India overtakes the United Kingdom as Australia's largest migrant group
For the first time in Australia's history, a non-British-origin migrant community is the country's largest. The shift coincides with a rise in anti-immigration demonstrations, including the 'March for Australia'.
For the first time in Australia's history, India has overtaken the United Kingdom as the largest country-of-origin diaspora community, marking a generational shift in the country's migration profile, Gulte reports.
It is a milestone heavy with symbolism. For over two centuries, the British were the dominant migrant population in Australia. That a non-British-origin community has now eclipsed them speaks to the depth and durability of Indian migration to the country — students, skilled workers, families, and citizens who have arrived in growing numbers since the early 2000s.
But the demographic milestone arrives at a fraught moment. Indian Australians report facing real challenges with acceptance, Gulte's reporting notes, against the backdrop of anti-immigration mobilisations including demonstrations branded the "March for Australia". The contrast — record visibility on one hand, rising hostility on the other — is the story.
The economic footprint backs the demographic story. India's overall remittance inflows hit US$135.46 billion in FY25, a 14% rise on the previous year, with Australia among the advanced economies driving the share, Made in India Magazine reports.
For diaspora readers, the question is no longer whether the community has arrived in Australia. It has. The question is what the next decade looks like for a community now too large to be a minority footnote in the national debate.
Sources: Gulte · Made in India Magazine.
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