Victoria is forecast to attract an additional 2.7 million people through net international migration over the period to 2051.

While this large increase in population will come with many challenges, it will greatly increase Melbourne’s famed cultural diversity.

When it comes to languages, Melbourne is a city of many tongues. In fact, more languages are spoken in Melbourne (230) than there are countries in the world (196). There are over 480,000 Asian language speakers, over 550,000 European language speakers (other than English) living in Melbourne.

Photo: Flinders Street, Melbourne on White Night by Stu Morley, 2013

Melbourne’s history is one rich with the migration, especially of people from Europe and Asia, and this is still the case.
Victoria accounted for 33.7% of the total increase in the national population (more than a third) in 2015, which is a record-high for that state.

“It is clear that the economic strength of a state is key to attracting more residents not just domestically but also internationally,”wrote Core Logic analyst, Cameron Kusher.

In 2015, Victoria recorded population growth of 1.8 per cent. Underpinning this figure was strong international migration flows, with over 54,000 new migrants predominately from China and India, welcomed into the state in 2015.

Core Logic, a leading provider of property information and analysis, says that Victoria’s strong economy is the reason so many people are choosing to settle in the state.
“It is clear that the economic strength of a state is key to attracting more residents not just domestically but also internationally,” wrote Core Logic analyst, Cameron Kusher.