More Australians than ever were born overseas, and a big change in the top countries of origin has put the spotlight on the most popular suburbs with migrants.
A third of people living in Australia were born overseas, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
This is the highest proportion recorded since 1891, the year records of Australia’s overseas-born population began.
The data, which covers the 2024-2025 financial year, shows there were an extra 258,000 people living in Australia who were born overseas compared to the prior year.
Australia has the eighth-largest overseas-born population in the world, with the United States topping the list followed by Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and France.
India is now the top country of origin for Australia’s overseas-born population, with 971,020 Indian-born people currently living in Australia. This represents 3.5% of Australia’s population.
Jump ahead to see the top suburbs with overseas property seekers.
There were 54,690 more Indian-born people living in Australia compared to the previous year.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia's population by country of birth, June 2025.
England, which has long been the top country of origin of overseas-born residents, has slipped to second place for the first time, with Australia now home to 970,950 English-born people.
The number of Australian residents born in England has been declining since 2013, while the population of residents from all the other top 10 countries of origin has been increasing.
Sydney's Bondi Beach was among the most-searched suburbs with renters from the UK, but Melbourne's inner suburbs were the most popular among British buyers . Picture: Getty
In third place was China (731,540) followed by New Zealand (637,680) and the Philippines (412,530).
While the number of Indian-born residents in Australia has accelerated recently, the growth in the number of Chinese-born residents has decelerated, although was still at the highest level on record.
The Indian-born population jumped by 6% compared to the previous year, while the Chinese-born population grew by 5% and the English-born population increased by 1%.
REA Group senior economist Anne Flaherty said changes in the top countries of origin of overseas-born residents could reveal how housing demand could shift around Australia.
“Seeing more people coming in from certain countries gives you a signal about the areas that are more likely to see more housing demand,” she said.
Where Australia’s new migrants live
Recent data from the ABS shows that the suburbs with the largest increase in net overseas migration tended to be well-connected, high-density suburbs, mostly in inner-city areas.
The data, which tracks population change by SA2 regions – areas roughly corresponding with one or a few suburbs – shows inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne tended to have the biggest increases in migrant populations.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population, June 2025
Carlton in Melbourne’s east topped the list, with net internal migration gain of 1787 people.
High density hubs such as Carlton were among the suburbs with the most new migrants recently. Picture: Getty
It was followed by Melbourne CBD - North, an area bounded by Lonsdale Street, Russell Street, Victoria Street and William Street, with a gain of 1305 people.
Sydney’s Haymarket came in third place with a gain of 1258 people.
Top suburbs for overseas migration
| Suburb (SA2) | State | Net overseas migration | Net internal migration | |
| 1 | Carlton | VIC | 1787 | -287 |
| 2 | Melbourne CBD - North | VIC | 1305 | -464 |
| 3 | Sydney (South) - Haymarket | NSW | 1258 | -310 |
| 4 | Melbourne CBD - West | VIC | 1126 | -346 |
| 5 | Kingsford | NSW | 1120 | -518 |
| 6 | Clayton (North) - Notting Hill | VIC | 1108 | -270 |
| 7 | Adelaide | SA | 1054 | -282 |
| 8 | Bentley - Wilson - St James | WA | 1054 | -535 |
| 9 | Clayton - Central | VIC | 1010 | -549 |
| 10 | Box Hill | VIC | 987 | -384 |
Areas with big increases in migrant populations tended to correspond with the location of major universities and a high concentration of jobs, Ms Flaherty said.
“For people coming to Australia to study or who might be looking for work, they’re going to want to be in a location where they can easily access their university or workplace,” she said.
These areas also had negative net internal migration, suggesting that strong inflows from overseas were partly offset by locals leaving for other parts of the country.
Most popular suburbs with overseas property seekers
Examining the most-searched suburbs for buying and renting among overseas property seekers reveals the areas that are top of mind for people considering moving to Australia.
While Sydney’s CBD was the most-popular suburb for buyers searching from India, outer suburbs of Melbourne were also popular, including Tarneit, Point Cook and Craigieburn.
Most-searched suburbs by overseas buyers - top countries of birth
| Renting | Buying | |
| India | ||
| 1 | Melbourne, VIC | Sydney, NSW |
| 2 | Parramatta, NSW | Melbourne, VIC |
| 3 | Sydney, NSW | Tarneit, VIC |
| 4 | Southbank, VIC | Point Cook, VIC |
| 5 | Adelaide, SA | Craigieburn, VIC |
| United Kingdom | ||
| 1 | Bondi, NSW | South Yarra, VIC |
| 2 | South Yarra, VIC | Prahran, VIC |
| 3 | Richmond, VIC | Richmond, VIC |
| 4 | Coogee, NSW | Armadale, VIC |
| 5 | Bondi Beach, NSW | Elwood, VIC |
| China | ||
| 1 | Zetland, NSW | Balwyn, VIC |
| 2 | Melbourne, VIC | Glen Waverley, VIC |
| 3 | Waterloo, NSW | Camberwell, VIC |
| 4 | Chippendale, NSW | Kew, VIC |
| 5 | Sydney, NSW | Toorak, VIC |
| New Zealand | ||
| 1 | Brisbane City, QLD | Sydney, NSW |
| 2 | Sydney, NSW | Burleigh Heads, QLD |
| 3 | Perth, WA | Melbourne, VIC |
| 4 | Melbourne, VIC | Perth, WA |
| 5 | Richmond, VIC | Broadbeach, QLD |
| Phillipines | ||
| 1 | Melbourne, VIC | Randwick, NSW |
| 2 | Sydney, NSW | Paddington, NSW |
| 3 | Brisbane City, QLD | Woollahra, NSW |
| 4 | Adelaide, SA | Bellevue Hill, NSW |
| 5 | Surry Hills, NSW | Melbourne, VIC |
Real estate agent and Ray White Tarneit sales director Mike Sarupria said about 90% of buyers in Tarneit were of Indian descent.
“Their friends and family in the past have moved here, so they feel comfortable staying close to them,” he said. “They still want that community feel.”
“At the same time it’s affordable for people to buy a home. They feel they've got a lot of options to choose from at a better price point, and they feel a sense of pride that they're buying something brand new.”
Apart from the CBDs of Sydney and Melbourne, Tarneit was the most popular suburb among India-based buyers. Picture: Getty
English buyers were focused on suburbs in Melbourne’s inner south east, including South Yarra, Prahran and Richmond.
Buyers searching from China zeroed in on Melborune’s eastern suburbs, including Balwyn, Glen Waverley and Camberwell.
The most popular suburbs with New Zealand-based buyers were the CBDs of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, as well as the Gold Coast suburbs of Burleigh Heads and Broadbeach.
Buyers based in the Philippines preferred Sydney’s eastern suburbs, including Randwick, Paddington, Woollahra and Bellevue Hill, as well as Melbourne CBD.
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The situation was a little different in the rental market, with overseas property seekers tending to gravitate towards the CBDs of the major cities.
However, Parramatta in Sydney’s west and Southbank in Melbourne were popular with Indian renters, while inner Sydney suburbs such as Zetland, Waterloo and Chippendale were favoured by renters based in China.
Meanwhile, renters from the UK gravitated towards beachside Sydney suburbs such as Bondi and Coogee, as well as South Yarra and Richmond in Melbourne.
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