the data. Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on the ABS Census of Population and Housing, August 2016. AURIN has spatially enabled the original data. Data that was not shown/not applicable/not published/not available for the specific area ('#', '..', '^', 'np, 'n.a.', 'n.y.a.' in original PHIDU data) was removed.It has been replaced by by Blank cells. For other keys and abbreviations refer to PHIDU Keys.

In 2023, the number of international migrants to and from South Korea amounted to about 1.28 million people. This is an increase compared to the previous years caused by travel restrictions in response to COVID-19.

Residents of Australia who were born overseas in one of the predominantly non-English speaking countries which are in the top ten for Australia in terms of high numbers of migrants, 2011 (highest to lowest: China, India, Italy, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Germany, Greece, Sri Lanka and Lebanon) (all entries that were classified as not shown, not published or not applicable were assigned a null value; no data was provided for Maralinga Tjarutja LGA, in South Australia). The data is by LGA 2015 profile (based on the LGA 2011 geographic boundaries). Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on ABS Census 2011 data.

As of October 2024, the United States had nearly 413,400 Japanese citizens, making it the country with the highest number of Japanese residents outside of Japan itself. The United States counted around four times as many Japanese citizens as second-placed Australia.  Japanese immigrants in the United States Lately, there has been an increase in the migration of Japanese individuals, especially to the United States, which has the largest immigrant population worldwide. This surge in Japanese migration to the United States can largely be attributed to the substantial presence of Japanese companies with offices in the country, which ranks among the highest globally. Consequently, many Japanese nationals choose to relocate to the United States in pursuit of employment opportunities offered by these companies.  Status of immigrants in Japan The total number of foreign residents in Japan has been rising lately, with Tokyo having the highest number of foreign nationals registered among 47 prefectures. The main nationality of foreign residents living in Japan are people from the Asia region: China, Vietnam, and South Korea. The increasing number of foreign nationals working in Japan is indicative of the growing interest in job opportunities within the country.

Among countries with the highest number of overseas Chinese on each continent, the largest Chinese diaspora community is living in Indonesia, numbering more than ten million people. Most of these people are descendants from migrants born in China, who have moved to Indonesia a long time ago. On the contrary, a large part of overseas Chinese living in Canada and Australia have arrived in these countries only during the last two decades. China as an emigration country Many Chinese people have emigrated from their home country in search of better living conditions and educational chances. The increasing number of Chinese emigrants has benefited from loosened migration policies. On the one hand, the attitude of the Chinese government towards emigration has changed significantly. Overseas Chinese are considered to be strong supporters for the overall strength of Chinese culture and international influence. On the other hand, migration policies in the United States and Canada are changing with time, expanding migration opportunities for non-European immigrants. As a result, China has become one of the world’s largest emigration countries as well as the country with the highest outflows of high net worth individuals. However, the mass emigration is causing a severe loss of homegrown talents and assets. The problem of talent and wealth outflow has raised pressing questions to the Chinese government, and a solution to this issue is yet to be determined. Popular destinations among Chinese emigrants Over the last decades, English speaking developed countries have been popular destinations for Chinese emigrants. In 2022 alone, the number of people from China naturalized as U.S. citizens had amounted to over 27,000 people, while nearly 68,000 had obtained legal permanent resident status as “green card” recipients. Among other popular immigration destinations for Chinese riches are Canada, Australia, Europe, and Singapore.

In 2023, the number of people from the United States registered as residents in Japan amounted to approximately 63.4 thousand people. This represented an increase from the previous year, which marked about 60.8 thousand residents.

The statistic shows the total population of Australia from 1980 to 2021, with projections up until 2029. In 2021, Australia had a total population of about 25.77 million people. Population of Australia Australia is among the ten largest countries in the world, in terms of area size, although its total population is low in relation to this. Much of Australia’s interior remains uninhabited, as the majority of Australians live in coastal metropolises and cities. Most of the population is of European descent (predominantly British), although there is a growing share of the population with Asian heritage; only a small percentage belongs to the indigenous Aboriginal population. Australia's year-on-year population growth is fairly high compared to most other economically and demographically advanced nations, due to comparatively high rates of natural increase and immigration. Living standards Standard of living is fairly high in Australia, which can be seen when looking at the Human Development Index, which ranks countries by their level of human development and living standards, such as their unemployment rate, literacy rate, or life expectancy at birth. Life expectancy of Australia’s population is quite high in international comparison, for example, Australia is also among the leading countries when it comes to this key factor.

Economically speaking, Australia is also among the leading nations, with a steadily rising employment rate, an increasing gross domestic product (GDP) with a steady growth rate, and a relatively stable share in the global GDP.

Humans have been living on the continent of Australia (name derived from "Terra Australis"; Latin for "the southern land") for approximately 65,000 years, however population growth was relatively slow until the nineteenth century. Europeans had made some contact with Australia as early as 1606, however there was no significant attempt at settlement until the late eighteenth century. By 1800, the population of Australia was approximately 350,000 people, and the majority of these were Indigenous Australians. As colonization progressed the number of ethnic Europeans increased while the Australian Aboriginal population was decimated through conflict, smallpox and other diseases, with some communities being exterminated completely, such as Aboriginal Tasmanians. Mass migration from Britain and China After the loss of its American colonies in the 1780s, the British Empire looked to other parts of the globe to expand its sphere of influence. In Australia, the first colonies were established in Sydney, Tasmania and Western Australia. Many of these were penal colonies which became home to approximately 164,000 British and Irish convicts who were transported to Australia between 1788 and 1868. As the decades progressed, expansion into the interior intensified, and the entire country was claimed by Britain in 1826. Inland colonization led to further conflict between European settlers and indigenous Australians, which cost the lives of thousands of natives. Inward expansion also saw the discovery of many natural resources, and most notably led to the gold rushes of the 1850s, which attracted substantial numbers of Chinese migrants to Australia. This mass migration from non-European countries eventually led to some restrictive policies being introduced, culminating with the White Australia Policy of 1901, which cemented ethnic-European dominance in Australian politics and society. These policies were not retracted until the second half of the 1900s. Independent Australia Australia changed its status to a British dominion in 1901, and eventually became independent in 1931. Despite this, Australia has remained a part of the British Commonwealth, and Australian forces (ANZAC) fought with the British and their Allies in both World Wars, and were instrumental in campaigns such as Gallipoli in WWI, and the South West Pacific Theater in WWII. The aftermath of both wars had a significant impact on the Australian population, with approximately 90 thousand deaths in both world wars combined, as well as 15 thousand deaths as a result of the Spanish flu pandemic following WWI, although Australia experienced a significant baby boom following the Second World War. In the past fifty years, Australia has promoted immigration from all over the world, and now has one of the strongest economies and highest living standards in the world, with a population that has grown to over 25 million people in 2020.

