New migration data points to population patterns

11 APR 2019 By Sasha Karen 9 min read Hotspots

The analysis of migration data has found that the number of Australians born overseas is on the rise.

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CoreLogic analysis of migration data from the ABS showed that 29.4 per cent of Australian residents were born overseas, an estimated 17,650,130 residents.

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This data set, which goes back as far as 1996, is the highest share of residents born overseas on record. As a point of comparison, over 2017-18, Australian-born residents grew by 1.1 per cent and overseas-born residents grew by 2.8 per cent.

According to the ABS data, the top 10 countries of residents born overseas for 2018 are:

1. England
2. China
3. India
4. New Zealand
5. Philippines
6. Vietnam
7. South Africa
8. Italy
9. Malaysia
10. Scotland

Commenting on the list, Cameron Kusher, research analyst at CoreLogic, said that nearly a million Australian residents came from England.

However, while the migration data is at an all-time high, certain countries have been slowing their migration to Australia.

England, for example, reached its peak in 2013 with 1,012,780 persons migrating, falling down to 991,530. New Zealand, Italy and Scotland also peaked in 2013, going from 585,390, 200,670 and 142,360 to 568,290, 186,640 and 135,150, respectively.

On the other end of the scale, there has been a rise over the same period of people from China and India, rising from 432,400 and 378,480 to 650,700 and 592,310, respectively.

Mr Kusher pointed out that these statistics are at odds with the federal government’s recent decision to cut back on the country’s migration intake.

“Furthermore, demand for our education services, particularly from the world’s two most populous countries (China and India) is anticipated to remain high. As a result, expect even more residents of Chinese and Indian heritage to find their way to our shores over the coming years,” he said.

With that in mind, Mr Kusher added that to facilitate these arrivals, there will be a need for more supply.

“The growing source of migration is India and China, which are both very densely populated countries, which may lead to more demand for higher-density product,” Mr Kusher said.

“Furthermore, a lot of the migration comes from international students, as a result, there is likely to be growing demand for student accommodation.”

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