Australia's Middle Eastern Communities: What the Latest ABS Population Data Reveals
- Youssef Haddad
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
08 Septemeber 2026 | Author: Youssef Haddad
Australia's migration story is often told through its largest overseas-born populations. India, England, China and New Zealand dominate the national figures, but beneath those headline numbers is another important story: the growth and establishment of Australia's Middle Eastern communities.
The latest population estimates released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics provide a detailed picture of where Australia's overseas-born population comes from. As at 30 June 2025, 8.83 million Australian residents were born overseas, representing 32.0 per cent of Australia's population. That proportion has risen from 28.3 per cent only ten years earlier and is now approaching the historical high of 32.4 per cent recorded in 1891.
Within those 8.83 million overseas-born residents are substantial communities born in Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, Afghanistan, Türkiye, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere across the Middle East and surrounding region.
The figures reveal communities with very different histories. Some, particularly Lebanon and Türkiye, reflect migration to Australia extending across several generations. Others, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, have been shaped much more heavily by recent conflict, displacement and humanitarian migration. Iran presents another distinct story, with its Australian population developing through a combination of skilled, family, student, protection and other migration pathways.
Together, the statistics demonstrate why there is no single "Middle Eastern migration story" in Australia.
More Than 600,000 Australian Residents Were Born Across the Middle East and Surrounding Region
The ABS estimated resident population figures at 30 June 2025 show the scale of these communities:
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia's population by country of birth, June 2025. The combined figure above is our calculation from the individual ABS country-of-birth estimates.
There are some geographical qualifications to that table. Afghanistan is generally classified as part of Southern/Central Asia, while Egypt and Libya are geographically in North Africa and Türkiye is transcontinental. We have included them because they form part of the broader Middle Eastern and surrounding-region migration story commonly discussed in Australia.
Even with that qualification, the overall scale is striking. More than 622,000 people currently living in Australia were born in those 18 countries.
And that number significantly understates the size of the communities themselves.
The ABS data measures country of birth, not ancestry. An Australian-born child or grandchild of Lebanese, Iraqi, Iranian, Syrian or Turkish migrants is recorded as Australian-born and therefore does not appear in these figures. This distinction is especially important for Australia's older and more established migrant communities.
Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and Afghanistan Now Stand Out
Four populations immediately stand out from the latest figures.
The Iraq-born population has reached 111,880, making Iraq the largest individual population in the group examined here. In fact, Iraq is now among Australia's twenty largest overseas countries of birth overall.
This reflects a substantial demographic transformation. Australia's Iraqi community has been shaped heavily by successive periods of conflict and displacement, including humanitarian resettlement, followed by family migration and the establishment of increasingly mature Iraqi-Australian communities.
The Lebanon-born population stands at 98,390. Unlike some of the faster-growing populations, however, the number of Lebanon-born residents does not capture the true scale of Lebanese Australia. Lebanese migration to Australia has a much longer history, meaning a substantial proportion of people with Lebanese ancestry are now second, third or later-generation Australians who were themselves born here.
The Afghanistan-born population has reached 96,180, while the Iran-born population stands at 95,690.
The closeness of these figures is itself interesting. Australia now has four major populations from Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iran clustered between approximately 96,000 and 112,000 residents each.
Together, those four birthplace groups alone account for approximately 402,000 Australian residents.
That is a substantial demographic presence before Australian-born descendants are counted.
Syria and the Changing Humanitarian Migration Story
The Syrian-born population provides another revealing example.
The ABS estimates that 38,800 Syria-born people were living in Australia at 30 June 2025.
The development of Australia's Syrian community cannot be separated from the major displacement caused by the Syrian conflict and Australia's humanitarian response. In September 2015, the Australian Government announced that an additional 12,000 humanitarian places would be made available for people displaced by conflict in Syria and Iraq.
The demographic consequences of humanitarian migration do not end when a humanitarian visa is granted. People settle permanently, establish families, become Australian citizens and may subsequently sponsor eligible family members through Australia's migration program.
Over time, what begins as a humanitarian migration response becomes part of Australia's permanent demographic landscape.
Iraq and Afghanistan demonstrate the same phenomenon over a longer period.
This is one reason annual visa-grant figures tell only part of Australia's migration story. Population statistics allow us to see what happens after migrants settle and become part of Australian society.
Lebanon and Türkiye Show the Other Side of Australia's Migration History
Lebanon and Türkiye provide an important contrast because their migration relationships with Australia extend much further back.
There were approximately 98,390 Lebanon-born residents and 46,650 Türkiye-born residents in Australia at June 2025.
These figures need to be interpreted differently from populations dominated by recent migration.
A country-of-birth population can eventually stabilise or even decline while the broader community continues growing. Children born in Melbourne or Sydney to Lebanese-born parents are Australian-born for the purposes of these ABS statistics. The same applies to their children.
