Whether you’re planning to come to Australia as an Indian or researching on Indians in Australia in general, you’ve come to the right place. No matter whether you are a student, migrant or professional, here in this article, you should get answers to your questions or the right sources & advice on anything related to Indians in Australia.
How many Indians in Australia- Population of Indians In Australia
update: May 2020: The Indian population in Australia has grown in the last two years according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)—30% in less than two years, making it the third largest migrant group in Australia after England and China, according to the latest figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
There are 592,000 Indians living in Australia as of June 2018. The Indian population in Australia has exponentially grown in the last few years according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
India now accounts for more than 2.4% of the Australian population and the median age of an Indian migrant is revealed to be 34 years.
The following table shows Australia’s population by country of birth as estimated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2019. It shows only countries or regions or birth with a population of over 100,000 residing in Australia. India is 3rd when it comes to migrants in Australia.
Opinion of Australian-Indians about Australia
A poll released recently by the Lowy Institute and the Australia India Institute reveals some interesting findings that will help you understand more about Indian public opinion towards Australia- The poll findings were: Despite bad press over the security of Indian students in 2009-10, Australia is well-liked in India. Indians hold relatively warm feelings towards Australia (56 degrees on a scale of 0 to 100), which ranks fourth after the United States (62), Singapore (58) and Japan (57) out of 22 countries in the survey.
Most Indians in Australia that were surveyed seem to admire Australian people, society, governance and universities.
Welcoming the poll, the Director of the Australia India Institute, Professor Amitabh Mattoo, said: ‘The Australia-India relationship is an idea whose time has come. This poll confirms that Indian perceptions of Australia are improving, but more work is needed to build and secure this vital relationship.’
Let’s not forget Australia is a multicultural country and the universities here are filled with students from over 50 countries. All of them bring their own unique culture, cuisine and variety in society.
A large part of the Australian economy is also supported by international tourists and students who comes to Australia in large numbers every year.
Someone on Quora asked about Indians and Australian community relationship (see image below) and here is the most voted answer (690+ votes/likes) which will give you an idea about what Australian-Indians think about Australia
Resources or useful Websites
- First of all, follow this facebook page which is the largest & fastest growing community Facebook page with 13,000+ Indians in Australia and is the best way to stay updated with the latest in the Indian community or general lifestyle articles.
- Another best source to stay updated with the Indian community in Australia is sbs hindi facebook page. I suggest you follow this page too because they post a lot of news and blogs related to Indians in Australia and around the world. They also keep their followers updated with the latest news or important events in India.
- Also, we have an official Indians in Australia: Indians in Australia.org where we post the blogs to provide lifestyle tips and the latest news in the Indians community across Australia. If you are an Indian in Australia then you should check out the site.
In the end, if you’re new or planning to make Australia your home then don’t just look for the Indian community but also try to mingle with Australian culture.
Indian Visa Australia
Checkout Indian visa Australia page for more information. Here you will see all the information on applying for Indian visa in Australia and different types of visas including temporary. For cost of living in Australia, you can checkout this cost of living Australia page where we have covered variety of factors that contribute to your living costs in Australia. Indian doctors in Brisbane is another page you can visit for medical information.
History:
If you like to read more on Indians in Australia, then check out the history section here on how Indians migrated to Australia in the past.
According to Australian records, a small group of Indians arrived in Australia in the years 1800-1816, sent as convict labourers by British colonial authorities. During the first 60 years of the 19th century, most of the Indians who arrived in Australia were recruited as labourers by the British Government; they later settled down in Australia. In the last four decades of the 19th century, many Indians, particularly Sikhs and Muslims from Punjab, settled on the northern coast of New South Wales as agricultural labourers, hawkers or traders.
There were also several Indians from the Punjab and North West Frontier Province who ran the ‘camel trains’, which were the main means of transport into the interior of Australia before the road and rail networks were developed. They would transport goods and mail by camels over the outback and were collectively known as Afghans, abbreviated by Australians to “Ghans”. Indians also took part in the gold rush in the Victorian gold fields. Several Sikhs also came to work on the banana plantations in Southern Queensland and through their hard work and enterprise, came to own their own plantations.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Australian records indicate the presence of around 6500 – 7000 Indians in Australia. This figure continued to remain the same until after the end of World War II. After India’s independence in 1947, a large number of Anglo – Indians migrated to Australia.
The next period of immigration from India began after 1966, with the influx of teachers, doctors and other professionals from India. Large numbers of Indian software professionals began arriving in Australia from the eighties. Persons of Indian origin also came here from other countries.
In all States and major cities, there are associations/organizations of Indians. There are also umbrella federations of Indian associations in the States/Territories. There are also several ethnic publications, Indian language programmes on radio, Indian language schools, and Indian dance schools in all major cities.