In 2021, there were over 26 thousand Indian nationals with permanent residence in Australia. Out of this, 49 percent were women. After peaking in 2017, the number of Indians with permanent residency declined. Australia is one of the leading countries hosting migrants from India.

In the Cook Islands in 2024, the population decreased by about 2.24 percent compared to the previous year, making it the country with the highest population decline rate in 2024. Of the 20 countries with the highest rate of population decline, the majority are island nations, where emigration rates are high (especially to Australia, New Zealand, and the United States), or they are located in Eastern Europe, which suffers from a combination of high emigration rates and low birth rates.

In 2019, there were approximately 7.54 million immigrants living in Australia. Comparatively, there were approximately 8.4 thousand immigrants living in Timor-Leste that year.

In 2020, cumulative South African emigrants amounted to roughly 915,000. The vast majority settled in the United Kingdom (around 247,000), followed by Australia (nearly 200,000). Together, the two countries constituted roughly 49 percent of the total South African migrants living abroad. Moreover, the third major country of destination for South Africans was the United States, with about 117,000 people living there. Overall, the 21 countries presented covered 94.4 percent of all South African migrants.

Language: a primary driver of emigration destinations

Language is a factor that helps ease communication and integration for individuals within a new society. Noticeably, the five leading destinations for South African emigrants had English as an official language. In South Africa, English was the second most spoken language outside households. Furthermore, the Netherlands ranked seventh, which language can also justify. Afrikaans, a language developed from 17th-century Dutch, was the third most spoken language among households in South Africa.

Unemployment a major worry and prevalent among youth    

A real worry for South Africans in 2022 was unemployment. As of April 2022, 64 percent of the respondents of a survey reported concern regarding the job market and the unemployment situation in the country. As of the first quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate among the age groups 15-24 years and 25-34 years was significantly higher than the rest, reaching 63.9 percent and 42.1 percent, respectively.

Since the 1960s, Australia's urbanization rate has consistently been above 80 percent, and in 2023 it has reached its highest ever rate at 86.62 percent. Historically, Australia has been one of the most urbanized countries in the world, due to high rates of immigration since the 20th century, which were generally to coastal, urban areas. However, despite its high urbanization rate, Australia is among the largest countries in the world; therefore its population density is among the lowest in the world.

Money transfers to Vietnam were nearly 10 times higher in 2021 than money sent from the country. Remittances refer to cross-border payments to family or friends and are often associated with migrant workers sending money back home to friends or relatives back in their communities of origin. It is estimated that about one in seven people worldwide are involved with remittances - substantially impacting payment behavior in, especially, Asia and Latin America. For Vietnam, the top five recipient countries for remittances in 2021 included Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and Japan. Vietnam's five main sources for remittances were the United States, Japan, Australia, China, and Canada.

In 2024, over 760,000 students emigrated from India to study abroad. The number of students emigrating from India was the highest in 2023. The number of students going abroad declined drastically during the pandemic, however, with the opening of international borders there was an uptick in the number of students going abroad for education. Why are Indian students pursuing foreign education? English-speaking countries like the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland are most preferred by Indian students. The countries also have top-tier universities, specialized courses, and better post-study work opportunities. The easy availability of educational loans and increasing scholarship options are some of the reasons that influence Indian students to pursue foreign education. Which foreign study programs are popular? Indian students predominantly prefer enrolling in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Postgraduate management courses also have a steady following among Indian students. The pursuit of medical education in foreign countries is increasingly becoming popular among Indian students due to the limited availability of seats in Indian medical colleges. Key destinations for medical degrees include Russia, Georgia, China, and Kazakhstan among others.

When asked about their personal attitude towards various religions in Australia, 40 percent of Australians surveyed had a negative attitude towards Muslims. Buddhists appeared to be least likely to elicit negative responses and around 14 percent of respondents responded negatively to Christians.

 Islam in Australia

Muslims represent almost a quarter of the religious diversity in the Asia Pacific region and Australia’s neighbor, Indonesia, has the largest Muslim population in the world. In Australia, Islam is the second largest religious group but less than three percent of the population are Muslim, compared to over 50 percent of the population identifying as Christian. The Australian Muslim community is very diverse, consisting of migrants from Bangladesh, Lebanon, Turkey, as well as Australian-born Muslims of European heritage.

 Australians increasingly less religious

The 2016 Australian census revealed that an ever-increasing number of Australians are selecting “no religion” in the optional census question on religious affiliation. This drop in religious affiliation is a common trend in many economically developed countries, although some of Australia’s minority religions like Islam and Buddhism are still showing some growth. In contrast, Christianity appears to be declining, especially amongst people under the age of 35, an age group that also recorded higher numbers of people with no religion.