Good to know
Good to Know
- Over one-third of Brisbane's population was born overseas, with particularly large New Zealand and English-speaking communities.
- Mandarin is the most commonly spoken non-English language, followed by Vietnamese, reflecting growing Asian migration.
- Brisbane is experiencing rapid tech-sector growth with 315 high-tech startups, 82 of which are funded; strong presence of established global tech players like TCS, Google, and Oracle.
- Skilled migration from Asia and South Asia has intensified since the 2010s, particularly among Indian-born and Chinese-born residents under points-based visa systems.
- The city has the largest concentration of New Zealanders outside New Zealand and houses approximately one-third of Australia's Maori population.
- Australian-born ancestry (31.6%) and English ancestry (36.5%) remain the dominant groups, but multicultural diversity is increasing significantly.
Language Diversity
- English Only At Home Percentage
- 77.3
Top Non English Languages
Mandarin
- Percentage
- 2.5
Vietnamese
- Percentage
- 1.1
Punjabi
- Percentage
- 0.9
Cantonese
- Percentage
- 0.9
Major Tech Companies
TechnologyOne
- Presence
- Global operations in 14+ countries, cloud-based solutions
- Service Count
- 1200+ major clients
- Specialization
- Cloud-based enterprise software
Emesent
- Specialization
- Autonomous drone mapping and LIDAR analytics for industrial infrastructure
Vaxxas
- Specialization
- Vaccine development platform
Microba
- Specialization
- Microbiome-based drug discovery
SwarmFarm Robotics
- Specialization
- Agricultural robotics
TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)
- Specialization
- Global IT services with Brisbane operations; 528,000+ consultants worldwide
WorkingMouse
- Founded
- 2014
- Specialization
- Custom software development, enterprise solutions
Green Apex
- Founded
- 2014
- Team Size
- 150+ professionals
- Specialization
- Digital transformation and IT solutions
Business Sector Employment
Primary Industries
Health care and social assistance
- Percentage
- 12.5
Retail trade
- Percentage
- 10.1
Manufacturing
- Percentage
- 9.2
Professional, scientific and technical services
- Percentage
- 8.5
Notable Nationalities Top 5
New Zealand
- Rank
- 1
- Note
- Brisbane has the largest New Zealand-born population of any city in Australia
England
- Rank
- 2
India
- Rank
- 3
Mainland China
- Rank
- 4
Philippines
- Rank
- 5
Population
- Metro Area 2026
- 2560000
- Rank In Australia
- 3
- Current Estimate 2026
- 2560000
- Context
- Third-most populous city in Australia
Ancestry Profile
- Irish
- 11.1%
- German
- 5.7%
- Chinese
- Largest non-European ancestry
- English
- 36.5%
- Scottish
- Significant presence
- Australian
- 31.6%
Tech Sector Overview
- Status
- Growth hub
- High Tech Startups Count
- 315
- Description
- Brisbane boasts the highest growth in technology jobs in the country with emerging startups and established companies
Startup Metrics
- Funded Startups
- 82
- Unicorn Companies
- 1
- Series A Plus Funded
- 35
Foreign Born Percentage
- Percentage
- 31.7
- Census Year
- 2021
- Context
- Approximately one-third of Brisbane's inhabitants were born overseas
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this local demographics research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Brisbane
Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.