Consequently, country-of-birth data progressively captures a smaller proportion of the total community as a migrant population becomes established across multiple Australian-born generations.
This is particularly relevant to Lebanese Australia, where migration has occurred over a very long period.
The 98,390 Lebanon-born residents therefore should not be interpreted as meaning there are only 98,390 Lebanese Australians. It tells us how many Australian residents were themselves born in Lebanon.
That distinction is important throughout this data.
Iran Has Become One of Australia's Largest Middle Eastern-Born Populations
The 95,690 Iran-born residents recorded by the ABS place Iran almost level with Afghanistan and Lebanon and not far behind Iraq.
Iran is particularly interesting from a migration perspective because its Australian population cannot easily be attributed to one migration stream.
Over different periods, Iranian migrants have come to Australia through skilled migration, family migration, international education and subsequent permanent migration pathways, as well as protection and humanitarian circumstances.
The result is a substantial Iran-born population that is now approaching 100,000 residents.
This also illustrates an important feature of Australia's migration system. The permanent communities visible in ABS statistics are often the cumulative result of numerous visa programs operating over many years rather than a single migration policy.
Egypt, Türkiye and Syria Form Another Significant Group
Below the four largest populations, the ABS records 48,840 Egypt-born residents, 46,650 Türkiye-born residents and 38,800 Syria-born residents.
Together, those three groups account for more than 134,000 Australian residents.
There are then smaller but still significant populations born in the Gulf states and elsewhere in the region. The ABS estimates include 19,990 UAE-born residents, 17,240 Saudi Arabia-born residents, 12,870 Israel-born residents, 9,970 Jordan-born residents and 9,610 Kuwait-born residents.
These figures require some additional caution when interpreting migration background. A person being born in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar does not necessarily mean that they are Emirati, Saudi, Kuwaiti or Qatari by nationality or ancestry. Large expatriate populations live in Gulf countries, and country of birth is precisely that — birthplace, not nationality or ethnicity.
That is another reason the ABS statistics should be understood as demographic data rather than nationality statistics.
Australia's Overseas-Born Population Is Near a Record Level
These Middle Eastern figures form part of a much larger change occurring across Australia.
At 30 June 2025, Australia's total estimated resident population was 27.61 million, comprising approximately 18.78 million Australian-born people and 8.83 million overseas-born people. The overseas-born population increased by another 258,000 people in just one year, from June 2024 to June 2025.
The proportion of Australians born overseas has risen substantially over the longer term:
The ABS notes that Australia's overseas-born population has grown at an average annual rate of about 3.0 per cent over the past 20 years, compared with approximately 1.0 per cent for the Australian-born population.
Australia is consequently approaching the highest overseas-born proportion recorded in its historical population series: 32.4 per cent in 1891.
This makes the current period particularly interesting. Australia is not simply experiencing high migration in a particular year. The cumulative effect of decades of migration is changing the composition of the resident population.
Behind the Numbers Are Very Different Migration Journeys
One of the most important lessons from the ABS figures is that Australia's Middle Eastern communities should not be treated as one homogeneous migrant population.
The migration history of a Lebanese family that has lived in Australia for three generations may bear little resemblance to that of a recently resettled Syrian refugee family. An Iranian skilled professional, an Iraqi humanitarian entrant, an Australian sponsoring a spouse from Türkiye and an Afghan family reunited after years of separation may all eventually appear in Australia's population statistics, but the pathways that brought them here are very different.
The ABS itself does not tell us why each person migrated. Its estimated resident population measures people who usually live in Australia regardless of nationality, citizenship or legal status.
That is precisely why these figures are useful.
Visa statistics tell us about decisions made by Australia's migration system. Country-of-birth population statistics tell us something different: who has ultimately become part of Australia's resident population.
And the 2025 figures demonstrate that communities originating from the Middle East and surrounding region are now an established and significant part of that population.
Immigration Law Matters Australia
At Immigration Law Matters Australia, we have seen many of these migration stories at an individual and family level.
Australian migration from the Middle East has occurred through Partner and Family visas, Skilled and Employer Sponsored migration, refugee and humanitarian programs, protection pathways, parent migration and ultimately Australian citizenship.
The latest ABS figures provide a broader perspective on those individual journeys.
More than 8.8 million Australian residents were born overseas, and hundreds of thousands were born across the Middle East and surrounding region. Some belong to communities established in Australia over several generations. Others form part of much more recent migration.
Together, they demonstrate how migration decisions made over decades gradually become part of the Australian population itself.
As Australia's migration system continues to evolve, Immigration Law Matters Australia will continue examining the official data behind the debate and what it tells us about the changing face of modern Australia.
Immigration Law Matters Australia
📍 Melbourne Office, Level 4, 256 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
☎️ (03) 9606-0674
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Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. The ABS 2025 country-of-birth population estimates are preliminary and may subsequently be revised.
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