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Local Demographics in Melbourne

Good to know

Good to Know

  • Melbourne is the 7th-largest foreign-born population city globally; roughly 4 in 10 residents in Greater Melbourne were born overseas
  • Indian and Chinese communities are the largest non-English-speaking migrant groups; strong cultural diversity reflected in 233+ languages spoken
  • Tech ecosystem has grown 23% compound annually; Melbourne ranked #32 globally and #1 in Oceania for startups; startup employment exceeds 52,000 people
  • City of Melbourne proper is far more international (54.8% foreign-born) than Greater Melbourne average (40.1%), reflecting CBD concentration of skilled migrants
  • Life Sciences and Fintech are standout growth sectors backed by world-class universities, research institutes, and government programs

Top Ancestries

  • English
    Percent
    25.6
    Rank
    1
  • Australian
    Percent
    23.4
    Rank
    2
  • Chinese
    Percent
    8.3
    Rank
    3
  • Irish
    Percent
    3.2
    Rank
    4
  • Indian
    Percent
    3.1
    Rank
    5

Major Business Sectors

  • Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
    Note
    21.4% of registered businesses in City of Melbourne (vs 12.6% in Victoria)
  • Digital Technology and ICT
    Detail
    Over half of Australia's top 20 tech companies; 8,000+ ICT companies; largest cloud hub in Asia-Pacific
  • Life Sciences and Biotech
    Detail
    650+ biotech companies; 40% of Australian biotech/medtech companies; delivers 58% of Australian pharmaceutical exports
  • Home to fintech unicorns and rapidly growing sector
    Sector
    Fintech
  • Creative Industries
    Detail
    Screen industry contributes $1.3 billion annually; 53% of Australia's digital games companies; 130+ studios
  • CBD retail and hospitality employs around 400,000 people
    Sector
    Retail and Hospitality
  • Manufacturing and Transport
    Detail
    Metal processing, engineering, vehicles, chemicals, construction

Top Countries Of Birth

  • India
    Percent Of Greater Melbourne
    4.9
    Rank
    1
    Absolute Count
    242635
  • Mainland China
    Percent Of Greater Melbourne
    3.4
    Rank
    2
    Absolute Count
    166023
  • England
    Percent Of Greater Melbourne
    2.7
    Rank
    3
  • Vietnam
    Percent Of Greater Melbourne
    1.8
    Rank
    4
  • New Zealand
    Percent Of Greater Melbourne
    1.7
    Rank
    5

Languages Spoken At Home

  • English Only
    Percent
    61.1
    Rank
    1
  • Mandarin
    Percent
    4.3
    Rank
    2
  • Vietnamese
    Percent
    2.3
    Rank
    3
  • Greek
    Percent
    2.1
    Rank
    4
  • Punjabi
    Percent
    2
    Rank
    5
  • Arabic
    Percent
    1.8
    Rank
    6

Population

Total Greater Melbourne
5435000
City Of Melbourne Proper
136000
Note
Greater Melbourne population as of June 2025; rapid growth trajectory with Melbourne projected to surpass Sydney by 2030

Tech Startup Ecosystem

Number Of Startups
3400
Strengths
Top 30 global for talent and experience; #2 Oceania in funding; #2 Oceania in knowledge (research and patents); #5 Oceania in affordable talent
Global Ranking
32
Oceania Ranking
1
Government Support
LaunchVic provides $40 million over four years (2024-25 state budget); startup support programs and accelerators including 30X30, CivVic Labs
Research Institutions
University of Melbourne ranked #1 in Australia and #13 globally (QS 2025); Victoria home to 10 universities and 5 major research institutes
Ecosytem Value USD Billion
A$38
Note
Based on July 2021–December 2023 period; represents exits and startup valuations

Key Sectors

  • AI and Big Data & Analytics
  • Life Sciences and Biotech
  • Fintech
  • Enterprise SaaS

Major Companies And Unicorns

  • Airwallex
  • CultureAmp
  • Stake

Foreign Born Percentage

City Of Melbourne Percent
54.8
Greater Melbourne Percent
40.1
Census Year
2021
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.

  1. 1.en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2.en.wikipedia.org
  3. 3.profile.id.com.au
  4. 4.profile.id.com.au
  5. 5.abs.gov.au
  6. 6.startupgenome.com
  7. 7.startupgenome.com
  8. 8.launchvic.org
  9. 9.melbourne.vic.gov.au
  10. 10.britannica.com
  11. 11.invest.vic.gov.au
  12. 12.melbournecb.com.au
  13. 13.aib.edu.au
  14. 14.economy.id.com.au
  15. 15.liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au
  16. 16.investing.com
  17. 17.xe.com
  18. 18.investing.com

More About Melbourne

Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.