Australia’s foreign-born population has reached 31.5%-the highest since the 1890s-according to official ABS data. 8.6 million overseas-born residents are reshaping the nation’s economy, cities and identity.
Historic Demographic Shift: 31.5% of Australians Now Foreign-Born:
Australia’s population has crossed a landmark threshold. As of 30 June 2024, 31.5 per cent of the country’s 27.2 million residents were born overseas-the highest share in more than 130 years and a sharp rise from 30.7 per cent just one year earlier.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the figures in April 2025, revealing an overseas-born population of 8.6 million people, up 396,000 in a single year. Net overseas migration has powered almost all of this growth, reversing the temporary dip caused by COVID-19 border closures.
From Gold Rush Peak to Modern Surge:
For the first time since 1893, overseas-born Australians exceed 30% of the population. During the 1890s gold rush, the figure reached 32% but dropped to 10% by 1947 due to world wars and the Great Depression. Post-WWII reconstruction, the end of the White Australia policy, and multiculturalism steadily increased the share to 23.8% by 2004. The pandemic briefly lowered it to 29.3% in 2021, but migration has surged since borders reopened.
Today, England leads with 964,000 (3.5%), followed by India (916,000, 3.4%), China (700,000, 2.6%), and New Zealand (618,000). Asian-born communities now drive the fastest growth, with Nepal’s population quadrupling and India’s more than doubling since 2014.
From Colonial Beginnings to a Modern Multicultural Powerhouse:
Australia has a rich history of immigration, beginning with European settlers in the late 18th and 19th centuries. After World War II, the government launched large-scale immigration programs to support economic growth, attracting migrants from Europe and later from Asia and the Middle East.
In recent decades, migration policies have focused on skilled workers, international students, and family reunification, further diversifying the population. According to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the foreign-born population now represents nearly one-third of the country, surpassing levels seen at the height of the post-gold rush and early industrial periods in the 1890s.